Innovation Amidst Turmoil: A SenseMaker Study of Managerial Responses to the COVID‑19 Crisis in Germany

Michael P. Schlaile, Veronica Hector, Luis Peters, Lukas Bäuerle, Beth Smith, Annette Hilt and Silja Graupe

Journal of Innovation Economics, 2024, vol. N° 43, issue 1, 285-318

Abstract: We present the results of an exploratory study of transformation processes in ?wicked problem situations?, faced by 623 German managers due to the COVID-19 crisis during summer 2021. Our study draws on a fruitful combination of sustainability transitions research, complexity theory, cognition in economics, meme theory, and sensemaking by using the SenseMaker® software platform as a data collection and analysis tool on patterns of meaning in managerial self-signification and interpretation of their own decisions. We contribute to current interdisciplinary debates by presenting an empirical study on sensemaking during the COVID-19 pandemic that uncovers the narrative patterns of managers during uncertain decision situations. Our results suggest that while new habits have emerged and human ingenuity and creativity is acknowledged, participants of our study appear to lack a strong vision of a sustainable future beyond green growth and the dominant techno-economic paradigm. JEL Codes: B59, D80, H12, I19, L21, M14, O31, O35, Z13

Keywords: Innovation; Sensemaking; Narratives; Pandemic; Crises; Memes; COVID-19; Sustainability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: B59 D80 H12 I19 L21 M14 O31 O35 Z13 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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