A Typology of Business Model Reconfiguration in Incumbent Firms

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to shed light on patterns of change in incumbent firms and, in doing so, identify different types of approaches to business model reconfiguration (BMR). Drawing on data spanning a 10-year period in the empirical context of mature, low-tech firms in the Swedish wood manufacturing industry, this paper develops a typology of BMR approaches, namely Incremental, Modular, Integrated and Transformational BMR. The paper illustrates the nature of these types and offers several insights into the meaning and significance of each for our understanding of BMR and the design of business models in general.