WEAVING EFFICIENCY AMID LIMITATIONS: THE SURVIVAL NARRATIVE OF MICRO ARTISANS IN BALI

Abstrak

Micro craft-based businesses in Bali face a dual pressure in the form of limited human resources, fluctuating market demands, and cultural ties in preserving hereditary businesses. This study aims to explore the survival strategies of micro artisans amid these constraints, focusing on self-developed efficiency practices. The method used is qualitative with a phenomenological approach, involving in-depth interviews and field observations of 12 artisans in various craft centers in Bali. The research results indicate that the main strategies adopted are enhancing the skills of all human resources, reorganizing workflows to be more efficient, and implementing night overtime to address labor shortages and ensure timely completion of work. Moreover, business sustainability is driven not only by economic necessity due to the difficulty of obtaining formal employment, but also by cultural factors, such as the continuation of family businesses across generations as part of family and community identity. These findings affirm that efficiency at the microenterprise level is not merely the result of technical innovation, but also the product of a combination of adaptive capacity (resilience), institutional legitimacy, and cultural values inherent in production practices. However, efficiency practices such as working late at night have the potential to create health risks and reduce long-term productivity if not balanced with external support. The implications of this study highlight the need for culturally sensitive interventions, such as community-based training programs, simple workflow redesigns, micro social protection, and regeneration strategies that encourage young people to continue the business with innovations that still respect tradition. Thus, the results of this study contribute to the theoretical understanding of micro-enterprise resilience while also offering policy recommendations to strengthen the sustainability of traditional Balinese crafts in the modern era.