Bricolage and the Entrepreneurial Process in Times of Crisis: Insights from New Ventures in the Philippines

Research by: Jamil Paolo S. Francisco

Executive Summary

The concept of bricolage (from the French “bricoleur” or handyman) is used in the entrepreneurship literature to describe a particular mechanism for entrepreneurship and innovative performance characterized by making do with resources at hand, improvising, and combining or reusing resources for new purposes.

Bricolage has re-emerged recently in the entrepreneurship literature as an effective form of resource mobilization in resource-constrained environments and during externally-triggered crises. Earlier studies observed bricolage behavior in the context of advanced economies where such behavior may be a strategic approach towards frugal innovation or as a coping mechanism during crises—a short-term alternative to the conventional approach that emphasizes careful planning and strategic resource acquisition. More recently, a small but growing body of literature has emerged studying bricolage as a pervasive and continuous organizational strategy in persistently resource-constrained, uncertain, and highly dynamic environments in emerging economies or during a prolonged and extensive crisis. There is a knowledge gap worth exploring to ascertain whether entrepreneurs use bricolage selectively for particular challenges during new venture creation as part of a diversified but predominantly systematic, resource-seeking strategy or use it more broadly and consistently throughout the entrepreneurial process.

In this paper, we sought to establish the prevalence of bricolage throughout the process of new venture creation by identifying bricolage at every stage of entrepreneurial action. We conducted our investigation among newly created ventures in the context of an emerging economy, the Philippines, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data was collected from in-depth interviews with 10 small business entrepreneurs. We contributed to the literature by testing theoretical categories and concepts of bricolage and the entrepreneurial process through deductive content analysis.

We identified bricolage behavior at each and every stage of the entrepreneurial process among new ventures operating in a resource-scarce environment during a prolonged crisis situation. Results of the study showed that bricolage, as a resource mobilization approach, was persistent throughout the entrepreneurial process (from opportunity discovery and development to full exploitation) and was embedded in the behavior and decision-making of entrepreneurs rather than a one-time phenomenon or tactical approach. Our findings support our hypothesis that bricolage was an enabling strategy at every stage of the entrepreneurial process.

A key takeaway from this study is the viability of bricolage as an effective approach to resource mobilization. Beginning in opportunity discovery, bricolage enables nascent entrepreneurs to recognize business opportunities from within their extant network and market knowledge derived from their professional or previous entrepreneurial experience. This helps entrepreneurs overcome the difficulty of finding opportunities that tend to be spread thinly over a broad scope in emerging economies due to rapidly changing political and economic environments, persistent market imperfections and information asymmetry. Furthermore, in the resource-penurious environment of emerging economies, idiosyncratic access to financial and physical resources among entrepreneurs serves as a springboard for opportunity development. By finding ways to recombine and repurpose resources at hand and resources that can be accessed at very low cost, entrepreneurs are able to overcome perceived barriers to entry (e.g., high capital requirements) and to develop viable strategies to fully exploit the new opportunity.

To cite this article: Francisco, J. P. S. (2024). Bricolage and the entrepreneurial process in times of crisis: Insights from new ventures in the Philippines. Journal of Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEEE-09-2023-0399

To access this article: https://doi.org/10.1108/JEEE-09-2023-0399

About the Journal

Journal of Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies (JEEE) is the first journal to focus on qualitative and quantitative research in all areas of business, entrepreneurship, marketing, and policies that inhibit or stimulate entrepreneurship, development and sustainability in emerging economies.

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