Linking business model and open innovation - success and failure of collaborations

Abstract

Previous research highlights the importance and ubiquity of business models and inter–firm cooperations. However, both concepts are generally separately discussed. The influences of the intra–organisational business model upon inter–organisational collaboration - including the critical success and failure factors - are still largely unexplored. This paper is based on the case study of two bilateral inter–firm cooperations in innovation conducted by two small and medium–sized enterprises. Only one of the cooperations was successful; the other failed. Based on a ceteris paribus assumption (i.e., assuming widely stabile internal and external context factors), we show that the gap between ex–ante role perception and ex–post role behaviour constitutes a crucial condition for the success of inter–firm cooperations. Consequently, the comprehension of the enterprise's own business model and the collaboration partners' business model has an enormous influence on the inter–firm cooperation process. We will discuss the implications for inter–firm cooperation research and practice.