Emergence of Digital Business Ecosystems: A theoretical framework

This paper seeks to determine what triggers the emergence of Digital Business Ecosystems. To reach this aim, Traditional Business Ecosystems are considered as the initial state from which Digital Business Ecosystems arise. Thus, both of the concepts are defined, stating their characteristics, roles of the actors and stages of formation. Moreover, organizational change theory is adopted in order to explain the cited emergence. Disruptions from the use of ICTs and the digital transformation initiatives prompt the evolution of Digital Business Ecosystems approach and stimulates the adoption of more innovative means of conducting business. Therefore, organizational change theory is suitable to explain the motives behind the potential shift of Business Ecosystems from Traditional to Digital. The inherent triggers can take place within each organization of the ecosystem and thus systems theory is advocated; the emphasis on fixing the appropriate organizational goals that involve innovation is the key to meet change. Transition can also emerge from people’s own will and the desire to evolve along with the new digital environment, or out of a conflictual situation where norms and rules evolve to embrace the new possibilities that digital offers. The results of the conceptual literature review confirm that the potential shift towards Digital Business Ecosystems is a reality that could be tackled by encouraging organizational development and fostering co-creation of value in a constantly changing environment. The findings offer a relevant conceptual contribution to bridge a gap in the DBE existing research regarding the origins of this concept and its driving force.   Keywords: Business Ecosystem, Digital Business Ecosystem, Organizational change theory. JEL Classification: M19 Paper type: Theoretical researchThis paper seeks to determine what triggers the emergence of Digital Business Ecosystems. To reach this aim, Traditional Business Ecosystems are considered as the initial state from which Digital Business Ecosystems arise. Thus, both of the concepts are defined, stating their characteristics, roles of the actors and stages of formation. Moreover, organizational change theory is adopted in order to explain the cited emergence. Disruptions from the use of ICTs and the digital transformation initiatives prompt the evolution of Digital Business Ecosystems approach and stimulates the adoption of more innovative means of conducting business. Therefore, organizational change theory is suitable to explain the motives behind the potential shift of Business Ecosystems from Traditional to Digital. The inherent triggers can take place within each organization of the ecosystem and thus systems theory is advocated; the emphasis on fixing the appropriate organizational goals that involve innovation is the key to meet change. Transition can also emerge from people’s own will and the desire to evolve along with the new digital environment, or out of a conflictual situation where norms and rules evolve to embrace the new possibilities that digital offers. The results of the conceptual literature review confirm that the potential shift towards Digital Business Ecosystems is a reality that could be tackled by encouraging organizational development and fostering co-creation of value in a constantly changing environment. The findings offer a relevant conceptual contribution to bridge a gap in the DBE existing research regarding the origins of this concept and its driving force.   Keywords: Business Ecosystem, Digital Business Ecosystem, Organizational change theory. JEL Classification: M19 Paper type: Theoretical researc

Entrepreneurial ecosystems: a dynamic lifecycle model

The concept of entrepreneurial ecosystems has been used as a framework to explain entrepreneurial activities within regions and industrial sectors. Despite the usefulness of this approach, the concept is under-theorized, especially with regard to the evolution of entrepreneurial ecosystems. The current literature is lacking a theoretical foundation that addresses the development and change of entrepreneurial ecosystems over time and does not consider the inherent dynamics of entrepreneurial ecosystems that lead to their birth, growth, maturity, decline, and re-emergence. Taking an industry lifecycle perspective, this paper addresses this research gap by elaborating a dynamic entrepreneurial ecosystem lifecycle model. We propose that an ecosystem transitions from an entrepreneurial ecosystem, with a focus on new firm creation, towards a business ecosystem, with a core focus on the internal commercialization of knowledge, i.e., intrapreneurial activities, and vice versa. Our dynamic model thus captures the oscillation that occurs among entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs through the different phases of an ecosystem’s lifecycle. Our dynamic lifecycle model may thus serve as a starting point for future empirical studies focusing on ecosystems and provide the basis for a further understanding of the interrelatedness between and co-existence of new and incumbent firms

Toward an entrepreneurial ecosystem research program

Entrepreneurial ecosystems have become a prominent concept, yet in its current state, the concept itself represents a paradox. While it draws on a rich intellectual history and provides an opportunity to synthesize different strands of research, it is also under-theorized and the mechanisms that govern ecosystem evolution are not well understood. This paper takes stock of recent advancements in ecosystem scholarship and synthesizes the empirical reality of the causal mechanisms. We use these dynamics to position ecosystems in a broader context, within and beyond the domain of entrepreneurship research, and propose a transdisciplinary research program for ecosystem research and practice

Innovation Ecosystem Emergence Barriers: Institutional Perspective

Innovation ecosystems are built around new technologies, ideas, and innovations and their supporting actors and structures. However, the emergence of ecosystems is constrained by a host of institutional, system-level barriers in the existing organizational field that inhibit the legitimacy, resourcing, and growth of new initiatives. Through an empirical study in the Finnish energy sector, we find a strong and interdependent set of regulative, normative, and cultural–cognitive barriers that restrict the emergence of innovation ecosystems with new technologies. In particular, we identify a set of barriers and related field-sustaining mechanisms. The findings offer important implications for the theory and practice of innovation ecosystem emergence and related system-level barriers

Data Ecosystem Governance: A Conceptual Framework

Data need to be created, collected, stored, exchanged, integrated, and processed among a diverse set of actors and infrastructures to create value. Such reliance on other actors leads to the emergence of data ecosystems. Despite the focus on data ecosystems in the literature, little is known about who governs what data activities and how. Data ecosystem governance aims to ensure the alignment of activities with different goals and strategies of ecosystem actors. We contribute to the understanding of data governance by expanding the conceptual model for data ecosystem governance. The framework draws on an extensive review of data governance and ecosystems. We show governance is multi-layer, multi-actor and multi- dimension which creates complexity and interdependencies. The conceptual framework provides a guide for managers to fully understand and implement data ecosystem governance

Why collaborate? Factors Influencing in Crowdsourcing Ecosystems

Many organisations embrace crowdsourcing to enhance innovation, problem-solving and value creation. While crowdsourcing in the past has been limited to just one organisation, crowdsourcing can be enhanced through collaborative practices that include sharing resources and value exchange in a 'crowdsourcing ecosystem'. However, the factors that influence the emergence of a crowdsourcing ecosystem are not yet well understood. To better understand these factors, our paper focuses on the emergence phase of crowdsourcing ecosystems. We conducted a case study of not-for-profit sector collaborative crowdsourcing projects to identify the internal and external influencing factors. We identify four major categories – preparedness, challenges, scope, and risks, along with 23 sub-categories. We believe our findings might be helpful for scholars and practitioners regarding the effective design of collaborative initiatives for crowdsourcing

A Storm in an IoT Cup: The Emergence of Cyber-Physical Social Machines

The concept of social machines is increasingly being used to characterise various socio-cognitive spaces on the Web. Social machines are human collectives using networked digital technology which initiate real-world processes and activities including human communication, interactions and knowledge creation. As such, they continuously emerge and fade on the Web. The relationship between humans and machines is made more complex by the adoption of Internet of Things (IoT) sensors and devices. The scale, automation, continuous sensing, and actuation capabilities of these devices add an extra dimension to the relationship between humans and machines making it difficult to understand their evolution at either the systemic or the conceptual level. This article describes these new socio-technical systems, which we term Cyber-Physical Social Machines, through different exemplars, and considers the associated challenges of security and privacy.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figure