Résumé
This existing research theorizes how organizational actors use a single, significant analogy. However, research suggests that individuals frequently use multiple analogies and blend concepts from these different analogies (Fauconnier 2001). This phenomenon is particular relevant for inter-organizational collaboration: the complexity of business ecosystems frequently stimulates dynamic interactions between several interconnected stakeholders with diverse interests. Analogies may resonate differently with different stakeholders, especially in the context of interorganizational collaboration, impelling strategists to use multiple analogies, and not just one. Following Cornelissen and Durand (2012), we suggest that an inductive study of this conceptual blending process should allow for the combination of multiple analogies in which the imaginative capacities of meaning construction are evoked to produce emergent and novel strategic actions. Over time, this cognitive unshackling can lead to the development of an innovative business models that substantially differs from their original individual analogical sources. As a result, we need to ask the question: How do organizations use multiple analogies during the process of strategically reinventing their business model?