Relational Sensemaking Scale

What it measures

Measures the degree to which a person reappraised and redefined their role and understanding of a relationship following a significant relational event. Drawing on sensemaking theory, the scale captures the cognitive reorientation that occurs when a disconfirming event prompts a person to reconsider how they understand and position themselves within an ongoing relationship.

Scale items

• Because of this event, I reconsidered my role in my relationship with _____.
• Because of this event, I redefined how this relationship works.
• Because of this event, I thought about how this event changed my relationship with _____.

Full scale items shown. Always cite the original source when using this scale in research.

Usage notes & scoring

Created by Harmeling et al. (2015) and grounded in Weick's (1995) theory of sensemaking in organisations. Used in Study 2 (n = 228, MTurk; consumer-firm context) and Study 3 (B2B context) with slightly different item phrasing to suit the professional relationship context. In Study 2, reliabilities differed substantially between the negative disconfirmation condition (alpha = .96) and the positive disconfirmation condition (alpha = .83), which researchers should note when using the scale across valence conditions. AVEs were .88 (negative condition) and .82 (positive condition), both supporting convergent validity. Discriminant validity with other relational constructs in the model was also supported. Items use a stem ('Because of this event, ...') and a blank for the name of the relationship partner (person, group, or company). The stem and blanks should be filled in contextually before administration.

Citation

Harmeling, C.M., Palmatier, R.W., Houston, M.B., Arnold, M.J., & Samaha, S.A. (2015). Transformational relationship events. Journal of Marketing, 79(5), 39-62.

Keywords