Bricolage and optimism

Entrepreneurship is commonly seen as underpinning innovation and economic growth. However, it also carries significant psychological burdens, from stress and isolation to a pervasive fear of failure. Research has tended to focus on the financial and operational aspects of entrepreneurship, so the mental health of entrepreneurs remains underexplored. Work published in the World Review of Entrepreneurship, Management and Sustainable Development has now looked at how two factors, entrepreneurial bricolage and dispositional optimism, can shape psychological wellbeing among entrepreneurs.

Entrepreneurial bricolage is the practice of creatively pulling together available resources to overcome challenges and capitalize on opportunities. This resourcefulness helps entrepreneurs build resilience, reduce stress, and regain a sense of control in volatile business environments. Dispositional optimism, on the other hand, is the tendency to expect positive outcomes, a trait that has been linked to improved emotional regulation, greater life satisfaction, and enhanced job satisfaction.

The team examined a range of independent studies and have drawn out from them a model that integrates these two factors, showing how they interact to affect mental health. The findings reveal that both bricolage and optimism play complementary roles in promoting psychological resilience. Entrepreneurs who engage in bricolage experience higher job satisfaction and more positive emotions and those with higher dispositional optimism report greater life satisfaction in addition to positive job outcomes.

This model emphasizes that entrepreneurial success should not only be measured in economic terms but also by psychological wellbeing. As the study points out, fostering a better understanding of how entrepreneurs manage their emotional challenges could improve their long-term sustainability and mental health.

Although the current research is not wide-ranging, the review has enough evidence to offer a new framework for future research, particularly in examining the long-term effects of these factors across different cultural and economic contexts. This work calls for a broader view of entrepreneurial success, one that acknowledges the importance of mental health and emotional resilience as essential components of a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Al Saeed, F., Alaskar, A. and Ebie, S. (2025) ‘The truth about bricolage, dispositional optimism, and psychological wellbeing in entrepreneurship: evidence from a systematic review’, World Review of Entrepreneurship, Management and Sustainable Development, Vol. 21, No. 5, pp.20–44.