The configuration effect of antecedents of business model innovation of technology start-ups

Abstract

Abstract: As an important carrier for the public entrepreneurship and innovation, technology start-ups have always faced the dual pressure of "newborn weakness" and environmental uncertainty. Business model innovation is an important way for technology start-ups to adapt to the dynamic environment, gain competitive advantages and achieve rapidly growth, which is the result of linkage and matching of multiple antecedents, and changes in any antecedent can bring about a series of chain reactions. In addition, there are significant differences in the environmental and resource conditions between start-ups and incumbents. Therefore, it is an important issue to clarify the antecedent elements of business model innovation of technology start-ups, and the linkage matching model of antecedent elements.
Existing research literatures have different opinions on the antecedent conclusions of business model innovation. Due to the limitations of methods, those literatures mainly focus on the "net effect" of a single factor, or the mediating effect or moderating effect of up to three variables, the lack of a completed framework of antecedent factors based on authoritative theory, which can′t fully explain the complexity of cause and effect between antecedents, and not to mention to answer to the question "how to achieve business model innovation" from the perspective of integration. Based on the perspective of system management, the iceberg theory of business model and the CET@I analysis framework are proposed, and the interaction of influencing factors of business model is investigated, providing a theoretical framework for the research on the antecedents of business model innovation. Meantime, as an effective method to explore the "synergistic effect" and "interaction relationship", Fuzzy-Set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) explores the complex mechanism of multiple antecedents on the result from a configuration perspective, which is an effect tool to analyze the antecedents of business model innovation of technology start-ups under the iceberg theory of business model and the CET@I analysis framework.
To analyze the linkage effect of various antecedents of technology start-ups′ business model innovation, a configuration model of antecedents of business model innovation is constructed based on the iceberg theory of business model. Taking 31 technology start-ups as case samples and carry out empirical analysis by the fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis method. The main results are as follows: (1) Business model innovation of technology start-ups is "multiple concurrency" and "principle equifinality", single element cannot constitute the necessary conditions for business model innovation. (2) The synergy of network embedding and resource integration capability is essential to the business model innovation of technology start-ups. (3) Under the circumstances of high environmental uncertainty, the synergy of resource integration capability and opportunity identification capability, the synergy of network embedding and strategic flexibility are important ways for technology start-ups to achieve their business model innovation.
The research is an important complement of the iceberg theory of business model, and enriches the research results of antecedents of business model and provides a new perspective to eliminate paradox existing research by introduced the fsQCA method into the research. The conclusion provides theoretical guidance for technology start-ups to cultivate business model innovation capability based on their own situations.

Key words: business model innovation, iceberg theory of business model, technology start-ups, fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA)

Guo Tao, Li Panpan, Qiao Han. The configuration effect of antecedents of business model innovation of technology start-ups[J]. Science Research Management, 2021, 42(1): 1-9.

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