How Bricolage Strategy Drives the Dynamic Evolution of Value Models in Platform Enterprises — A Case Study Based on TikTok's Internationalization
Feihu Zheng, Qian Wang, and Zhenru Liu
Article
How platform-based enterprises respond to the increasingly complex regulatory environment of host countries and geopolitical uncertainties has long been a focal point in the field of international business. Based on the real-world scenario of TikTok’s internationalization, this paper employs the ABCD model to explore the strategic bricolage paths adopted by enterprises to address uncertainties and their impact on the dynamic evolution of value models in platform-based enterprises. The findings reveal that TikTok adopted different sequencing of resource and strategy bricolage in response to varying international market entry contexts, and in this process, shaped differential configurations of three core elements: resource identification, resource bricolage, and resource value, thereby driving the diversified evolution of its own value model. Specifically, during its initial entry into overseas markets, TikTok adopted a pure bricolage logic, which manifested in the enterprise leveraging its existing core resources to implement an experimental strategy aimed at maximizing resource utilization efficiency and facilitating the construction of a creativity-driven value platform. In contrast, when entering the North American market, the company adopted a capability-seeking logic, guided by clear strategic objectives and then supplementing core resource gaps through mergers and acquisitions, thus enabling the formation of a platform model supporting cross-regional user transaction networks. As the external environment evolved and its internal resource and strategic foundation expanded, TikTok ultimately adopted an integrated logic combining bricolage and capability-seeking, leading to the establishment of its hybrid "content + consumption" ecosystem platform. This research extends the application of internationalization bricolage and the ABCD model in the domain of value model evolution for platform-based enterprises, and provides theoretical guidance and practical insights for such enterprises to build efficient resource-strategy matching mechanisms in their globalization endeavors.
Keywords
Bricolage Strategy; Platform Enterprises; ABCD Model; Internationalization
