Innovation amidst Turmoil, Part 2: Narratives and Sensemaking among German Managers during the Pandemic

How actors make sense of complex and uncertain situations shapes their perceived agency to foster innovation and organizational change. We present a case study on the sensemaking processes of German managers during the COVID-19 pandemic to gain insights for researchers and decision-makers interested in navigating uncertainty. Based on data collected (n=209) via an online questionnaire and grounded in theories of sensemaking and narrative discourse analysis, we identify seven distinct narratives that reveal varying perceptions of agency, problem framing, and modes of acting under uncertainty: “Business as usual”, “early mover”, “stronger together”, “step-by-step”, “bold leadership”, “acting impossible”, and “against the tide”. Based on our case study, we identify promising avenues for future research and discuss the practical relevance of proactive and collective sensemaking, emotions, detecting weak signals, and future-oriented narratives in economics for decision-making under uncertainty as well as perceptions of agency in (organizational) innovation. JEL Codes: D80, D91, H12, I19, L21, M14, O31, O35, Z13