Abstract:
BACKGROUND: Entrepreneurial activity in an efficiency-driven economy is fundamental to
economic growth, yet its sustainability and opportunities are concerning. Both entrepreneurial
bricolage and design thinking could enhance opportunity development, but their effectiveness
and incorporation into an integrated approach to opportunity advancement require further
investigation.
AIM: This study explores design thinking and entrepreneurial bricolage as facilitating
constructs for entrepreneurial opportunity development, employing the design-centred
entrepreneurship perspective and the conceptual framework offered by various authors; it
investigates the effectiveness of the theoretical frameworks mentioned; and lastly it explores
the potential of amalgamating these frameworks into a more comprehensive structure for
entrepreneurial opportunity development.
SETTING: The sample consisted of entrepreneurs in South Africa.
METHODS: Fourteen semi-structured interviews with founders of small and medium
entrepreneurial ventures in various South African industry sectors were conducted.
RESULTS: Current frameworks pertaining to bricolage and design thinking proficiencies were
appropriate for opportunity development and could be effectively integrated. However, some
contributory factors should be included, such as organisational culture, business partners and
a non-linear rather than a methodical approach.
CONCLUSION: Entrepreneurial bricolage has a significant influence on developing and establishing
opportunities. The value of design thinking was confirmed with a specific focus on a human-centred approach, creativity and innovation. However, contradictory to design thinking
authors, entrepreneurs described the design thinking process as non-linear and disordered.
CONTRIBUTION: This study provides empirical evidence to enrich the understanding of the
elusive entrepreneurial opportunity development process by integrating the design-centred
entrepreneurship framework with the entrepreneurial bricolage perspective into a single,
more comprehensive framework.
Description:
DATA AVAILABITY STATEMENT: Data are available upon request from the corresponding author, C.M. Joynt. It is held securely in the repository of the
university and is only accessible by the researchers involved
in the study.