Business model innovation as a window into adaptive tensions: Five paths on the B Corp journey

Peter W. Moroz and Edward N. Gamble

Journal of Business Research, 2021, vol. 125, issue C, 672-683

Abstract: The B Corporation (B Corp) audit and certification acts as a third-party signal of social purpose business model innovation. It is argued that B Corp certification helps organizations to capture value above economic gains, from activities with ethical, sustainable or moral objectives. However, the varying journeys and certification motivations of B Corps are poorly understood. In this paper we use theory related to the process of organizational design (Zott & Amit, 2010) to unpack these variations. Starting from a longitudinal data set, we employ a deductive case analysis approach of 47 B Corps to identify five certification paths: brand wagoners, reprioritizers, evangelists, inertial benchmarkers and reconfigurers. Our findings help to identify and describe distinct B Corp journeys over time. We conclude with a discussion of how these findings contribute to current theory on social purpose business model innovation, firm value characteristics and how B Corps manage competing tensions among identity and action.

Keywords: Business model tensions; Certified B Corporations; Recertification/decertification paths; Third-party audit (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (18)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:125:y:2021:i:c:p:672-683

DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2020.01.046

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