Reframing discourse is about challenging existing cognitive models (ways of understanding issues) that contribute to reinforcing the problems that social change organizations are addressing. These organizations attempt to prompt cognitive shifts - a change in perception or understanding - about the issues they work with or the constituencies they serve. They do this by shaping how the constituents understand their own racial or ethnic identity and recasting an issue as an injustice that is clearly understood by the public.
Sensegiving and the Role of Cognitive Shifts in the Work of Leadership
Article in The Leadership Quarterly by Erica Gabrielle Foldy, Laurie Goldman and Sonia Ospina
The Leadership Task of Prompting Cognitive Shifts: Shaping Perceptions of Issues and Constituencies to Achieve Public Service Goals
A practical five-page guide for nonprofit leaders by Erica Gabrielle Foldy, Laurie Goldman and Sonia Ospina
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