Exploring Potential Changes in the Business Model: The Impacts of Using Human-Centered Personal Data As A Resource

Purpose: Services are evolving from generic to personalized, and the reverse use of customer data has been discussed in both academia and industry for the past few years. The aim of this study is to understand the potential changes in the business model when adopting a human-centered personal data management approach.

Design/Methodology/Approach: The primary data was gathered over the time in recorded and transcripted workshops, in which future personal data -based services were conceptualized by analyzing future scenarios from a business perspective.

Findings: The results have implications to theory and practice, indicating that adopting personal data management principles causes changes in the business model, which, if successfully managed, may provide access to more resources, potential to offer better value, and a larger business environment.

Research limitations/implications: Being a single case study imposes restrictions to the generalizability of the results. Employing a value creation perspective, and expanding the scope of this study to include actors from different sectors would improve the validity of the research.

Social implications: The study views the future business landscape with human-centered personal data management lenses. The exploration of the effects of an approach that benefits both people and businesses provides a positive societal aspect.

Originality/Value: While a few studies have examined the linkage between business models and personal data usage, no empirical studies have looked at how a company’s business model may change due to adopting a novel personal data management approach. This paper shows one way to think about this issue.