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Linking Business Models?

Sami Dob brought up a question about modifying the Canvas to demonstrate Shared Value and environmental responsibility. That's an interesting notion by itself but my question for you is: have you thought about extending the Canvas visualization by linking many Canvases?

The Canvas is a great look inside of an organization whether it's a for-profit corporation or a non-for-profit (or NGO) and to a lesser extent governments. But every organization interacts with many others. If we can visualize those linkages it might help us to spot gaps in the market or overlaps in the market.

TheBrain mind mapping software (http://www.thebrain.com/) provides a great analogy. Using the tool, one can begin making linkages from node to node and then zoom in on one particular node or zoom back out to see the linkages. Check out the screen snap from their website attached here.

I realize that any such visualization tool is well beyond the draw it on a whiteboard and use Post-It Note stage but it's something to think about!

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Permalink Reply by Hayk Hakobyan on March 8, 2011 at 12:34am

Very interesting point.

I do agree that linking Canvases or BMs looks interesting and not just from the point of view of theory. In the real world, as you mentionned, companies/organizations interact, thus by extension, their BMs do.

Linking BMs of different, interconnected companies/organizations, their clients/customers, their suppliers, stakeholders, etc, would make this world a whole lot more connected and undoubtfully much more valuable in terms of overall produced and shared value.

It could be interesting to see a case of having at least few really interconnected BMs, how they function and their effect upon each other.

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Permalink Reply by Greg Worden on March 8, 2011 at 10:10pm

Hello Hayk. Thanks for the reply. Yes, it would be very interesting. Building that would be tough of course. I suppose it could be built as a Wiki of business models. Then anyone could submit a business model and label the links. Others could agree or disagree. A potentially very large business/economic simulation could result. Very cool grad school project!