Pivoting to Manage the Integration of Two Initially Separate Business Models: The Case of the Digital Transformation of Established Retailers

Guillaume Do Vale; Isabelle Collin-Lachaud; Xavier Lecocq

doi:10.37725/mgmt.2024.9046

Guillaume Do Vale IDRAC Business School, Lyon, France https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1184-5442
Isabelle Collin-Lachaud LUMEN (ULR 4999), Université de Lille, Lille, France https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4783-6652
Xavier Lecocq LUMEN (ULR 4999), Université de Lille, Lille, France

DOI: https://doi.org/10.37725/mgmt.2024.9046

Keywords: Business model, Business model portfolio, Digital transformation, Multiple case study, Pivoting

Abstract

Due to increasing digitalization, most companies have added online retail as a new business model (BM) separate from their initial physical BM, requiring them to manage a portfolio of BMs. The literature points out that companies choose between a separation or integration strategy to manage their multiple BMs. However, business cases show that companies adopting a separation strategy may then plan for a possible integration strategy. Despite the growing knowledge in the BM portfolio literature, scholars and practitioners still lack a comprehensive understanding of the integration process of two BMs that were initially managed separately. This qualitative research draws on a cumulative multiple case study of five retailers to analyze how incumbent firms with different BMs manage their integration. We show that these firms pivoted the management of their BM portfolio.

The notion of pivoting has been studied from the perspective of a single BM. In this research, we demonstrate that the process of pivoting also applies to the management of several BMs. Our results provide a generic model of the BM integration process that underlines barriers and enabling pivoting factors. Finally, by considering pivoting at this corporate level, our research adds to the ongoing discussion in strategic management regarding the way companies manage the dynamics of their BM portfolio.

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Author Biographies

Guillaume Do Vale, IDRAC Business School, Lyon, France

Guillaume Do Vale (Ph.D) is an Associate Professor of Strategic Management and Marketing at IDRAC Business School, campus de Lyon (France). His research deals with the evolution of business models.

Isabelle Collin-Lachaud, LUMEN (ULR 4999), Université de Lille, Lille, France

Isabelle Collin-Lachaud (Ph.D, HDR) is a Full Professor of Marketing at the University of Lille (France). Her research deals with retailing and consumption (collaborative consumption, privacy concerns, omnichannel shopping, new technologies adoption…).

Xavier Lecocq, LUMEN (ULR 4999), Université de Lille, Lille, France

Xavier Lecocq (Ph.D, HDR) is a Full Professor of Strategic Management and Innovation at the University of Lille (France). His research deals with 1) the evolution of business models, 2) the dynamics between strategy and forms of organization.

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