Sense-making and agenda construction in emerging business networks — How to direct radical innovation

This paper focuses on the role of sense-making and development agenda construction in emerging business fields characterized by radical innovation. First, the networked environment of emergent business fields is described. It is shown that both sense-making and agenda construction are key cognitive processes in managing in this environment. Then, a framework describing the dimensions of managerial sense-making and its antecedent factors is suggested and discussed. Finally, the phenomenon of agenda construction and communication and its role in influencing the direction of business field development is examined. Discussion of the theoretical and managerial implications concludes the paper. The paper provides significant new understanding on the roles of sense-making and agenda construction in the emergence of new business fields. It contributes both to network theory of emerging fields and management in radical innovation contexts.