Microfoundations and dynamics of do-it-yourself ecosystems

Abstract

Small-scale do-it-yourself (DIY) practices have driven emerging user communities and global movements. As research on ecosystems has proliferated, limited insights have been generated on the interdependent and dynamic nature of DIY ecosystems. Drawing on observations of a locally established space for DIY activities (“makerspace”) with international networks, a flexible pattern matching approach was adopted in explaining how disparate projects played a primary role in the formation of a self-sustaining DIY ecosystem with interdependent start-up actors, or “makers”. Two patterns were drawn from the literature on DIY ecosystems to discover matches and mismatches in longitudinal data that were drawn from a coworking-space in Shenzhen, China. The findings suggest two emergent dimensions: internal alignment, and connection with, and resilience to, the ecosystem's external environment. We explain how these dimensions advance understanding of DIY ecosystems by illuminating their interdependent and self-sustaining nature. Policy recommendations are also offered in supporting the development particularly of user communities in makerspaces.