Do sustainable business models scale differently than business model configurations with lower environmental ambitions? A comparative analysis of business model scaling performance among sharing-mobility providers

As it has developed into a defining paradigm of the 21st century, the sharing economy is widely regarded as providing opportunities for environmental and social benefits in addition to economic advantages. Yet, it remains unclear whether sharing business models that incorporate environmental ambitions and public alignment require supplementary changes to other business model elements to scale successfully. Drawing on configurational theory and the business model literature, we model market scaling as a function of five business model design choices: environmental ambitions, alignment with public stakeholders, value-proposition portfolio size, digital intensity, and revenue-stream diversification. Fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) of twenty-one sharing-mobility providers identifies six configurations (four associated with successful scaling, two with scaling failure) and yields three implications. First, business models with strong environmental ambitions and close public alignment can scale as successfully as their counterparts that lack these characteristics. Second, irrespective of a firm’s level of environmental ambitions and public alignment, value-proposition portfolio size and revenue-stream diversification consistently emerge as the keys to successful scaling. Third, successfully scaled business models exhibit congruence between environmental ambitions and public alignment. Overall, business models with strong environmental ambitions and close public alignment and business models without these characteristics share similar paths to scale: multiple value propositions or diversified revenue streams. These findings advance configurational business model theory, resolve ambiguities in the sharing economy literature, and offer a cautiously optimistic message for management practice: Designing a business model with genuine environmental ambitions neither requires sacrificing scalability nor defying the common commercial logic.