How Collaborative Business Modeling Can Be Used to Jointly Explore Sustainability Innovations

Sustainability innovations are characterized by a systemic nature, which can only be developed if multiple firms work together. To jointly identify opportunities and plan such sustainability innovations, new methods and approaches are needed. In this article we describe a case study conducted in the German energy market, where business modeling has been used in a collaborative fashion. After describing this collaborative business modeling (CBM) approach, we discuss its strengths and limitations and compare it to the alternative methods of innovation planning: scenario technique and roadmapping. We find that it has its particular strengths in creating a multitude of ideas and solutions, overcoming the obstacle of different terminologies and facilitating planning, implementation and decision-making. We conclude that in a situation where fundamental discussions and understanding about new markets are needed, CBM can contribute to explore a new business field with a holistic perspective