Stakeholder ties, organizational learning, and business model innovation: A business ecosystem perspective

Business model exists within business ecosystems, and stakeholders can exert a key influence on a firm's business model innovation. Drawing insights from the business ecosystem perspective and resource-based view, this study examines how ties with stakeholders can affect a focal firm's business model innovation and how the relationship is contingent upon the firm's learning types. Analyses of 210 Chinese firms reveal that the relationship between intra-industry stakeholder ties and business model innovation is inverted U-shaped, while extra-industry stakeholder ties have a positive effect on business model innovation. The relationships between both intraindustry and extra-industry stakeholder ties and business model innovation are weakened by exploitative learning but strengthened by exploratory learning. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.