The methodology of social representation theory was applied to the concept of competence during the follow-up phase of an action-research project in the public sector. The competence of authority -- a key concept in legal culture and in the bureaucratic model -- was contrasted with the...

Summary This paper analyzes the linkages between sensemaking, metaphors and performance evaluation in an organizational setting. Drawing on a study of how university students prepared for examinations, it argues that one way people make sense of being evaluated is through metaphors that...