Retire, Reimagine and Reconfigure
Leveraging Exnovation to Unlock Circular‐Economy Business‐Model Adoption
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22418222 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Noor Ul Hadi (0000-0002-9966-7993, Department of Human Resource Management, College of Business Administration Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University Al‐Khobar Saudi Arabia, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Publication date | 2026-04-25 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Business Strategy and the Environment (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0964-4733 • E-ISSN: 1099-0836 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1002/bse.70934 |
| OpenAlex | W7155599253 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 79 |
Digital transformation is accelerating at an unprecedented pace, yet many technology‐intensive firms remain embedded in linear, efficiency‐oriented business models. Motivated by this persistent paradox, this study examines how exploitative innovation, explorative innovation and exnovation jointly relate to circular‐economy business‐model (CEBM) adoption in the ICT sector. Grounded in ambidexterity and dynamic‐capabilities theory, the study conceptualises exnovation as a strategic reconfiguration capability that conditions how efficiency gains are redirected toward exploratory experimentation, rather than treating it as a stand‐alone innovation activity. Survey data from 262 ICT managers were analysed using Hayes' PROCESS macro. The findings show that exploitative innovation is positively associated with CEBM adoption both directly and indirectly via explorative innovation and that the indirect association is significantly stronger under higher levels of exnovation capability. By framing CEBM adoption as an emergent outcome of the integrated exploitation–exploration–exnovation triad, the study advances theoretical debates on innovation‐portfolio alignment under sustainability constraints and bridges sustainability‐transition research with mainstream strategic‐management literature. The evidence further shows that systemic circularity is unlikely to arise from ecoefficiency alone; instead, it is associated with innovation portfolios that combine optimisation, experimentation and deliberate withdrawal from legacy technologies and routines.
Ambidexterity · Control reconfiguration · Exploratory research · Information and Communications Technology · Mainstream · Sustainability · Environmental Sustainability in Business · Service and Product Innovation · Sustainable Supply Chain Management
Organizational Ambidexterity
ICT and productivity
Circular economy business models
Exploratory Innovation, Exploitative Innovation, and Performance
Creative destruction or mere niche support? Innovation policy mixes for sustainability transitions
Innovation and the circular economy
Common method biases in behavioral research
Exploration and Exploitation in Organizational Learning
Explicating dynamic capabilities
Impact of ambidexterity of blockchain technology and social factors on new product development
Exnovation
If you are for market creation, you should be for market destruction! Ethics and the relations between exnovation and innovation for changing direction
Reimagining innovation pathways
Out of the Comfort Zone! Governing the Exnovation of Unsustainable Technologies and Practices
Darker side of industry 4.0 and its impact on triple‐bottom‐line sustainability
A conceptual framework for barriers of circular supply chains for sustainability in the textile industry
Peatland rewetting as drainage exnovation – A transition governance perspective
Digital sustainability
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |