Mapping the Intellectual Architecture of Digital Technologies and Business Model Innovation: A Bibliometric Analysis of Scopus-Indexed Publications, 2004–2026
Aug 2026· International Journal For Multidisciplinary Research· Vol 8· 0 citations· 38 references
TL;DR
A comprehensive bibliometric analysis of 1,707 Scopus-indexed journal articles published between 2004 and early 2026 offers an empirically grounded road map for future research and establishes a replicable methodological benchmark for ongoing monitoring of this rapidly evolving domain.
Abstract
Research at the intersection of digital technologies and business model innovation (BMI) has expanded rapidly since the mid-2010s, yet its intellectual architecture—the conceptual foundations, influential scholars, citation anchors, and thematic clusters that give it coherence—remains poorly charted. Narrative and systematic reviews have proven insufficient to map a field now generating more than 260 peer-reviewed publications per year across at least twenty-seven disciplinary categories. This paper addresses that gap by conducting a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of 1,707 Scopus-indexed journal articles published between 2004 and early 2026. Drawing on publication trend analysis, author and institutional productivity mapping, citation and co-citation analysis, and keyword co-occurrence examination—all executed through the Biblioshiny interface of R Studio—we delineate four distinct developmental epochs that trace the field's evolution from pre-paradigmatic exploration to consolidation. Citation analysis identifies a compact set of foundational texts, anchored by Verhoef et al. (2021), Chesbrough (2010), and Ghobakhloo (2020), that continue to organise scholarly discourse across sub-fields. Keyword analysis reveals business model innovation, digital transformation, artificial intelligence, and sustainability as the field's dominant conceptual pillars, while also exposing theoretical fault lines at the boundaries of these clusters. The findings offer an empirically grounded road map for future research and establish a replicable methodological benchmark for ongoing monitoring of this rapidly evolving domain.
Innovation Survey Research (ISR) has developed over three decades since the launch of the Community Innovation Survey (CIS) in 1992, yet no prior study has systematically mapped its intellectual structure, developmental trajectories, or regional differences. This study addresses three research questions: (1) the knowledge growth, impact and collaborative relationships of ISR; (2) the trajectories of evolution and transformation of its core research themes; and (3) the differences between European and non-European ISR. We conducted a comparative bibliometric analysis of 1,012 Scopus-indexed articles published between 1995 and 2024, combining co-occurrence network mapping, Leiden clustering and thematic literature review of representative works within each cluster. ISR has shown sustained growth since 2008 and a sharp increase in citations after 2020, reaching 54,451 total citations. Six thematic clusters were identified: firm innovation activities, open innovation and absorptive capacity, innovation types, manufacturing and service innovation, eco-innovation and innovation ambidexterity. These clusters have evolved from industry-centred RnD towards more specialised innovation typologies. After excluding 17 theoretical or multi-region articles, comparative analysis between European ([Formula: see text]) and non-European ([Formula: see text]) ISR reveals different trajectories. European ISR shows higher journal concentration and five clusters centred on complex topics such as open innovation and innovation ambidexterity, while non-European ISR displays a more dispersed structure with three clusters emphasising fundamental innovation activities, innovation barriers and developing-economy contexts. This study offers the first comprehensive knowledge map of ISR, contributing to understanding its intellectual evolution and regional characteristics, with implications for innovation policy, data infrastructure and international research collaboration.
Moon-Koo Kim, Jong-Hyun Park· Journal of Information &...· 0 citations
This study provides a bibliometric analysis of research on open innovation in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) over the period 2009–2025. Using a dataset of 500 journal articles indexed in the Web of Science, the study maps the field’s intellectual structure, publication trends, influential sources, leading authors, country productivity, collaboration patterns, and thematic evolution. The results show a steady growth in scientific production, particularly after 2017, indicating the increasing consolidation of open innovation in SMEs as a distinct research domain. The literature concentrates on a limited number of influential journals, especially Technovation and Technological Forecasting and Social Change, while a small group of highly cited publications forms the conceptual foundation of the field. Thematic analysis reveals that the field is primarily structured around open innovation, SMEs, performance, research and development, absorptive capacity, and knowledge. Thematic evolution further indicates a shift from foundational concerns related to firm performance, manufacturing, and strategy towards more recent interests in business models, eco-innovation, digitalization, and empirical contextualization.
This study is among the first to offer a global, longitudinal bibliometric synthesis of HRIS research, presenting an integrative framework that links technological innovation, strategic human resource management, and knowledge-based organizational development.
Noni Setyorini, P. Nastiti, Chadyan Fathurachman et al.· Asian Management and Busines...· 0 citations
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) play a central role in employment generation, innovation diffusion, local economic dynamism, and sustainable development. However, research on SME success remains fragmented, often emphasizing isolated determinants rather than integrated explanations. This study maps the scientific landscape of SME success factors from a configurational perspective, considering how strategic orientations, organizational capabilities, implementation practices, and contextual conditions interact to shape business performance.
A bibliometric and science mapping study was conducted using records retrieved from Scopus and Web of Science. The search covered publications indexed between 1985 and 2025 and was conducted on February 4, 2025. After duplicate removal, title and abstract screening, and full-text assessment following PRISMA 2020 guidelines, 935 studies were included in the final corpus. Data were processed and analyzed using R and VOSviewer. The analysis included publication trends, citation patterns, productive journals, highly cited documents, keyword co-occurrence, co-authorship networks, co-citation structures, and bibliographic coupling.
The findings show a progressive consolidation of SME success research, with accelerated growth from 2016 onward. The most influential research streams are centered on entrepreneurial orientation, critical success factors, operational excellence, innovation, digital transformation, sustainability, green innovation, and circular economy practices. The intellectual structure of the field is supported by strategic management, entrepreneurship, innovation, and sustainability literatures. International collaboration patterns reveal an expanding but unevenly distributed research network, with several countries acting as central knowledge hubs.
The evidence suggests that SME success cannot be adequately explained through single-factor or linear approaches. Instead, it should be understood as a multidimensional and contingent phenomenon shaped by configurations of internal capabilities, strategic choices, implementation processes, and external environmental conditions. This study provides an integrated map of the field and offers a foundation for future theoretical development, comparative empirical research, and policy design aimed at strengthening competitive and sustainable SME performance.
Ely Israel Borja-Salinas, R. Robalino-Muñiz, Evelyn Arteaga-Arcentales et al.· Frontiers in Sustainability· 0 citations
This study presents a bibliometric analysis of research on digital transformation, ESG performance, environmental uncertainty, and corporate development using a dataset of 288 Scopus-indexed articles and review papers published between 2015 and 2025. Employing bibliometric and science-mapping techniques, the study examines publication trends, thematic evolution, conceptual structures, and emerging research trajectories within the field. The findings reveal a sharp increase in scientific production after 2021, reflecting a broader transition from technology-centered perspectives toward sustainability-oriented and resilience-based approaches. The results indicate that digital transformation and sustainability have become dominant conceptual anchors, whereas governance-oriented ESG mechanisms and uncertainty-aware decision frameworks remain comparatively fragmented and weakly interconnected. This imbalance suggests that existing studies have not yet fully integrated digital capabilities, sustainability governance, resilience, and environmental uncertainty into a coherent framework. By identifying dominant intellectual patterns and persistent conceptual gaps, this study contributes to a more integrated understanding of how digital transformation and ESG-related pressures shape sustainable corporate development under uncertain environmental conditions.
Tang Anh Cuong, Tùng Đỗ Thanh Hoàng, Nhung Thi Hong Nguyen· Aposta: Revista de Ciencias...· 0 citations
This study applies a Bibliometric-Systematic Literature Review (B-SLR) framework and VOSviewer techniques, including co-citation, bibliographic coupling, country collaboration, and keyword co-occurrence, to illuminate how the field has evolved, who drives it, and where the next frontiers lie.
Bambang Samsul Hidayat· Journal of Intelligent Decis...· 0 citations
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