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Resourcefulness Enactment: The Sensemaking Process Underpinning Resourceful Actions

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  • Greg Fisher

Abstract

Prior research highlights how entrepreneurs depend on resourceful actions to overcome constraints in value-creation situations. Yet, most resourcefulness research has examined its external manifestations. To complement this, I examine the cognitive and embodied sensemaking process that underpins resourceful actions. Using an autoethnography of a 1430-mile mountain bike ride across South Africa, I distill a microfoundational sensemaking perspective underpinning resourcefulness, highlighting how actors who confront resource-constrained situations find creative ways to overcome such constraints to move forward in their endeavors. Furthermore, I specify how resourcefulness is impacted by priming, learning, and contagion within a challenging context.

Suggested Citation

  • Greg Fisher, 2024. "Resourcefulness Enactment: The Sensemaking Process Underpinning Resourceful Actions," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 48(4), pages 911-940, July.
  • Handle: RePEc:sae:entthe:v:48:y:2024:i:4:p:911-940
    DOI: 10.1177/10422587231205321
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