On orchestrating ecosystems
Guide(s)
Srinivasan, R
Department
Strategy
Area
Strategy
University
Indian Institute of Management Bangalore
Place
Bangalore
Publication Date
3-31-2024
Year Awarded
March 2024
Year Completed
March 2024
Year Registered
June 2018
Abstract
Ecosystems are an organizing form involving a collective of organizations that, by leveraging unique complementarities, attempt to co-create an integrated value proposition. Given that some of the highly successful organizations (e.g., Microsoft, Amazon, Walmart, Apple) have actively engaged in ecosystem play, ecosystem research has garnered immense attention over the past decade. Scholars, however, have observed that while extant research has illuminated the structural perspective of ecosystems - concerning the what' and 'why of ecosystems - the processual perspective - i.e., the how of it - remains relatively under-researched. Since ecosystems are non-hierarchical collectives embodying forces of collaboration and competition simultaneously, creating, growing, and managing ecosystems must be complex. Hence, researching the process perspective becomes imperative to gain deeper insights into ecosystem organizing. This dissertation attempts to provide an overarching view of ecosystem organizing by taking an orchestration perspective. It attempts to investigate the nature and process of ecosystem orchestration. Specifically, it investigates two research questions: (1) what constitutes ecosystem orchestration, and (2) what are the underlying dynamics involved in orchestrating ecosystems? First, the literature on ecosystems is reviewed to construct an integrative definition that helps to identify study samples. Then, to gain a deeper understanding of the dynamics of how ecosystems work, an orchestration perspective is adopted. Orchestration implies those ecosystem activities that are generally broad-based and impact the nature or scope of the ecosystem's combined offering. Reviewing the literature on orchestration, this dissertation underscores the necessity of orchestrating collective action. In doing so, it emphasizes deliberate strategizing and counters the observation by some scholars that ecosystems can emerge and sustain spontaneously. The research design involved a multi-case study-based theory building approach. The use of multiple, theoretically replicated cases enabled analytical generalizability. Three ecosystems - two from India and one from Germany - were chosen as they embodied representative samples. Their orchestration activities - both historic and ongoing - were captured using longitudinal data involving several sources - interviews, documents, and participant observation. Two-pronged data analysis was performed. First, thematic analysis (as suggested by Braun & Clarke, 2006) was performed to identify patterns in ecosystem orchestration. Four categories of orchestration were observed: consolidative, performative, discursive, and cognitive. Then, inductive coding (as suggested by Miles & Huberman, 1984) was undertaken to identify (and label) orchestration activities. The activities were organized into three case reports (one for each sample) that were validated with an expert from the field. Using the orchestration categories as a backdrop, process maps were drawn that demonstrated how the three ecosystem cases were orchestrated over time. Abstracting from the process maps, a (generalized) process model for ecosystem orchestration is proposed that details the subprocesses characterizing ecosystem orchestration through its emergence and post-emergence stages. This dissertation advances the understanding of orchestration at an inter-industry level of analysis. Specifically, this dissertation contributes several insights towards ecosystem orchestration: (1) it demonstrates the role played by enabling (environmental) conditions in ecosystem emergence, (2) it emphasizes the importance of identity work, (3) it shows that the founding identity of an ecosystem may transform to one or more realized identities over time, and (4) it deepens understanding of multiparty orchestration. Implications to practice and policy are also discussed. Finally, this dissertation concludes by discussing the limitations and presenting some scope for future research.
Pagination
ix, 241p.
Copyright
Indian Institute of Management Bangalore
Document Type
Dissertation
DAC Chairperson
Srinivasan, R
DAC Members
Krishnan, Rishikesha T; Jha, Srivardhini K; Moeslein, Kathrin M
Type of Degree
Ph.D.
Recommended Citation
Prabhu, Vikas Namadeva, "On orchestrating ecosystems" (2024). Doctoral Dissertations. 22.
https://research.iimb.ac.in/doc_dissertations/22
Relation
DIS-IIMB-FPM-P24-22
