Despite increasing demands for the consideration of external actors in the implementation of human rights policies, the nature of their participation remains largely under-researched. This article examines the participation of external actors in the sensemaking process of a multinational enterprise implementing a human rights policy. Using the case study of Schneider Electric's duty of vigilance, we conduct an in-depth analysis of the sequence of actors involved in the organizational sensemaking process. We identify four forms of participation (external animated by external actors, mixed animated by diplomats, internal controlled by internal actors, and mixed controlled by internal actors), which explain how the process moves from restricted and fragmented sensemaking to guided sensemaking. However, even when this guided phase is reached, external actors’ participation remains limited, resulting in two subtypes of guided sensemaking: colluded sensemaking and imported sensemaking. This work contributes to both business and human rights and sensemaking literature by clarifying the sequence of actors participating in the social process of organizational sensemaking towards limited forms of sensemaking and second by unveiling a risk of external actors' participation failure in business and human rights.
