In the process of corporate digital transformation, business model innovation represents a key challenge. In this study, we delve into the strategic choices made by focal firms in selecting interlocking partners based on their digital business model innovation (DBMI) levels and the subsequent influence of these connections on the focal firms’ own DBMI. Employing a stochastic actor-oriented model (SAOM), our research explores the coevolution of board interlock networks and firms’ DBMI levels. We analyze data from 345 A-share listed firms in China over the 2016-2020 period. Our findings uncover a compelling pattern: as conduits for organizational learning, board interlocks tie formation process demonstrate that focal firms show a propensity to form ties (outgoing ties) with firms that exhibit higher levels of DBMI. However, our study challenges the conventional wisdom by revealing that the DBMI levels of alter firms, connected via outgoing ties, do not significantly impact the enhancement of focal firms’ DBMI. Instead, a substantial positive correlation emerges between the number of incoming ties received by a firm and the enhancement of its DBMI.
