I have mulled over this post by Thierry de Baillon and Ralph Ohr for some time – see : Business Model Innovation as Wicked Problem | Sonnez en cas d’absence
It highlights for me the importance need for managers to understand emergence and complexity. The article (and accompanying material) is well worth a thorough read – still an important contribution.
The post states:
An ever increasing pace of change leads to a decrease in life time of operating business models. Companies are therefore forced to reinvent themselves more frequently by creating new business models. Entering new businesses through open business model innovation exhibits a wicked problem structure. In order to properly address those problems, companies have to follow emergent strategies and need to put decentralized, self-organizing structures in place. Social business brings an answer to the urgent necessity to successfully tackle corporate reinvention and to enhance strategic adaptability by connecting individual human stakeholders.
A critical issues, as pointed out by Thierry de Baillon is that the problem space evolves as you progress into the solution space.
It is no longer appropriate to put a business model in place and follow it slavishly: rather it needs to be dynamic and adaptive to emerging trends/activities/reactions.