Ecosystem as Structure

TLDR

The term “ecosystem” has become pervasive in strategy discussions over the past 20 years, reflecting growing interest in interdependence across organizations and activities. The article aims to develop a structuralist framework for defining and analyzing ecosystem strategy. The authors define the ecosystem construct, propose a grammar for its structure, and map its relationship to alternative constructs such as business models, platforms, and supply chains. The framework distinguishes the unique contributions of the ecosystem construct from related concepts, highlighting its added value and limits for strategy research.

Abstract

Over the past 20 years, the term “ecosystem” has become pervasive in discussions of strategy, both scholarly and applied. Its rise has mirrored an increasing interest and concern among both researchers and managers with interdependence across organizations and activities. This article presents a structuralist approach to conceptualizing the ecosystem construct. It presents a clear definition of the ecosystem construct, a grammar for characterizing ecosystem structure, and a characterization of the distinctive aspects of ecosystem strategy. This approach offers an explicit examination of the relationship among ecosystems and a host of alternative constructs (business models, platforms, coopetition, multisided markets, networks, technology systems, supply chains, value networks) that helps characterize where the ecosystem construct adds, and does not add, insight for the strategy literature.