The Day of Small Beginnings: Bricolage as a Source of Dynamic Capabilities in Young Firms

Scholars continue to call for greater understanding of the origins of dynamic capabilities in entrepreneurship. Nonetheless, the dynamic capabilities literature has attended very little to micro- foundations in general or to entrepreneurship specifically. Thus, we ask the question: What behaviors of entrepreneurs shape the development of dynamic capabilities in young firms? We argue for the generative role of entrepreneurial bricolage behaviors in the formation of dynamic capabilities. Dynamic capabilities and bricolage have in common the central characteristic of recombination. Dynamic capabilities invoke notions of latent or manifest performance capacities, whereas bricolage describes a pattern of behavior that often occurs prior to the development of any substantive capabilities. We argue that bricolage can lead to dynamic capabilities specifically by fostering willingness and ability to envision alternative solutions, skills in recombination, and organizational flexibility. Additionally, we highlight the destructive potential of high levels of bricolage on dynamic capabilities and conditions which may exacerbate these effects. Our theory contributes to strategic entrepreneurship research by examining the roots of dynamic capabilities in entrepreneurial behavior and by theorizing a specific set of these behaviors as proximal sources of dynamic capabilities.