| Abstract [eng] |
Digital technologies, increasing competitive pressure from digital entrants and the deconstruction of value chains, and changing customer behavior drive the Digital Transformation (DT) of Business Models (BMs). Incumbent companies are forced to actively engage in Business Model Innovation (BMI) in order to sustain their competitive advantage. This is particularly relevant for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) who play an important structural role in many countries. In comparison to large companies, they lag behind regarding the DT of their BMs and the adoption of digital BMs. Despite the increasing amount of studies dealing with the DT of BMs, two major research gaps exist, first with regard to incumbent SMEs, and second with regard to the relationship between strategic management and the DT of BMs. Last, but not least, there seems to be a lack of empirically validated practical models and frameworks for the DT of BMs, in particular for SMEs. Therefore, the research aim is to develop a conceptual model for the DT of incumbent SMEs’ BMs. Taking the high degree of fragmentation and construct unclarity in this research field into account, the theoretical findings include the identification of key drivers and a definition of the DT of the BM based on prior research. Furthermore, digital BMs are conceptualized and recent typologies and taxonomies are reviewed. Extant studies dealing with the DT of incumbent SMEs’ BMs are analyzed. Together with a comparative analysis of models and frameworks for transforming BMs into digital BMs, they form the basis for the key theoretical contribution, that is a conceptual model for the DT of incumbent SMEs. A qualitative research methodology is developed to analyze the applicability of the proposed conceptual model. Following a multiple case study approach, the building systems sector in Germany was selected as research context. Data was mainly collected through conducting semi-structured interviews and analyzed through a qualitative content analysis. The empirical findings suggest that the conceptual model is applicable both for SMEs exploiting their existing BM and for those exploring a new digital BM. The additional contextual element of stra-tegic leadership was identified in all cases and added to the conceptual model. Although some steps seem to be of higher relevance to incumbent SMEs pursuing a new digital BM, the conceptual model can also provide guidance at an early stage of the BMs’ DT, for instance with regard to the strategic management of the DT of the BM. Based on the differences which were observed between the case companies, recommendations for the DT of the BM were derived depending on the degree of digital BMI and organizational focus. The final result is a theoretically and empirically validated conceptual model for the DT of incumbent SMEs’ BMs that extends prior research at the intersection of DT, BM and strategic management. |
