Michaela Csik

Business model innovation has received rising attention as a means for firms to achieve superior performance. Yet, as we argue based on a review of related literature, the research field so far lacks a comprehensive framework that supports managers in their endeavour to innovative their firms' business models. Based on process models from innovation management literature and insights from 14 cases of past business model innovations, we develop the 4I-framework that structures the business model innovation process and highlights the specific challenges which managers face during the initiation, ideation, integration, and implementation of new business models. Through our study, we also provide a conceptual framework to organise existing literature in the business model innovation field and identify promising areas for future research.

This case study analyzes how one of the world’s biggest building material suppliers implemented a business model innovation in parallel to its traditional business in Indonesia. The new business model exceeds the profit level of the conventional business and has become a promising business field. We investigate the role of ambidextrous firm behavior on multiple levels and over time for the implementation of the business model innovation. First, the company has organized the business model innovation based on domain separation. Second, it has steered various modes of ambidexterity across multiple domains and over time. In doing so, the company featured a highly dynamic ambidextrous behavior. Based on the in-depth case study, we contribute to literature on business model innovation and ambidexterity.

This study explores in what way ambidextrous firm behavior supported the successful implementation of a business model innovation at a traditional construction material company. We analyze how one of the worldwide leading producers in this industry has launched a novel business model in an emerging market. By analyzing the implementation process of the business model's value chain activities, we find that the use of four different modes of ambidexterity, namely contextual, temporal, structural and domain separation facilitated the successful implementation of the new business model.