Pe illo, Fede ico; Gau hie , Ca oline
A icle
Business model o sus ainabili y and digi aliza ion: The
empi ical case o an ecosys em pa icipa ion
Jou nal o Business Models (JOBM)
P o ided in Coope a ion wi h:
Aalbo g Uni e si y, Aalbo g
Sugges ed Ci a ion: Pe illo, Fede ico; Gau hie , Ca oline (2024) : Business model o sus ainabili y and
digi aliza ion: The empi ical case o an ecosys em pa icipa ion, Jou nal o Business Models (JOBM),
ISSN 2246-2465, Aalbo g Uni e si y Open Publishing, Aalbo g, Vol. 12, Iss. 3, pp. 53-63,
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Jou nal o Business Models, Vol. 12, No. 3, pp.53-63
JOURNAL
OF
BUSINESS MODELS
Please ci e his pape as: Pe illo, F. & Gau hie , C. (2024). Business Model o Sus ainabili y and
Digi aliza ion: he empi ical case o an ecosys em pa icipa ion, Jou nal o Business Models, Vol. 12, No.
3, pp. 53-63.
Business Model o Sus ainabili y and
Digi aliza ion: he empi ical case o an
ecosys em pa icipa ion
Au ho s
Fede ico Pe illo
1
& Ca oline Gau hie
1
Abs ac
As digi aliza ion can imp o e an o ganisa ion’s sus ainabili y pe o mance, he li e a u e
calls o mo e esea ch in o he ela ionship be ween digi aliza ion and he o ganisa ion’s
po olio o business models o sus ainabili y (BM S). This esea ch add esses he ole
o he o ganisa ion’s ecosys em in his ela ionship. Building on an induc i e analysis, we
use he case o a p oac i e mul ina ional company. An in-dep h in es iga ion, elying on
an analysis o seconda y da a and in e iews, e eals ha he ecosys em plays di4e en
oles. Fi s ly, i ac s o main ain a balance be ween he o ganiza ion’s co e business
model (BM) and i s eme ging new BM S ha ely on digi aliza ion. Addi ionally, i suppo s
he op imiza ion o he o ganiza ion’s digi al esou ces o i s eme ging new BM S ha ely
on digi aliza ion. Finally, i helps gene a e new alue o he o ganiza ion’s BM S. We
discuss he implica ions o p ac i ione s in os e ing pa ne ships o de elop mo e BM S,
and c ea e mo e en i onmen al benefi s h ough digi aliza ion.
Keywo ds Business model o sus ainabili y, digi aliza ion, ecosys em
1
G enoble École de Managemen , 12 ue Pie e Sema d, 38000 G enoble, F ance.
53
1. In oduc ion
BM S emphasizes he c ea ion o alue ac oss mul iple s akeholde s while elying on
sus ainabili y o en i onmen al, social, and economic ac i i ies (Bocken e al., 2014;
Lüdeke-F eund e al., 2020; Schal egge e al., 2016). S udies abou BM S in eg a e
mul iple ac o s o mee sus ainabili y such as o de elop s a egic capabili ies (S ubbs
& Cocklin, 2008), alue p oposi ion (Vladimi o a, 2019), supply chain (Boons & Lüdeke-
F eund, 2013), non-mone a y benefi s (Schal egge e al., 2016) and alue p oposi ion
along ecosys em pa icipa ion (Bocken e al., 2014; E ans e al., 2017). In pa icula ,
p e ious li e a u e has explo ed he con ibu ion o new echnologies o acili a e he
de elopmen o BM S. Hence, a s udy on elec ical sec o shows ha so wa e (SW)
solu ions inc ease he sel -consump ion o he ene gy coming om enewable and o
acili a e ene gy sa ing ins ead o u ilize ossil- uel-based elec ici y gene a ion
(Bohnsack e al., 2021) o ano he significan s udy highligh s ha digi al pla o ms may
op imize he use o enewable ene gy asse s (Reu e , 2022) bu inc ease he amoun o
ene gy consump ion oo, due o da a, analy ics and complex algo i hms hey equi e
(I en e al., 2020) and finally, a hi d s udy shows ha ene gy companies p io i ize
digi aliza ion as digi al solu ions, communica ion, and SW se ices o ein o ce he
ene gy sys em’s cen aliza ion a he han ocus on sus ainable ene gy ac i i ies (Pe ei a
e al., 2022). In line wi h E ans e al (2017), he dimension o BM S in his pape is he
en i onmen al aspec , while ealising economic alue, and in line wi h Jacobides e al
(2018), 'ecosys em' e e s o a g oup o in e dependen o ganisa ions ha complemen
each o he wi hou a con olled hie a chical p esence.
A mo e ecen s udy om B occa do e al. (2023) a gues ha digi aliza ion suppo s he
c ea ion and he de elopmen o BM S. Fi s , hei li e a u e e iew ound ou ha
digi aliza ion has a posi i e con ibu ion o BM S. Second, hei esea ch e eals he
mechanism o mo e om BMs o BM S by elying on digi aliza ion. Al hough hese s udies
demons a e ha BM S benefi om digi aliza ion, his ela ionship emains no
comple ely e ealed (Bohnsack e al., 2022) and i s knowledge is limi ed (B occa do e
al., 2023). The e is a claim o expand he empi ical e idence a in e sec ion be ween
BM S and digi aliza ion (B occa do e al., 2023) including he ecosys em con ibu ion o
de elop BM S (Upwa d & Jones, 2016). Fu he mo e, Co eani e al. (2020) show how
la ge mul ina ional companies benefi om ecosys em collabo a ion o implemen
digi al s a egies, u ilizing pla o ms and AI echnology. Sjödin e al. (2022) ecommend a
collabo a i e ecosys em s a egy o la ge manu ac u e s seeking digi al ans o ma ion.
In sec o s like elec ic ehicles (EV), dis up i e digi al pla o ms can impac es ablished
o ganiza ions, aligning wi h goals o educing ca bon emissions (Ande son e al., 2022).
Mo e claims add ess he ole o he o ganiza ion’s ecosys em o ad ance BM S a
in e sec ion wi h digi aliza ion. Indeed, a ecen call o esea ch om Snihu and Bocken
(2022) claims ha ex e nal collabo a ions and ecosys ems could ha e a posi i e impac
on he de elopmen o BM S o u he unde s and how companies can posi ion
ecosys em o ha e an impac on he en i onmen . Indeed, Ring old e al. (2022) claim
ha he ecosys em is a key elemen o ad ancing BM S, whe e he ea ly s ages
necessi a e in as uc u e de elopmen and us -building wi h ex e nal s akeholde s
such pa ne s, cus ome s, and go e nmen s. Fu he mo e, i is possible o obse e he
54
ad ancemen o BM S, especially in he con ex o he ci cula economy, wi hin an
ecosys em en i onmen by adop ing o ches a ion mechanisms o acili a e alue
c ea ion (Blackbu n e al., 2022). Al e na i ely, online pla o ms wi hin an ecosys em can
play a pi o al ole in acili a ing companies’ ansi ion owa ds BM S in he con ex o a
ci cula economy (Konie zko e al., 2019) o o o e come legi imacy challenges in new
BMs ha a e ela ed o pla o m o da a (Zhang e al., 2022).
Howe e , explo ing he ca alyse s o i uous cycles in BM S impac , as posed by Snihu
and Bocken (2022), highligh s a li e a u e gap in unde s anding he d i ing o ces behind
posi i e cycles in sus ainable business p ac ices. Addi ionally, he inqui y in o how
ecosys em pa icipan s can be eEec i ely aligned wi h a company’s objec i e o c ea e
BM S, as no ed by Bocken e al. (2022), highligh s a esea ch claim ha needs u he
in es iga ion. Add essing hese gaps is c ucial o ad ancing he knowledge needed o
enhance he ans o ma i e po en ial o sus ainable BMs.
Hence, we in es iga e he esea ch ques ion: How can he ecosys em pa icipa e in a
i uous ci cle be ween BM S and digi aliza ion? To answe his, we adop an in-dep h
in es iga i e app oach.
This pape aims o con ibu e o a be e unde s anding o he pa icipa ion o
ecosys ems in he in e sec ion o BM S and digi aliza ion. The findings, based on an
empi ical s udy conduc ed in a manu ac u ing o ganiza ion in Swi ze land, aim o
enhance aluable knowledge o BM S esea che s while i could help manu ac u e s
unde s and he ole o an ecosys em in p omo ing he de elopmen o BM S elying on
digi aliza ion (Li e al., 2023).
2. Me hodological app oach
An in-dep h quali a i e app oach is sui able o unde s and he ela ionship be ween
heo ies (Eisenha d , 1989). A case s udy app oach is adop ed, as his allows an
in es iga ion o a con empo a y phenomenon wi hin a eal-wo ld con ex (Yin, 2018).
CompanyABC, based in Swi ze land, has a long his o y o p o iding ene gy me e ing
solu ions. Recen ly, CompanyABC has expanded i s oEe ings o business cus ome s.
They de elop new BM S and keeping cu en co e BM, which include g id-edge solu ions,
and sma in as uc u es—all using digi al echnology. They now p o ide cloud se ices,
SW/Pla o m as a Se ice, cybe secu i y, and elec ic ehicle (EV) cha ging s a ions. To
achie e his, CompanyABC has engaged in an ecosys em wi h Google in o de o de elop
cloud-based ene gy managemen solu ions o enhance he adop ion o enewable
ene gy sou ces while imp o ing eEiciency and esiliency o he g id. This case is an
excellen oppo uni y o explo e how BM S and digi aliza ion in e sec as CompanyABC
is willing o sha e da a and insigh s wi h esea che s oo.
2.1 Da a collec ion
The da a cap u ed in he semi-s uc u ed in e iews e e o he p ima y da a collec ed
di ec ly om senio managemen o he company. Ques ions a e lis ed in he appendix.
The p ima y da a we e collec ed be ween Janua y 2022 and Ma ch 2023. The in e iews
we e mainly conduc ed and eco ded ia an online pla o m las ing an a e age ime o 41
minu es each. The seconda y da a, co po a e epo s, co e he ime ame om 2020 o
Janua y 2023. The Table 1 p esen s he da a.
55
Da a
sou ce
Role o in e iewee o Publica ion i le
Use in he analysis
P ima y da a
– In e iews
(17)
Head o P oduc Managemen g id
-
edge
EVP and Head o S a egy
P esiden o EMEA egion
Di ec o o sales and business de elopmen
Head o Ma ke & Business In elligence
Di ec o o Digi al SW
Global P oduc Manage g id-edge
Di ec o o EV Cha ging
VP o Digi al Solu ions
Head o P oduc Managemen SW, se ice &
solu ion
Di ec o o P oduc Managemen & Sales
Cybe secu i y
VP o Business Uni SW, Se ice & Solu ion
Di ec o o sales and business de elopmen
VP o Business Uni Elec ici y
VP o sales and business de elopmen
VP o sales, se ice & solu ion
CEO
Con ex ualize he BM S
and digi aliza ion.
Con ex ualize he
ecosys em en i onmen
adop ed.
En ich he da a wi h
mul iple poin s o iew
a diEe en
o ganiza ional le el.
Seconda y
da a (3)
Capi al Ma ke s Day 2023: In es ing in he u u e
MANAGE ENERGY BETTER Annual Repo 2021
Sus ainabili y Repo 2020-2021
Company news
Valida e and iangula e
he da a om in e iew
wi h in o ma ion sha ed
o he in es o s.
Table 3. O e iew o da a collec ed.
3. Da a analysis and esul s
We ansc ibed he da a and u he analysed using he A las. i SW. This SW allows o
ad anced code s uc u e such as an ini ial se o coding (fi s o de ) and olde coding
(second o de ) o iden i y significan pa e ns (Yin, 2018, pp. 165-201). Au ho s also
iden ified he esea ch ques ion as a heme.
We adop ed an induc i e app oach ha allows he o mula ion o empi ical
gene aliza ion s a ing om obse a ions and in e iews (G ay, 2014, p. 6) ollowed wi h
he analysis o seconda y da a. Cu en ly, ou analysis o p ima y da a gene a es a good
numbe o fi s -le el codes ha close-fi he da a collec ed. Two le els o s uc u ed
coding we e implemen ed: fi s -o de coding, and second-o de coding. The fi s -o de
coding eme ged om bo h in e iew eplies and ac o s o gaps iden ified in he li e a u e.
Then, he fi s -o de coding was classified in o a second-o de coding based on simila
p ope ies and cha ac e is ics. The h ee second-o de codes we e de i ed h ough an
induc i e easoning (Co ley & Gioia, 2011) called: “Balancing bo h co e BM and BM S,”
“Digi al esou ce op imiza ion,” and “Re en ion o he alue.” The fi s le el coding, he
p oposed second le el coding and he ansc ip ion e idence a e displayed in Figu e 1.
56
Figu e 1. Resul o da a s uc u e and ansc ip ion e idence.
57
4. Discussion
Compa ing hese esul s wi h o me li e a u e, we ge h ee main findings on he
ela ionship be ween BM S and digi aliza ion as he esul o he company’s pa icipa ion
in an ecosys em.
4.1 Ecosys ems play a c ucial ole in main aining a balance be ween
he co e business BM and eme ging new BM S ha ely on
digi aliza ion
In con as o Ring old e al. (2022), who asse ha ecosys ems suppo he
de elopmen o BM S wi h ex e nal s akeholde s, his pape highligh s how ecosys ems
can p e en he jeopa diza ion o he co e o al eady es ablished BM when in eg a ing
new BM S elying on digi aliza ion.
The co e business se es as a co ne s one, p o iding essen ial financial inflow o
ongoing ope a ions and en u ing in o no el BM S, while simul aneously a oiding
po en ial compe i ion be ween he co e BM and nascen BM S. CompanyABC ac i ely
seeks an ecosys em whe e i s oEe ings a e ecognized, aligning wi h he cogni i e
mindse o i s managemen . The managemen a CompanyABC demons a es a
p o ound unde s anding ha ecosys ems con ibu e o main aining a delica e balance
be ween he dominan BM and he en isioned BM S, pa icula ly in he con ex o
digi aliza ion.
Indeed, we obse ed ha op managemen is willing o le e age i s pa ne ship wi h
Google o implemen al e na i e ins i u ional logics in o de o challenge middle-
managemen cogni ion while de eloping new BM S ha ely on digi al solu ions (c . VP o
Digi al Solu ions s a emen 1 in he Figu e 1), and o educe he isk o conflic o
dis up ion be ween he exis ing co e BM and he eme ging BM S dependen on
digi aliza ion (c . Global P oduc Manage g id-edge s a emen 2 in he Figu e 1).
4.2 Ecosys em suppo s he digi al esou ce op imiza ion o eme ging
new BM S ha elies on digi aliza ion
The g owing complexi y o digi al landscapes poses a c i ical dilemma, wi h he
heigh ened demand o echnical expe ise esul ing in inc eased cos s. Recognizing he
limi a ions o cul i a ing all capabili ies in e nally, o ganiza ions u n o s a egic
pa ne ships, as highligh ed in in e iews, whe e pa ne ships play a pi o al ole in
os e ing new BM S. Collabo a ing wi h bo h echnological and se ice-o ien ed pa ne s
unde sco es he s a egic impo ance o combining di e se s eng hs o op imal
ou comes. The ecogni ion o escala ing complexi y in he digi al landscape emphasizes
he need o obus pa ne ecosys ems. Beyond echnological p owess, he
in e connec ion o skill se s, knowledge, and people ca alyse he ealiza ion o
digi aliza ion wi hin BM S (c . Head o P oduc Managemen SW, se ice & solu ion
s a emen 3 in he Figu e 1).
58
Fu he mo e, o ganiza ions can le e age ecosys ems o op imize hei in e nal esou ces.
The benefi s o ecosys em u iliza ion o esou ce op imiza ion, while emb acing new
BM S, a e emphasized by he ans o ma i e impac on SW de elopmen li ecycles and
ope a ional p ac ices. Collabo a i e use o di e se ools and in eg a ion o pa ne
ecosys ems yield angible imp o emen s in eEiciency, p oduc i i y, and inno a ion. This
is e iden in he accele a ed de elopmen o new oEe ings and he enhancemen o new
BM S. The e o e, unlike p e ious pla o m s udies ocused mo e on he coo dina ion
alue and ne wo k eEec o ecosys em (Gawe & Cusumano, 2014), his p oposi ion
shows po en ial o iginali y o en ich heo y a ound BM S and digi aliza ion (B occa do e
al., 2023).
4.3 Ecosys em helps o gene a e new alue o BM S
Companies pa icipa e in an ecosys em o capi alize on he oppo uni y o o ches a e
mul iple asse s wi hin he ene gy ansi ion. In he dynamic landscape o mode n ene gy
ansi ion, o ches a ing mul iple asse s is pi o al o acili a ing a shi owa d BM S, as
indica ed by he Di ec o o Sales and Business De elopmen 's s a emen 4 in Figu e 1.
Companies ecognize he impo ance o a collabo a i e ecosys em app oach o na iga e
he in ica e in e play o ene gy esou ces, echnology, and consume demands. This
expands he cu en li e a u e, which ypically ocuses on he ela ionship be ween
echnology and business s a egy inno a ion in he sma g id (Choi & Kwon, 2023) o new
ene gy dis ibu ion in as uc u e (di Sil es e e al., 2018), a he han emphasizing he
ole o he ecosys em in BM S.
Secondly, ecosys ems acili a e in e ac ions be ween digi al pla o ms ha a e
de eloping wi hin he new BM S, as highligh ed by s a emen s 4 and 5 om he Di ec o
o Sales and Business De elopmen and he VP o Business Uni SW, Se ice & Solu ion
in Figu e 1. Fo ins ance, pla o ms wi h open in e aces ia APIs (Applica ion
P og amming In e ace) enable con ol mechanisms o playe s in he ecosys em
(Blackbu n e al., 2022) wi hou he need o become a closed sys em (Ande son e al.,
2022).
Las ly, an ecosys em can suppo he de elopmen o new oEe ings a ound So wa e as
a Se ice (SaaS). Engagemen in collabo a i e ecosys ems has become a c ucial s a egy
d i ing he de elopmen o no el SaaS oEe ings. A pi o al benefi o ecosys em
pa icipa ion lies in u ilizing ad anced echnologies o in e p e ex ensi e da a
eposi o ies. As CompanyABC unde goes a comp ehensi e ans o ma ion, ansi ioning
om mechanical me e sales o in eg a ed sma me e sys ems and subsequen ly o
se ice-o ien ed models, he ole o ecosys em pa ne ships becomes pa amoun , as
indica ed by he VP o Business Uni SW, Se ice & Solu ion’s s a emen 5 in Figu e 1.
These collabo a ions empowe he in eg a ion o specialized echnologies ha align wi h
he e ol ing ma ke landscape, such as communica ion echnologies, allowing he
company o adap wi hou esou ce-in ensi e in e nal de elopmen . Addi ionally, he
ecosys em o digi al in o ma ion, such as da a analy ics based on big da a, is essen ial
o an in es men plan. Fo example, in he case o up on in es men in he ene gy g id,
digi aliza ion enables unde s anding whe e and when o upg ade he in as uc u e,
59
esul ing in en i onmen al benefi s, hanks o he use o ewe ma e ials (Bocken e al.,
2014).
5. Conclusions
The pape con ibu es o he li e a u e on BM S and digi aliza ion wi hin he con ex o
ecosys em pa icipa ion.
Fi s ly, we ad ance he li e a u e by highligh ing he pi o al ole o ecosys ems in
main aining equilib ium be ween es ablished co e BMs and eme ging BM S elian on
digi aliza ion. In con as o ce ain pe spec i es sugges ing ha ecosys ems p ima ily
suppo BM S de elopmen , ou pape asse s hei c i ical unc ion in sa egua ding he
co e business du ing he in eg a ion o new digi alized se ices.
Secondly, ou s udy demons a es ha ecosys ems se e as a s a egic solu ion o he
escala ing complexi y o digi al landscapes. Collabo a i e pa ne ships wi hin
ecosys ems op imize esou ces by combining di e se s eng hs o op imal ou comes.
This con as s wi h p io s udies ha p edominan ly ocused on he coo dina ion alue
and ne wo k eEec s o ecosys ems, p esen ing a no el pe spec i e on BM S and
digi aliza ion heo y.
Las ly, we illus a e how companies le e age ecosys ems o o ches a e asse s in he
ene gy ansi ion, a i al componen o BM S e olu ion. This collabo a i e app oach,
o en o e looked in exis ing li e a u e concen a ing on echnology and business s a egy,
eEec i ely na iga es he in icacies o ene gy esou ces, echnology, and consume
demands. Ecosys ems acili a e in e ac ions be ween digi al pla o ms, enabling con ol
mechanisms wi hou he need o closed sys ems. Addi ionally, hey suppo he
de elopmen o new SaaS oEe ings, c ucial o companies ansi ioning o se ice-
o ien ed models.
I is impo an o no e ha his s udy has some limi a ions, p ima ily s emming om i s
eliance on a single-case s udy app oach.
Fu u e analysis migh include he explo a ion o new empi ical cases ac oss diEe en
geog aphical a ea o alue chain o he ene gy ansi ion. Indeed, some s udies end o
ocus on benefi o ecosys em pla o ms o ci cula economy (Blackbu n e al., 2022).
Fu he mo e, one impo an elemen o he BM heo e ical concep such as alue
cap u e o en emains undisclosed and no clea o p ac i ione s oo. Indeed, he
mechanism o cap u e alue and mone iza ion be ween BM S elying on digi aliza ion
and ecosys em emains no ully explo ed. Academics may explo e how a ious
companies ope a ing in he alue chain o he ene gy ansi ion can eEec i ely sha e he
cap u ed alue among all s akeholde s wi hin an ecosys em. The aim would be o s udy
he mechanisms in ol ed, ocusing on he economic alue and he ole o digi aliza ion.
Fu he mo e, in he iangle be ween digi aliza ion, BM S, and he ecosys em, while he
impac on digi aliza ion and BM S has been ecen ly deba ed (B occa do e al., 2023), he
eEec o he ecosys em is ye o be ho oughly examined. Indeed, pape s o en end o
ocus on deba ing he opic om he pe spec i e o a single company a he han
conside ing all pa icipan s wi hin he ecosys em. Some ele an ques ions could
include, “Who main ains he cus ome ela ionship among all he companies in an
