Transition from Offline to Online through Digital Resource Bricolage in A Health Crisis: A Case Study of Two Primary Schools

Abstract

Abstract Background: Health crisis responses underline maintaining normal operations. By utilizing digital resources, organizations are able to maintain essential operations through transiting their operations from offline to online during a health crisis. However, little is known about how organizations rapidly adapt to online operations. By taking resource bricolage as the theoretical lens, this study investigates the process that organizations rapidly transit from offline to online through digital resource bricolage during health crises. Methods: A case study of two primary schools that maintained operations during COVID-19 was conducted, with a focus on the utilization of digital resources and resource bricolage. Secondary data collection, interviews and coding strategy were utilized to collect and analyze data to reveal the process that organizations rapidly transit from offline to online through digital resource bricolage. Results: The findings reveal a sequential three-step resource bricolage process, including redeploying digital resource functions, combining digital and non-digital resources, and coordinating interaction among participants, as well as the corresponding resource bricolage behaviors and domains. Conclusions: This study contributes to information systems (IS) studies on crisis responses by identifying the sequential steps of digital resource bricolage to transit from offline to online during health crises. In addition, this study contributes to the development of resource bricolage perspectives by identifying new resource bricolage actions that suitable for the health crisis response.