Bricolage, a valuable tool for new-age entrepreneurs

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

bricolage. The term was coined by Levi Strauss, a French anthropologist, who compared the term 'bricoleur' to the 'engineer'. A bricoleur defies the standard norms of creating something from well-established resources, and instead 'makes do' with whatever is available at hand, improvising and generating value almost out of nothing.

In contrast, an engineer plans ahead and searches for resources to start and finish a project. Much like a bricoleur, an entrepreneur can also produce something with whatever is readily available. In light of that, proponents of entrepreneurial bricolage theory contend that the challenge of resource scarcity experienced by organisations is not an absolute limitation.

Instead, they believe that by discovering innovative solutions, existing resources can be effectively recombined and utilised to create higher value. Bricolage emerges as a response to resource constraints faced by entrepreneurs, such as limited capital, expertise, or access to formal support systems. Instead of being discouraged by these limitations, entrepreneurs embrace them as opportunities to find unconventional solutions.

They leverage what is readily available to them and creatively combine and repurpose resources to meet their needs. What's more, bricolage encourages entrepreneurs to think outside the box and foster a culture of creativity and innovation. By utilising existing resources in unconventional ways, entrepreneurs can generate unique products, services, or business models.

This approach often leads to disruptive innovations that challenge established norms and create new market opportunities. Moreover, bricolage enables entrepreneurs to innovate and launch ventures with limited financial resources. For instance,