Strategic Orientations and Novel Business Model Designs: an Empirical Investigation

Novel business model designs have become a focal unit of analysis in strategy and
entrepreneurship research. However, little is known about how a venture’s strategic orientations influence the novelty of the business model design. Building upon the well-established literature on strategic orientation, this study contends that entrepreneurial orientation — a prominent strategic orientation — is positively related to novel business model designs. Additionally, this study posits technology and customer orientation — two other prevalent strategic orientations — as influential moderators that positively impact the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and novel business model designs. To empirically validate these propositions, I collected survey data from 972 new ventures operating in Austria, Germany, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland. The primary finding shows that entrepreneurial orientation is positively linked to novel business model designs. Furthermore, the study reveals that technology orientation and customer orientation exert a negative moderation effect on the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and novel business model design. Based on this, this research not only contributes to a deeper theoretical understanding of the interplay between strategic orientations and novel business model designs but also provides practical insights.