How Business Model Innovation fosters Organizational Resilience during COVID-19

Norman Schaffer , Patricia Garoz Pérez and Jörg Weking

Americas Conference on Information Systems (AMCIS) 2021, 2021,

August 2021

abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic imposes various challenges on societies as well as on organizations, especially in the medical sector. Organizational resilience is a central ability to strive through these challenges. Business model innovation can be a tool to build organizational resilience. Yet, it is unclear how business model innovation fosters organizational resilience. Therefore, we conduct a longitudinal case study on Laboratory Inc., which adapts to the situation, innovates its business model to allow testing for the virus from home, and transmits results digitally. Our results show how organizational resilience is built by business model innovation. The business model innovations performed are not temporary, but lead to a new status of the organization, preparing it for future crises. At the same time, we demonstrate how digital innovations help to overcome crises and support socio-economic value. Our findings contribute to research on organizational resilience as well as on business models under external threats.