Collaboration within business model innovation: an exploratory study of Danish facility services

In services, the innovation process takes place, among other processes, due to the interaction of internal and external actors. This makes it crucial to coordinate the interactions between the organization and its external environment to support value co-creation among the network of stakeholders. This study takes the business model as unit of analysis and focuses on business model innovation to investigate how value can be co-created within complex stakeholders networks. The results of the study outline that, within the service industry, value can be co-created through business model innovation by aligning internal and external stakeholders to harmonize strategic and operational agendas. Openness in the innovation process appears to be a critical supporting tool for value co-creation within complex networks of stakeholders.