Emergency Bricolage: A Case Study of the National Face Mask Team in Taiwan
Author
Abstract
Amidst crises like the global pandemic, organizations faced with high uncertainty struggle with confusion or helplessness as they strive to initiate and execute novel solutions while constrained by time and resources. It is more imperative than ever for scholars to explore how organizations move from peril into safety in response to emergencies. This study focuses on the National Face Mask Team in Taiwan, a temporary organization formed with government support, which efficiently established 92 mask production lines within 40 days to address immediate and future needs. Based on and extending bricolage theory, we qualitatively analyzed team processes, framing them as emergency bricolage. We found that emergency bricolage entails: 1) a four phase structure, specifically goal-setting during the urgent phase, then integrating parts into a greater whole during exploration, formulating regulations and practices during adjustment, and achieving mass production while ensuring regulatory compliance during steady and fast growth; 2) three work practices central to the process, namely mobilizing resources, aligning resources, and framing resources; and 3) three core features playing crucial roles - resource assembly, desperate creativity, and legitimation. The study offers theoretical and practical implications based on the findings.
Key Words
bricolage, emergency bricolage, resources, COVID-19, National Face Mask Team
