Resource hijacking as a bricolage technique

Abstract

Entrepreneurs work in a resource-constrained environment. What is more, the resources controlled by new ventures are often much more limited compared to the resources controlled by existing competitors. In order to overcome the gap between needed and controlled resources, entrepreneurs use techniques such as financial bootstrapping (Ebben & Johnson, 2006) and bricolage (Philips & Tracey, 2007). This study extends the concept of entrepreneurial bricolage by introducing the concept of resource hijacking, which explains how entrepreneurs take advantage of resources controlled by others to extend their resource base and develop new ventures. Using an exploratory grounded theory approach, this study aims to: (1) conceptualize resource hijacking, (2) identify different dimensions and variants of resource hijacking, (3) provide empirical evidence of resource hijacking in practice, and (4) fit the emergent concept into the existing body of literature on bootstrapping and bricolage within the entrepreneurial process.