When informal institutions govern better: institutional complexity and sustainable procurement bricolage in sub-Saharan Africa

Purpose Despite the growing body of research on sustainable supply chain management (SSCM), the institutional mechanisms governing sustainable procurement in African contexts remain insufficiently understood. Institutional theory’s predominant focus on formal regulatory bodies creates particular limitations when applied to Africa’s distinctive institutional landscape, where weak formal regulatory capacity coexists with powerful informal institutions, including traditional leaders, community elders, religious authorities and family networks. This institutional duality generates competing demands that challenge conventional frameworks for understanding sustainable procurement governance. Integrating institutional theory with the resource-based view (RBV) and the relational view, we develop and test a theoretical model examining how institutional complexity, the relative influence of formal versus informal institutional pressures and institutional bricolage strategies jointly shape sustainable procurement outcomes among manufacturing firms in resource-constrained emerging economy contexts, while also examining whether organizational Ubuntu values moderate the effects of institutional complexity on sustainable procurement practices. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on three-wave survey data collected from 385 manufacturing firms in Ghana. Structural equation modeling (AMOS-SEM) and hierarchical regression were used to assess the direct, interaction and mediational relationships. Findings The results reveal that institutional complexity exerts a significant negative effect on sustainable procurement practices, while informal institutional pressures exert substantially stronger positive influence on sustainable procurement than formal institutional pressures and institutional bricolage fully mediates the relationship between institutional pressures and sustainable procurement performance. Additionally, organizational Ubuntu values attenuate the detrimental effects of institutional complexity on sustainable procurement practices. Originality/value The paper positions institutional bricolage as a novel mechanism through which enhanced sustainable procurement outcomes could be achieved in informal institutions in resource-constrained settings, while also challenging institutional theory’s formal institution bias and extending SSCM theory by identifying alternative governance pathways in weak institutional environments. The paper also advances scholarship by contributing to both the RBV and the relational view by conceptualizing institutional bricolage capabilities and socially embedded relational resources as distinct sources of competitive advantage in sustainable procurement. The paper offers fresh actionable guidance for managers and policymakers supporting sustainable procurement transitions in institutionally complex African contexts.