Mapping Business Model Adaptation: A Systematic Review of Definitions, Antecedents, and Typological Patterns

Ymer. 2026. Vol. 25. No. 8. P. 130–161.

Boltachev M.

The field of business model adaptation (BMA) remains conceptually fragmented: definitions, antecedents, and typological patterns are scattered across isolated empirical studies, precluding cumulative theory-building. This systematic review aims to synthesise the existing literature on BMA by mapping how the construct is defined, what drives it, and what typological patterns can be identified. Following the SPAR-4-SLR protocol and PRISMA 2020 guidelines, structured searches were conducted across ScienceDirect, JSTOR, and Wiley Online Library, yielding 23 peer-reviewed studies published between 2010 and 2025. Analysis identified six conceptual schools of BMA — Alignment, Recovery, Contextualization, Capability, Experimentation, and Value Logic Evolution — and five empirical types organised along two axes: source of initiation and temporal horizon. External triggers predominate in 70% of included studies, consistent with prospect theory. Theoretically, the review reframes BMA as a conceptually independent construct distinct from business model innovation (BMI) and business model evolution (BME) and offers researchers an explicit logic for designing studies by combining process level, school, and BMA type as a coordinate system. For practitioners, the typology serves as a diagnostic instrument for identifying adaptation modes and selecting context-appropriate strategic responses.

Keywords: dynamic capabilities, systematic literature review, business model adoptation, SPAR-4-SLR, business model dynamics