Sensemaking of Organizational Rule Systems: Requirements for a Modeling Method

Organizational rule systems, comprising internal rules, external regulations, and contractual obligations, pose significant sensemaking challenges for actors in heavily regulated sectors. For example, actors need to consider conflicts and incoherence among rules, how higher-level rules are refined by complementary rules at lower levels, and how rules are changed over time. This study aims to elicit requirements for a visual modeling method that supports practitioners who are not rule experts in comprehending and navigating such rule systems. Within the framework of design science research, the study uses a case study of the Swedish regulatory system for health data innovation. Data were collected through both semi-structured interviews and documents, and analyzed using theory-driven thematic analysis based on complex adaptive systems theory. The results include a thematic map and a structured set of requirements for the proposed modeling method. In summary, the requirements specify a method that allows the user to move up and down multi-level hierarchies, sometimes drilling deep into details, sometimes looking at high-level emerging patterns. These requirements lay the groundwork for designing and evaluating the modeling method.