Blueprint 4: New Business Models

New Business Model creation for integral and system value creation

The New Business Models Blueprint builds on the foundation of the first three Blueprints to propose a new approach to business models that integrates considerations from multiple perspectives. Accordingly, we establish a working definition of what we call Integral Business Models.

To set a baseline, the New Business Models Blueprint conducts a comprehensive literature and practice review to assess the current state of play and thinking around sustainable business models, and identifies five clusters of thinking and practice. The Blueprint then draws from the other three Blueprints to collate a set of aspects that add economic system redesign considerations to the existing current new business models practice / thinking.

The Blueprint then identifies a selected set of Implementation Methods for seeding Integral Business Models in both bottom-up approaches by entrepreneurs incubating startups and early stage companies, and inside-out approaches by intrapreneurs to transform existing business models for navigating the transition of emerging economic, social, and ecological realities. The Implementation Methods fall into the following broad categories, with more specific categories (including, for example, performance and compensation metrics):

  • Governance & Strategy
  • Risk & Innovation
  • Scenario Analysis & Transition Planning
  • Roles & Strategic Leadership

To support integration of both General Characteristic assessment and Implementation Methods, the Blueprint provides an Integral Business Models Process Flowchart, and well as a Template for hands-on guidance. To “road-test” these materials, and illustrate movement toward Integral Business Models (since none currently exist), the Blueprint includes three Case Examples of startup / early enterprises (VDMbee, ReBlend, and Co-op Power) self-administering (in a structured process) the Process Flowchart and Template.

Business Model Blueprint

Lead Authors
Bill Baue

Senior Director

Reporting 3.0

+1 413 387 58 24

Ralph Thurm

Managing Director

OnCommons / Reporting 3.0

+31 64 600 14 52

Working Group Members
Tabea Bereuther

Tabea Bereuther

University St. Gallen

Stefan Bergheim

Stefan Bergheim

Zentrum für gesellschaftlichen Fortschritt e.V.

Nancy Bocken

Nancy Bocken

TU Delft

Tiberius Brastaviceanu

Tiberius Brastaviceanu

Sensorica

Geraldine Brennan

Geraldine Brennan

Middlesex Univerity

Henk De Man

Henk De Man

VDMbee

John Elkington

John Elkington

Volans

Niels Faber

Niels Faber

Radboud University

Gil Friend

Gil Friend

City of Palo Alto

Laura Gerritsen

Laura Gerritsen

Fairphone

Nathan Gilbert

Nathan Gilbert

B Lab Europe

Raz Godelnik

Raz Godelnik

Parsons School of Design

Maurits Groen

Maurits Groen

Waka Waka/Kipster

Stuart Hart

Stuart Hart

UVM

Carolyn Hayman

Carolyn Hayman

Preventable Surprises

Maya Hoveskog

Maya Hoveskog

Halmstad University

Alexandre Lemille

Alexandre Lemille

Stone Soup Consulting

Florian Lüdeke-Freund

Florian Lüdeke-Freund

University Hamburg

Josephine Matthews

Josephine Matthews

Sustainable Value Creation

David Murray

David Murray

Preventable Surprises

Anna Nicoletta Köhl

Anna Nicoletta Köhl

University of Innsbruck

Dan Osusky

Dan Osusky

B Lab

Martina Prox

Martina Prox

FSLCI

Romana Rauter

Romana Rauter

University of Graz

Steve Rogers

Steve Rogers

NextChar

Randy Sa'd

Randy Sa'd

REFOCUS

Lorraine Smith

Lorraine Smith

Volans

Fiona Stappmanns

Fiona Stappmanns

University St. Gallen

Hans Stegeman

Hans Stegeman

Triodos Bank

Philip Strothmann

Philip Strothmann

FSLCI

Raj Thamotheram

Raj Thamotheram

Preventable Surprises

Stéphane Trébucq

Stéphane Trébucq

University of Bordeaux

Antony Upward

Antony Upward

Flourishing Enterprise Innovation

Mark Van Clieaf

Mark Van Clieaf

Organizational Capital Partners

Theodoor van Donge

Theodoor van Donge

VDMBee

Bob Willard

Bob Willard

Sustainability Advantage (F2B2)

Alan Willis

Alan Willis

Alan Willis & Associates

Robin Wood

Robin Wood

Project Synergise

Thomas Wunder

Thomas Wunder

University of Neu-Ulm