Theorizing MacGyver: Entrepreneurial action in the face of environmental turbulence

Abstract

Sometimes, entrepreneurial action is driven by necessity. Whether global pandemics, climate change, or the oxygen system failure in Apollo 13, time-constrained and high-stakes decisions increasingly confront entrepreneurs and managers. Yet, our literature tends to favor intendedly rational and practiced approaches to entrepreneurial action in the face of perceived uncertainty. This study views entrepreneurial action from the other side of the mirror – imposed opportunities (not created), high time pressure, and limited resources (no trove access to resources and an inability to leverage contingencies). Using a mixed-methods approach and drawing upon data from the empirical setting of professional chefs and discourse from popular media, we explore these unique forms of entrepreneurial action through the lens of MacGyvering – a term developed from a 1980's hit television show where seemingly impossible odds and idiosyncratic challenges are routinely overcome. Our findings suggest that MacGyvering does not map neatly onto any single established concept of entrepreneurial action. Instead, it integrates some aspects of effectuation, causation, bricolage, and improvisation while explicitly adapting and eschewing others. Our insights can help entrepreneurs and managers act expeditiously to create new value in the face of environmental turbulence.