Behind the curtain of sustainable business models: the role of firm’s strategic agility in value creation

Purpose

This paper aims to identify the archetypes of business models and illustrate how firms create, deliver and capture value by juxtaposing the firm’s aspired value emphasis with its strategic agility.

Design/methodology/approach

The two-by-two matrix is constructed based on an analysis of existing literature and conceptual development.

Findings

We advance a conceptualization of strategic agility to emphasize speed and flexibility as the main drivers, along with attention toward stakeholder expectations. Additionally, we unveil four different archetypes of business models based on the firm’s aspired value emphasis (economic vs plus social/environmental) and the type of strategic agility (defensive vs proactive).

Research limitations/implications

Studies that empirically corroborate the proposed conceptualization of strategic agility are needed. In addition, empirical investigations on the evolutionary paths underlying the development of firms’ business models are requested.

Practical implications

Managers learn about aspects and actions that they should pursue to shift from one business model archetype to another.

Originality/value

We identify the features – in terms of focus on all the components of the triple bottom line (or not) and in terms of strategic agility – that firms need to face or even anticipate environmental and social transformation.