A value-based approach to business model innovation: defining the elements of the concept

Abstract

Business model innovation (BMI) has increasingly attracted attention by proposing the business model (BM) as a new unit of analysis in the study of innovation. However, the definition and dimensioning of the concept is still unclear. This paper thereby aims to identify a consistent set of interdependent BMI elements, aligning with a configurational approach. Taking a value-based perspective, we review the existing contributions to date and arrive at five elements of BMI, each focused on one facet of the company’s BM: (1) value creation innovation; (2) value proposition innovation; (3) value delivery innovation; (4) value capture innovation; and (5) value network innovation. This study contributes to the growing BMI literature by proposing a unique classification underpinned by a value-grounded theory of the firm. Furthermore, we describe how these five dimensions interact and explore its implications. Throughout, we illustrate our ideas with the examples of existing companies.