نوع مقاله : مقاله پژوهشی

نویسندگان

• محمدتقی تقوی فرد ¹
• پیام حنفی زاده ²
• سعیده مهری ³
• ایمان رئیسی وانانی ⁴

¹ استاد گروه مدیریت فناوری اطلاعات و عملیات، دانشکده مدیریت و حسابداری، دانشگاه علامه طباطبائی، تهران، ایران نویسنده مسئول: taghavifard@atu.ac.ir

² استاد گروه مدیریت فناوری اطلاعات و عملیات، دانشکده مدیریت و حسابداری، دانشگاه علامه طباطبائی، تهران، ایران

³ دانشجوی دکتری مدیریت فناوری اطلاعات، دانشکده مدیریت و حسابداری، دانشگاه علامه طباطبائی، تهران، ایران

⁴ دانشیار گروه مدیریت فناوری اطلاعات و عملیات، دانشکده مدیریت و حسابداری، دانشگاه علامه طباطبائی، تهران، ایران

چکیده

تغییر مدل کسب‌وکار استارتاپ‌ها برای تطبیق با نیازهای متغیر بازار و افزایش رقابت‌پذیری ضروری است، اما بیشتر مطالعات پیشین بر شرکت‌های مستقر متمرکز بوده‌اند. همچنین برخلاف مطالعات پیشین که بیشتر به عوامل تاثیر گذار بر نوآوری مدل کسب‌وکار پرداخته‌اند، این پژوهش به‌طور ویژه بر فرآیند تغییر مدل کسب وکار مبتنی بر الگوهای مدل کسب وکار تمرکز دارد. در جهت برطرف کردن این شکاف علمی، هدف این مطالعه ارائه چارچوبی برای درک بهتر تغییر مدل کسب وکار استارتاپ ها بود. برای تحقق این هدف، از روش مرور نظام‌مند استفاده شد و پس از تعیین سؤال پژوهش، استراتژی جست‌وجو و غربالگری، ۹۵ مقاله معتبر منتشرشده بین سال‌های ۲۰۰۰ تا ۲۰۲۴ مورد تحلیل قرار گرفت. در ابتدا، چارچوب مفهومی اولیه بر اساس ادبیات نظری شکل گرفت و سپس با استفاده از تحلیل مضمون قیاسی-استقرایی توسعه داده شد. مضامین فراگیر شناسایی‌شده شامل تازگی، کارایی، قفل درونی، مکملی، و انطباق بودند که در چهار بعد تغییر مدل کسب وکار شامل محتوا، ساختار، حاکمیت و جریان‌ تحلیل شدند. هر یک از این مضامین شامل مضامین پایه مختلف هستند که نشانگر نحوه تغییر اجزای مدل کسب وکار استارتاپ ها هستند. این پژوهش با شناسایی الگوی جدید «انطباق» در کنار چهار الگوی متداول (تازگی، کارایی، قفل درونی و مکملی) و افزودن بعد «جریان» به ابعاد سه گانه محتوا، ساختار، حاکمیت، نوآوری مدل کسب‌وکار استارتاپ‌ها را از منظر گسترده‌تری بررسی می‌کند. نتایج نشان داد که این مضامین به‌صورت هم‌افزا عمل کرده و نقش اساسی در ایجاد مزیت رقابتی و پایداری کسب‌وکار ایفا می‌کنند.

کلیدواژه‌ها

• استارتاپ
• تغییر مدل کسب وکار
• الگوهای طراحی مدل کسب وکار

موضوعات

• رویکردهای مدیریتی در حوزه کسب‌ وکار هوشمند

عنوان مقاله [English]

Changing the Business Model of Startups through a Business Model Theme-Based Approach

نویسندگان [English]

• Mohammad Taghi Taghavifard ¹
• Payam Hanafizadeh ²
• Saeedeh Mehri ³
• Iman Raeesi Vanani ⁴

¹ Professor, Department of Information Technology and Operations Management, Faculty of Management and Accounting, Allameh Tabataba'i University, Tehran, Iran Corresponding Author: taghavifard@atu.ac.ir

² Professor, Department of Information Technology and Operations Management, Faculty of Management and Accounting, Allameh Tabataba'i University, Tehran, Iran

³ PhD student in Information Technology Management, Faculty of Management and Accounting, Allameh Tabataba'i University ,Tehran, Iran

⁴ Associate Professor, Department of Information Technology and Operations Management, Faculty of Management and Accounting, Allameh Tabataba'i University, Tehran, Iran

چکیده [English]

Abstract
Business model change in startups is essential for adapting to evolving market demands and increasing competitiveness, playing a critical role in their success. However, most research related to business model change has mainly focused on established firms. To address this research gap, the present study provides a framework that contributes to understanding the role of design themes in startup business model changes. In this study, a systematic literature review was used to analyze theoretical foundations and prior researches. After defining the research question, designing a search strategy, and applying screening criteria, 95 articles published between 2000 and 2024 were reviewed. In the first stage, a conceptual model was developed to analyze the dimensions of business model change by reviewing theoretical foundations and prior researches. This model was then refined through inductive-deductive thematic analysis, using evidence from empirical articles and case studies. The identified themes—novelty, efficiency, lock-in, complementarity, and adaptability—were examined across four main dimensions of business model change: content, structure, governance, and stream. The findings showed these themes interact synergistically and contribute to competitive advantage and business sustainability. The research results suggest that these five overarching themes provide a suitable framework for understanding and managing business model change in startups.

Introduction

In recent years, the topic of entrepreneurship and startups has attracted significant attention and has emerged as a key driver of economic growth. The business model of startups plays a fundamental role in this process, serving as a mechanism for exploiting entrepreneurial opportunities and creating value (Amit & Zott, 2001; George & Bock, 2011; Guo et al., 2020). However, one of the key characteristics of the startup and entrepreneurial environment is high uncertainty, which static business models are unable to effectively adress (Demil & Lecocq, 2010). Accordingly, the main objective of this research is to develop a framework for changing the business models of digital startups and to offer practical insights for entrepreneurs. To explore the dynamics of startup business model change, this study addresses the following key research question:
Research Question

How do startup business models evolve, and which business model themes drive this change?

To answer this question, a conceptual framework was developed based on the business model structure proposed by Amit and Zott (2001) and the business model innovation framework proposed by Spieth and Schneider (2016).
 

Literature Review

The existing literature on business model change follows two major approaches: the evolutionary approach and the theme-based approach (Guo et al., 2020).
2.1. Evolutionary Approach to Business Models
From an evolutionary approach, the business model of the startup changes and evolves in a dynamic manner through flexibility (Bock et al., 2012), experimentation (Andries et al., 2013), and trial-and-error learning (Chesbrough, 2010; Sosna et al., 2010). This approach draws upon methodologies such as the Lean Startup (Ries, 2011) and Customer Development (Blank, 2013), which suggest that business models evolve through iterative testing and customer feedback. Studies based on this approach show that incremental and continuous changes in business models require careful attention to the firm's internal resources and competencies, as explained by the resource-based view (RBV) and dynamic capabilities theory (Schneider & Spieth, 2013).
2.2. Theme-Based Approach to Business Models
The theme-based approach focuses on using specific themes to structure business models and value creation. The four conventional themes are novelty, efficiency, lock-in, and complementarity (Amit & Zott, 2001, 2012; Kulins et al., 2016; Pati et al., 2018):

Novelty: Refers to innovation in products or services or underlying resources and capabilities.
Efficiency: Focuses on cost optimization and resource utilization.
Lock-in: Helps strengthen long-term relationships with customers and partners.
Complementarity: Enhances synergies among different value propositions.

Recent studies (Zott & Amit, 2007; Ojala, 2016; Costa & Haftor, 2021) have demonstrated the effectiveness of this approach in fostering strategic entrepreneurship, allowing startups to integrate external opportunities with internal capabilities for sustained growth.
2.3. Research Gap and Initial Conceptual Model
Business model change research has primarily focused on established firms (Achtenhagen et al., 2013; Bohnsack et al., 2014), while business model change in startups - a broadly defined type of organization with limited resources, high uncertainty, flexibility, and differences in value creation sources - has been less examined in the academic literature  (Kesting & Günzel-Jensen, 2015; Guckenbiehl & Corral de Zubielqui, 2022). Amit and Zott (2001) recommend more research on the dynamics of business model themes, a gap reiterated by Randhawa et al. (2020). In this study, based on the business model structure by Amit and Zott (2001) and the stream dimension of Spieth and Schneider (2016), we analyze startup business model change themes across four dimensions: content, structure, governance, and stream.

Methodology

This study adopts an inductive–deductive approach and conducts a systematic literature review on startup business model change. The review process adhered to Tranfield et al.'s (2003) framework: planning the review; conducting the review; analyzing the findings. The articles included in the literature review were from articles published between 2000–2024 and they were retrieved from the Scopus and Web of Science databases. Initial output of 197 articles were ultimately reduced to 95 articles for in-depth review after duplicates and irrelevant articles were removed. To identify core concepts and themes related to business model change, the data were coded and analyzed using ATLAS.ti software.

Results

Thematic analysis using the theme network tool led to the identification of five primary themes: novelty, efficiency, lock-in, complementarity, and adaptability. Each of these themes represents business model change in four dimensions: content, structure, governance, and stream (see Table 1)
           
Table 1
Final Framework of Startup Business Model Change Based on Business Model Design Themes




Dimensions


 


Novelty


Efficiency


Lock-In


Complementarity


Adaptability




Content
 


Products, services, information, or value propositions


ü


ü


ü


ü


ü




Resources and assets


ü


ü


 


ü


ü




Capabilities and competencies


ü


 


 


ü


ü




Structure
 


Customer segments and their relations


ü


 


 


 


ü




Participants and their relations


ü


 


 


ü


ü




Communication mechanisms


ü


ü


ü


ü


ü




Governance
 


Controllers


ü


 


 


ü


 




Formal and legal structure


 


 


 


 


ü




Incentives


ü


 


ü


 


 




Stream
 


Revenue streams


ü


 


 


ü


ü




Cost structures


ü


ü


 


 


ü




Investment structures


ü


 


 


 


ü




 

Discussion

The framework proposed in this study introduces an additional dimension—stream—which extends the three-dimensional concep outlined by Amit and Zott (2001): content, structure, and governance. Furthermore, the inclusion of adaptability, which is not present in Amit and Zott’s model, is a significant innovation. Supported by Sharma et al.'s (2016) model, this framework integrates adaptability into a unified business model design, addressing dynamic environments and emerging market challenges beyond operational management.
 

Conclusion

This study offers two important contributions to the literature by providing a new conceptual framework for startup business model change (Table 1). First, in addition to the four conventional business model themes (novelty, efficiency, lock-in, complementarity), the adaptability theme is introduced to demonstrate the importance of adaptability in changing and evolving business models. Second, this study provides new insights into how business models change by adding the stream alongside the content, structure, and governance dimensions.
 
Keywords: Startup, Business model change, Business model design themes
 

کلیدواژه‌ها [English]

• Startup
• Business model change
• Business model design themes