Business model innovation and the global ecosystem for sustainable development

Current literature on business model innovation is moving away from liner models, and highlighting critical success factors such as knowledge, creativity and innovation. However, understanding how these issues relate to business model components, and how they are connected to surrounding networks and ecosystems, is still an area that requires more attention. In an effort to explain how business model components work together and impact one another in the networks and the wider ecosystems in which businesses exist, a conceptual framework has been developed: The Ecosystem View of Business Model Innovation. This is a holistic and unifying framework, highlighting the flow of connectivity between the internal and external components of a business. In this paper, an illustrative case study provides the foundation for studying this new framework within the context of the global ecosystem for sustainable development. In addition to case study research, action research was applied to gain an in-depth understanding of the interactions between the dynamic components involved. This conceptual framework and supporting illustrative case clarify the types of organizational capabilities, practices and routines that can strengthen both internal value processes and external networks and ecosystems, allowing for knowledge, creativity and innovation to develop.