Overcoming Innovation and Transformation Blind Spots: A Sensemaking and Practice Approach

In today’s fast-evolving business landscape, digitalization and innovation are no longer optional—they are essential drivers of transformation. Organizations that successfully integrate digital tools with sustainability and social responsibility are better positioned for long-term growth, efficiency, and resilience. Entrepreneurs and business leaders now have an unprecedented opportunity to merge green, digital, and social strategies, reshaping industries and fostering sustainable business models.

Drawing from research and hands-on experience, I have witnessed how digitalization and sustainability intersect to create powerful transformation opportunities. Collaborations with researchers like Petersen, Fuerst, and Torkkeli (2023) led to the development of the Green Digital Innovation Radar, which identifies four anchor points (what, who, how, where) and eight dimensions of innovation, forming 12 unique pathways for sustainable digital transformation. This editorial framework, along with four special issue papers, illustrates how entrepreneurs innovative combine digital technologies not only to drive sustainability but also foster scalable and resilient innovation and business models.

However, despite these opportunities, many businesses encounter blind spots—hidden barriers that slow down or even derail transformation efforts. These blind spots emerge from entrenched assumptions, outdated practices, and a lack of external perspectives. Overcoming them requires engagement with diverse networks—including consultants, researchers, industry peers, and customers.

Particularly crucial in this process are network brokers—key actors who bridge knowledge gaps, connect stakeholders, and facilitate innovation. This article, the second in a five-part series, explores how sensemaking—the process of interpreting and acting upon complex information—can help organizations identify and overcome digitalization blind spots.