Business model innovation processes of average market players: a qualitative‐empirical analysis
通过多案例研究，分析了普通市场参与者（非领先企业）的商业模式创新过程，发现其最初并非有意创新，而是经历高度涌现且常非预期的四个阶段，并识别了影响阶段完成的关键因素。
Business model innovation is by now mainly understood as a strategic option for firms to enhance competitiveness. As a result, business model innovation research usually focuses on outperforming firms that deliberately innovate their business models. We enhance this rather narrow perspective by analysing business model innovation processes of average market players against the background of a multiple‐case study. Our findings show that average market players do at least initially not deliberately pursue business model innovation. Instead, they experience business model innovation as a highly emergent and very often unintended process. We identify four phases of this process and describe them in detail. Furthermore, we highlight factors that determine whether a firm is able to complete the process step or not. The results of our study are reflected in a newly developed process model that considerably enhances the understanding of business model innovation processes with regard to average market players and may serve as framework for future research.