Geschäftsmodelle entwickeln
55 innovative Konzepte mit dem St. Galler Business Model Navigator
Oliver Gassmann, Karolin Frankenberger, Michaela Choudury
How do you actually develop business models, and what is the theory behind them?
As part of my master’s thesis on developing digital business models, I also looked into the scientific theory behind them. Along the way, I came across the book “Geschäftsmodelle entwickeln - 55 innovative Konzepte mit dem St. Galler Business Model Navigator” by Oliver Gassmann, Karolin Frankenberger and Michaela Csik. Unlike many of my other reviews, this is not a book for pure entertainment. It is much more about the scientific points behind business models: What is the theory behind business models? What elements does a business model consist of? How can I transform a business model, and which blueprints for different business models are there anyway? All of these are questions the book asks and also answers. It does convey quite a bit of theory, but to my surprise not at all in the dry way you might expect from a non-fiction book. In this review, you’ll find out why I would recommend the book above all as required reading for every “long-established” company management.
Which topic and problem does this book address
Everywhere you read that the digital transformation is creating new business models and destroying or disrupting old ones. Inevitably, many people ask themselves: How can I, as a manager, respond to this situation? My personal experience shows that many managers already struggle to present the company’s business model on a single page (one-pager). Besides the classic Business Model Canvas (BMC), which is often used in workshops, there is also the St. Gallen Business Model. This is exactly what serves as the framework of the book. While the BMC divides a business model into nine fields, the authors of the St. Gallen Business Model use the fields Who; What; How and Value – shown in a pyramid model:
Who is this book for
In my opinion, this book is suitable for all executives in a company who want to get into the theory of business model innovation a bit themselves. If the company is currently going through such a process, or if you want to kick one off, I recommend this book – above all so you can dig deeper into the subject yourself. But entrepreneurs and those who want to become one will also find 55 different templates in the book for building their own business model.
“Innovation is the fundamental task of every executive; managing routine does not justify the pay.”
— Geschäftsmodelle entwickeln, page 20
It shouldn’t always be the external consultants telling you how this or that should look. It is much better if you bring some knowledge of the subject yourself.
My personal opinion
I approached this publication expecting a classic non-fiction book. I was surprised by the exciting combination of hard theory and very pleasant-to-read practical examples. The book then puts the “cherry on top” with its extensive collection of different business models. It is really fun to dig through the extensive pool of different business models. For me, it is therefore a very skillful combination of theory and practical examples.