Title: Enterprise niche and digital business model innovation - enabling role of organisational routine updating

Authors: Fei Zhou; Na Zhang; Chunjia Han

Addresses: College of Business Administration, Huaqiao University, Quanzhou, 362021, China ' College of Business Administration, Huaqiao University, Quanzhou, 362021, China ' Department of Management Birkbeck, University of London, Malet Street, Bloomsbury, London, WC1E 7HX, UK

Abstract: An enterprise's innovation ability depends on its position and state in the innovation ecosystem, in which maintaining its niche heterogeneity and competitiveness is key to its survival and development. However, it is unclear how the enterprise's ecological niche in the innovation ecosystem affects digital business model innovation (BMI). Based on the context of the innovation ecosystem and the theory of routine dynamics, this study explores the impact of enterprise niche on digital BMI and possible moderating role of routine updating. Through an empirical analysis of 208 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in manufacturing in China that are undergoing digital transformation, the findings show that enterprise niche width and a low level of overlap have not only positive independent but also significant positive interactive effects on digital BMI. Both routine amendment and creation positively moderate the relationship between low enterprise niche overlap and digital BMI, but their moderating effect on the relationship between niche width and digital BMI is not significant.

Keywords: enterprise niche; digital business model innovation; BMI; routine amendment; routine creation.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTM.2025.143589

International Journal of Technology Management, 2025 Vol.97 No.2/3, pp.217 - 241

Received: 04 Oct 2022
Accepted: 07 May 2023
Published online: 02 Jan 2025 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article