The spatial representation of business models for climate adaptation: An approach for business model innovation and adaptation strategies in the private sector

Abstract

AbstractClimate change adaptation requires organizations to recognize the numerous natural and social dimensions of climate risk. In the private sector, local adaptation responses to climate change are observed as changes to the limited capacities of organizational processes to plan for social aspects of adaptation. This article applies a methodology to map these connections and presents empirical evidence of a firm's autonomous adaptation measures along their supply chain in Baja California, Mexico. The spatial conceptualization of the business model illustrates the potential to identify sources of climate‐related risks, autonomous adaptation actions, and the barriers to improving the feedback loops to facilitate the integration of local knowledge for business model innovation. The results suggest that coproduction of innovations is a mechanism for organizational learning that can help to overcome the challenges for business strategy to identify the wide array of local factors associated to climate adaptation and normalize adaptation planning into business models. This approach might accelerate leveraging the capabilities of the private sector for socially oriented forms of adaptation that amplify the transformational value of business model approaches for improved adaptation strategies.