Mind mapping for fostering Business Model learning and learners’creativity
The Business Model expression appeared in a context where entrepreneurs had to be specifically creative to imagine new ways to run businesses in the unexplored environment of Internet. Yet, researchers too often forget the creative dimension of the Business Models and empirical researches binding Business Model and creativity are scarce. While the Business Model has become a tool to be taught in order to help the entrepreneurs to work their business out, it seemed useful to imagine teaching methods that integrate the creative dimension of Business Model, whoever uses it (students, entrepreneurs, business men). In this article, we mobilized mind maps both to foster the Business Model learning through the GRP Model (value Generation, Remuneration, Partnership) and to stimulate the creativity which is inherent to the Business Model. A pedagogical research action was deployed. Learners (students in entrepreneurship) manipulated different tools to conceive a complete Business Model from a basic idea. The results show reflexivity between Business Model and creativity. Indeed, the Business Model is a source of creativity for learners while creativity through mind mapping stimulates the conception of new Business Models. These results give teachers incentives to illustrate a concept by producing visual examples of Business Models.