Abstract

Numerous theoretical frameworks have addressed organizational change agency outside traditional executive-driven top-down methods. However, bottom-up change agents likely remain unsure of their change-making capacities for two main reasons: (1) having limited formal authority and resources and (2) having been largely overlooked as an audience in the literature. This article addresses the second reason, which is a gap in the literature. Using the analogy of a bricoleur and their varied tools, this article describes a maker mindset and a set of tactical actions comprising a Tactical Moves Inventory (TMI). Bottom-up organizational change is presented as a process of tactically refitting workspace resources, similar to how a bricoleur tinkers with what is available. Impacts ultimately emerge through garnering local breakthroughs (even amid constraints) through ingenuity, resourcefulness, and community building. The TMI is applied to present an example of a bottom-up changemaker project.