A digital ecosystem as an institutional field: curated peer production as a response to institutional voids revealed by COVID ‐19

This paper investigates the ecosystem dynamics of the Open-source [COVID-19] Medical Supplies network that arose to fill the institutional void revealed by state and private sector failures to stockpile and supply enough personal protective equipment. Theoretically, the paper adds correctives to extant institutional theory accounts of entrepreneurship filling institutional voids, showing that these can be filled rapidly and normatively by digital entrepreneurial ecosystems allied with peer production networks. These were able to transform the boundary conditions of a routinized system, refixing its autopoiesis innovatively. The COVID-19 epidemic galvanized hundreds of thousands of volunteer "makers" around the world to cooperate to meet urgent demand for medical supplies. A digital entrepreneurial ecosystem arose in response to the problem of critical equipment shortages, connecting global, expert-curated know-how with local production equipment. We contribute to the theory of institutional voids by documenting and analyzing how the formation and emergent processes that created and sustained a Digital Peer Production Ecosystem based on self-organization, expert curation and scalability, successfully catalyzed local initiatives worldwide. Institutional voids are not just barriers to entrepreneurship;they are also opportunities.

Doing more with less - How frugal innovations can contribute to improving healthcare systems.

The dominance of an innovation discourse laden with cutting edge and expensive technologies, may be preventing us from recognizing alternative and complementary perspectives, which could help cut healthcare costs while improving worldwide access to health services. One such complementary approach is that of frugal innovation. Frugal innovation, as a way to produce efficacious and affordable products using fewer resources to reach the underserved customers, has received increasing attention in the social sciences literature. Although frugal innovation is commonly associated with emerging economies, there is now a rising interest from healthcare providers in developed countries, to find and apply effective, and lower-cost solutions. Nonetheless, knowledge on frugal innovation and its role in healthcare is dispersed across different literatures which hampers researchers and practitioners to access a fuller, and integrated picture of the phenomenon. In this study, by synthesizing extant knowledge, we tackle the fragmentation of the phenomenon. We elucidate on who the actors are, what is being done, how are such innovations being developed, and what the outcomes are, providing a framework that lays out the underlying mechanisms of frugal innovation in healthcare (FIH). The midrange theory that we develop, provides a conceptual framework for researchers to undertake empirical observation and models to guide managerial practices. Furthermore, by providing a more unified perspective of frugal innovation in healthcare, we hope to initiate conversations on the development, adequacy and adoption of these innovations in healthcare services, which could increase affordability and access for the population while maintaining quality.

Resilience in a time of contagion: Lessons from small businesses during the covid-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT The abrupt outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic sent unprecedented shockwaves across the globe, creating an unparalleled crisis in terms of our health, severely impacting the way we live and work. Measures such as social distancing and travel restrictions, have disrupted production and supply chains, reinforcing a demand shock. In the midst of this pandemic, however, there are leaders of resilient firms that are effectively responding to these changing times. Using a multiple-case inductive enquiry, the paper analyses how leaders activate resilience in small businesses. Employing a process framework, which focuses on sequences of activities and their interrelations which we analyse to uncover how these leaders activated this resilience and explicitly integrated the literature of resilience with that of sensemaking. Resilience emerges when cognition and behaviour work in conjunction, with businesses adapting to combat the crisis. When it comes to global disruptive crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic, extant literature provides us with little guidance. The study not only makes a number of contributions to extant literatures but also provides valuable insights and tools to help leaders effectively navigate and respond to this crisis. By doing fast research in real time the paper provides novel and original insights MAD statement The impact of the corona virus, COVID-19, was swift and sudden on organizational life. For the majority of people, leaders and employees, the impact has been challenging and not in a good way. For a few leaders, however, the contagion proved to be a business opportunity rather than a disaster. In this paper we discuss how a handful of firms turned the crisis into good business, proving to be resilient and resourceful by bricolaging rapid responses to a radically changed situation from which good things flowed as positive responses, producing products that helped to deal with the virus. For example, production shifted from alcohol to hand sanitiser. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)

Breaking the chain: Governmental frugal innovation in Kerala to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

As the COVID-19 pandemic causes unprecedented disruptions in citizens' lives and work, prompting a wide range of responses from governments across the globe. The southern Indian state of Kerala, India's COVID-19 "ground zero", stands out with a fatality rate at a fraction of other richer Indian states and countries. This has happened despite the state presenting strong vulnerabilities to COVID-19. Using the theoretical lens of frugal innovation, I analyse how the Kerala State Government (KSG) combated the spread of COVID-19. This research uncovers the mechanisms at play as KSG implemented and used frugal technologies as platforms that helped decision making and strategy to fight the pandemic. I find a rich interplay of frugal innovations promoted by the government, in partnership with research institutes and private sector actors, which are cheap and efficacious. The study defines and promotes the concept of government frugal innovation (GFI) and provides valuable insights and tools to help governments navigate and effectively respond to this crisis, encouraging the rest of the world to learn from Kerala's experience. My conceptual model characterizes GFI as involving collaborative aspects, and holds practical implications beyond the times of crises.