Bricolage as a path towards organizational innovativeness in times of market and technological turbulence

Abstract

Purpose

Companies need guidance on how to operate in turbulent environments to improve their innovative performance. However, few studies have been done specifically about how to market and technological turbulence affects the innovative performance in emerging markets. This paper aims to propose model with market turbulence, technological turbulence and firm’s bricolage behavior as antecedents of organizational innovativeness.

Design/methodology/approach

Two conceptualizations of the role of environmental turbulence are examined as follows: that market turbulence and technological turbulence are established as direct antecedents to organizational innovativeness performance; and the model has a mediating effect through the bricolage behavior. In this sense, the strengths of the paths differ depending on the presence of bricolage. Data were collected from 215 firms operating in Brazil, analyzed using the partial least squares (PLS)-structural equation modeling (SEM) technique as a quantitative method to test the hypotheses.

Findings

The results indicate that the mediating effect evidenced by the bricolage behavior was supported. In other words, the path from market and technological turbulence to organizational innovativeness is significantly better when permeated by bricolage behavior in the organization.

Research limitations/implications

It can be suggested to conduct similar research with larger sample size and applying control variables such as the size of the company, as smaller companies have less access to resources and maybe the engagement in bricolage can be even more substantial for them to keep innovating and to remain competitive in times of turbulence.

Practical implications

Some managerial recommendations and implications are provided. Managers should recognize the possible improvements in the organizational innovativeness development by actively including the bricolage behavior among their companies’ activities.

Originality/value

The theoretical contribution to the academic knowledge lies in corroborating with previous studies, which pointed out that bricolage has an influence on a firm’s innovativeness and some studies, which address perspectives in the organizational learning field.

Citation

Santos, L.L.d., Borini, F.M. and Pereira, R.M. (2021), "Bricolage as a path towards organizational innovativeness in times of market and technological turbulence", Journal of Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies, Vol. 13 No. 2, pp. 282-299. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEEE-02-2020-0039