Uncovering the configurations driving business model innovation in manufacturing: Interplay between digital resources and capabilities

Although manufacturers have realized that digital business model innovation (DBMI) is critical for gaining sustainable competitive advantage, how to achieve DBMI remains a challenge faced by the academic and industry. Drawing on resource orchestration theory and the configurational perspective, this study investigates how the combinations of digital resources (digital orientation and business analytics expertise) and digital capabilities (digital technology deployment and digital technology-business strategic alignment) enable DBMI. This study employs fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to examine the data from 329 Chinese manufacturers. The results reveal that no single factor constitutes the necessary condition for DBMI. Moreover, there are four paths to achieve high DBMI, namely dual resources driven digital cooperation breadth, digital orientation driven technology deployment-strategic collaboration, dual resources driven digital application depth and business analytics driven technology deployment-strategic collaboration. There are four paths for non-high DBMI. This study explains the complex mechanism to achieve high DBMI, enriches the DBMI literature, and provides theoretical inspiration for future DBMI research in manufacturing.