The Boundary Tool for multi-stakeholder sustainable business model innovation

Sustainable business model innovation cannot reach its full sustainability potential if it neglects the importance of multi-stakeholder alignment. But how can organizations engage with their stakeholders to innovate their own business model in conjunction with the business models of these stakeholders? The Boundary Tool is a process tool that helps businesses engage in multi-stakeholder collaboration for sustainable business model innovation by focusing on complementarities and mismatches in stakeholders’ identities, relations, competences and activities. The final process tool consists of five steps to facilitate multi-stakeholder alignment for sustainable business model innovation:

(1) defining a collective ambition,
(2) mapping and negotiating the changing organizational boundaries,
(3) exploring opportunities and tensions for aligning stakeholders,
(4) defining first interventions, and
(5) developing a collaboration pitch.

The tool stimulates joint learning and organizing for the development and implementation of sustainable, circular business model innovations.

This tool was developed by Myrthe Velter as part of her PhD research.