Toward a capability‐based conceptualization of business model innovation: insights from an explorative study

Abstract

Although business model innovation (BMI) is more and more being acknowledged as key strategic task, current research is missing a conceptualization of core elements and relevant organizational capabilities. These research gaps impede a full theoretical understanding and a systematic and purposeful managerial application. By drawing on dynamic capability literature, this study addresses the question of how firms systematically and purposefully pursue BMI. Empirical analysis is based on six case studies in the specialized publishing industry, in which technological change has triggered numerous opportunities for new business models. The findings demonstrate that BMI can be conceptualized as a distinct dynamic capability. This capability can be disaggregated into a firm's capacity to sense business model opportunities, seize them through the development of valuable and unique business models, and reconfigure the firms' competences and resources accordingly. The present study outlines how distinct organizational routines and processes undergird these capacities. A conceptualization as dynamic capability contributes to a theoretical underpinning of BMI by integrating previously discussed dimensions of this phenomenon. Moreover, managers can gain concrete guidelines about how to systematically and purposefully approach BMI.