Digital Bricolage and Its Limits: How Microenterprises Undertake Digitalization in Resource-Constrained Environments

Small enterprises are under pressure to change and digitalize. Many have had to reimagine how they use digital technology to do business. Our research suggests that for microenterprises, digitalization can be an organic form of development, driven by making do with the digital resources at hand rather than a deliberate strategy that prioritizes investment in complex digital technology. Harnessing the potential of this could accelerate the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal to increase access to value chains and markets for small enterprises in developing countries. Our findings offer evidence for policymakers to rethink conventional strategies and develop more context-sensitive support mechanisms that reflect how digitalization actually unfolds in resource-limited settings. For information systems and management education research, the empirical study theorizes digitalization from an alternative perspective that is less emphasized in current literature. It considers the reality of many resource-limited business ventures around the world and their need to “make do.” This contrasts with the prevailing emphasis on cutting-edge technology in existing literature and case studies. By spotlighting the emergent, adaptive, and often improvised nature of small enterprise digitalization, this work invites a rethinking of how we teach, study, and support digital innovation in diverse global contexts.