The digital innovation ecosystems: Theory building and a research agenda#br#

Zhang Chao, Chen Kaihua, Mu Rongping

Science Research Management ›› 2021, Vol. 42 ›› Issue (3) : 1-11.

Science Research Management ›› 2021, Vol. 42 ›› Issue (3) : 1-11.

The digital innovation ecosystems: Theory building and a research agenda#br#

  • Zhang Chao, Chen Kaihua, Mu Rongping
Author information +
History +

Abstract

   Rapid and pervasive digitization of innovation processes and outcomes has upended the way that innovative actors jointly creating value, deepened the development of extant theories on innovation ecosystems, and triggered the discussion on building digital innovation ecosystems. Innovation ecosystem studies have underlined the importance of coordinate symbiosis between innovative actors. The ecosystem members jointly create value around a hub actor, which means they work cooperatively and competitively to support new products, new technologies, and coherent customer solutions. Going digital not only introduces data as a new productive factor but also enhances the collaboration among actors, which changes the behavior logic of innovation ecosystems. Therefore, understanding digital innovation ecosystems in a proper way contributes to guiding the innovation practice in a digital era, as well as expanding or reconstructing relative theories on innovation ecosystems. However, most of the existing studies have neglected the new characters, new trends, or new challenges. There is an urgent need for scholars conducting in-depth studies to understand the nature of digital innovation ecosystems. 
   To fill the research gap, this paper put forward two basic manifestations of digital innovation ecosystems, that is, innovation-oriented digital ecosystems (or say, digital innovation ecosystem Ⅰ type) and digital-enabled innovation ecosystems (or say, digital innovation ecosystem Ⅱ type). On the one hand, innovation-oriented digital ecosystems are defined as digital ecosystems that serve for the creation, application, and diffusion of digital innovations. The innovation-oriented digital ecosystems could realize the join value creation among digital actors through innovation, and therefore can be regarded as innovation ecosystems established around digital actors. Such ecosystems also have characters that they inherit from digital ecosystems, that is, convergence, scalability, generativity, and modularity. On the other hand, the digital-enabled innovation ecosystems are the deep integration between the digitalization process and the behavior logic of ecosystem actors. From the perspective of a complex adaptive system (CAS), this paper constructed a theoretical analytical framework on the behavior logic of innovation ecosystems consisting of five dimensions, that is, actors, structures, institutions, functions, and evolution. Going digital enables new characters to innovation ecosystems, which also changes the behavior logic of innovation ecosystems.
    The two types of digital innovation ecosystem permeate each other and push forward each other. Such intertwined relationships change the way of jointly value creation among innovative actors and improve the innovation capability and innovation effectiveness in an all-round way. This paper introduces a conceptual framework for studying digital innovation ecosystems by integrating the above two concepts: innovation-oriented digital ecosystems and digital-enabled innovation ecosystems (i.e., digital innovation ecosystem Ⅰ type and Ⅱ type). This paper clarified the nature of digital innovation ecosystems by describing how the actors, structures, institutions, functions, or evolution perform when convergence, scalability, generativity, and modularity influence the ecosystems profoundly in a digital era. At last, this paper outlines a new research agenda to fill the gap in our understanding of digital innovation ecosystems. It points out that the following scholars could modify or polish the theories on digital innovation ecosystems by conducting convincing empirical analysis like measuring or case study, analyzing the pathway of ecosystem growth or development, or studying the policy on supporting the establishment or development of digital innovation ecosystems.

Key words

digital innovation ecosystem / digital ecosystem / innovation ecosystem / digital innovation / value co-creation

Cite this article

EndNote

Ris (Procite)

Bibtex

Download Citations
Zhang Chao, Chen Kaihua, Mu Rongping. The digital innovation ecosystems: Theory building and a research agenda#br#[J]. Science Research Management. 2021, 42(3): 1-11

References


[1]. Nambisan S, Lyytinen K, Majchrzak A, Song M. Digital innovation management: Reinventing innovation management research in a digital world [J]. MIS Quarterly, 2017, 41(1): 223-238.

[2]. Goldfarb A, Tucker C. Digital economics[J]. Journal of Economic Literature, 2019, 57(1):3-43.

[3]. Moore J F. Predators and prey: A new ecology of competition [J]. Harvard Business Review, 1993, 71 (3), 75-86.

[4]. Iansiti M, Levien R. Strategy as ecology [J]. Harvard Business Review, 2004, 82(3), 68-78.

[5]. Adner R. Match your innovation strategy to your innovation ecosystem [J]. Harvard Business Review, 2006, 84(4), 98-107.

[6]. Autio E, Thomas L. Innovation ecosystems. The Oxford handbook of innovation management [M]. Oxford University Press, 2014, 204-288.

[7]. Adner R. Ecosystem as structure: An actionable construct for strategy[J]. Journal of Management, 2017, 43(1):39-58.

[8]. Gomes L A D, Facin A L F, Salerno M S, Ikenami R K. Unpacking the innovation ecosystem construct: Evolution, gaps, and trends [J]. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 2018, 136, 30-48.

[9]. Jacobides M G, Cennamo C, Gawer A. Towards a theory of ecosystems [J]. Strategic Management Journal, 2018, 39, 2255-2276.

[10]. Beltagui A, Rosli A, Candi M. Exaptation in a digital innovation ecosystem: The disruptive impacts of 3D printing [J]. Research Policy, 2020, 49 (1), 103833.

[11]. 陈凯华. 加快推进创新发展数字化转型[J].瞭望, 2020, 52, 24-26.

Chen Kaihua. Accelerating the digital transformation of innovation-driven development [J]. Outlook Weekly, 2020, 52, 24-26.

[12]. OECD, Going Digital: Shaping Policies, Improving Lives [R]. 2019, OECD Publishing, Paris.

[13]. Helfat C E, Raubitschek R. Dynamic and integrative capabilities for profiting from innovation in digital platform-based ecosystems [J]. Research Policy, 2018, 47, 1391-1399.

[14]. Sussan F, Acs Z J. The digital entrepreneurial ecosystem [J]. Small Business Economics, 2017, 49(5):1-19.

[15]. Song A K. The digital entrepreneurial ecosystem-a critique and reconfiguration [J]. Small Business Economics, 2019, 53(5). 569-590.

[16]. Gupta R, Mejia C, Kajikawa Y. Business, innovation and digital ecosystems landscape survey and knowledge cross sharing [J]. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 2019, 147, 100-109.

[17]. Teece D J. Profiting from innovation in the digital economy: Enabling technologies, standards, and licensing models in the wireless world [J]. Research Policy, 2018, 47. 1367-1387.

[18]. Li W, Badr Y, Biennier F. Digital ecosystems: Challenges and prospects [C]. In proceedings of the international conference on management of Emergent Digital EcoSystems, 2012, 117-122.

[19]. Porter M E, Heppelmann J E. How smart, connected products are transforming competition [J]. Harvard Business Review, 2014, 92 (11), 64-88.

[20]. 裴长洪,倪江飞,李越.数字经济的政治经济学分析[J].财贸经济,2018,39(09):5-22.

Pei C H, Ni J F, Li Y. Approach digital economy from the perspective of political economics [J]. Finance & Trade Economics, 2018, 39 (9): 5-22.

[21]. Ellison G, Ellison S F. Lessons about markets from the internet [J]. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 2005, 19 (2): 139–58.

[22]. Boley H, Chang E. Digital ecosystems: Principles and semantics [C]. In Inaugural IEEE International Conference on Digital Ecosystems and Technologies. Cairns Australia, 2007.

[23]. Yoo Y, Boland Jr R J, Lyytinen K, Majchrzak A. Organizing for innovation in the digitized world [J]. Organization Science, 2012, 23(5), 1398-1408.

[24]. 刘洋,董久钰,魏江.数字创新管理：理论框架与未来研究[J].管理世界,2020,36(07):198-217+219.

Liu Y, Dong J Y, Wei J. Digital innovation management: Theoretical framework and future research [J]. Management World, 2020, 36(7): 198-217+219.

[25]. Teece, D.J. Business models, business strategy and innovation[J]. Long Range Planning, 2010, 43(2-3), 172-194.

[26]. 魏江,刘洋. 数字创新[M]. 北京：机械工业出版社, 2020.

Wei J, Liu Y. Digital Innovation [M]. Beijing: China Machine Press, 2020.

[27]. Granstrand O, Holgersson M. Innovation ecosystems: A conceptual review and a new definition[J]. Technovation, 2020, 90, 102098.

[28]. Adner R, The wide lens: A new strategy for innovation[M]. 2012, London, England: Penguin.

[29]. Hannah D, Eisenhardt K M. How firms navigate cooperation and competition in nascent ecosystems[J]. Strategic Management Journal, 2018, 39, 3163–3192.

[30]. Adner R, Kapoor R. Value creation in innovation ecosystems: How the structure of technological interdependence affects firm performance in new technology generations[J]. Strategic Management Journal, 2010, 31(3), 306-333.

[31]. Adner R, Kapoor R. Innovation ecosystems and the pace of substitution: Re‐examining technology s-curves [J]. Strategic Management Journal, 2016, 37(4), 625-648.

[32]. Gawer A. Platforms, markets, and innovation[M]. 2009, Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar.

[33]. Gawer A. Cusumano M A. Platform leadership: How intel, Microsoft, and Cisco drive industry innovation [M]. 2002, Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.

[34]. Gawer A, Cusumano M A. Industry platforms and ecosystem innovation[J]. Journal of Product Innovation Management, 2014, 31(3), 417-433.

[35]. Lee C M. The Silicon Valley edge: A habitat for innovation and entrepreneurship[M]. 2000, Stanford University Press.

[36]. PCAST. Sustaining the nation’s innovation ecosystem: Maintaining the strength of our science & engineering capabilities [R], 2004

[37]. OECD, A robust innovation ecosystem for the future of Europe [R], 2020, OECD Publishing, Paris.

[38]. Oh D S, Phillips F, Park S, Lee E. Innovation ecosystems: A critical examination [J]. Technovation, 2016, 54, 1-6.

[39]. Gustafsson R, Aution E. A failure trichotomy in knowledge exploration and exploitation[J]. Research Policy, 2011, 40(6), 819-831.

[40]. Thomas L D W, Autio E. The fifth facet: The ecosystem as organizational field. [C] Academy of Management annual meeting proceedings. 2014

[41]. Gawer A, Phillios N. Institutional work as logics shift: The case of Intel’s transformation to platform leader[J]. Organization Science, 2013, 34(8), 1035-1071.

[42]. Agerfalk P J, Fitzgerald B. Outsourcing to an unknown workforce: Exploring open sourcing as a global sourcing strategy [J]. MIS Quarterly, 2008, 32, 385-409.

[43]. Ritala P, Almpanopoulou A. In defense of ‘eco’ in innovation ecosystem[J]. Technovation, 2017, 60–61, 39-42.

[44]. 国务院发展研究中心. 数字化转型：发展与政策[M]. 北京：中国发展出版社, 2020.

Development Research Center of the State Council. The development and policy of digital transformation [M]. Beijing: China Development Press, 2020.

[45]. Boland R J, Lyytinen Jr K, Yoo Y. Wakes of innovation in project networks: The case of digital 3-D representations in architecture, engineering, and construction[J]. Organization Science, 2007, 18(4), 631-647.

[46]. 钟华. 企业IT架构转型之道：阿里巴巴中台战略思想与架构实战[M]. 机械工业出版社，2017.

Zhong H. The philosophy of the transformation of enterprise IT architecture: Alibaba strategic thinking and structure practice [M]. Beijing: China Machine Press, 2020.

[47]. Gawer A. Bridging differing perspectives on technological platforms: Toward an integrative framework[J]. Research Policy, 2014, 43(7), 1239-1249.

[48]. Kumar N, Qiu L, Kumar S. Exit, voice, and response on digital platforms: An empirical investigation of online management response strategies[J] Information Systems Research, 2018, 29(4), 849-870.

[49]. Constantinides P, Henfridsson O, Parker G. Platforms and infrastructures in the digital age [J].  Information Systems Research, 2018, 29(2), 381-400.

[50]. 汤书昆，李昂. 国家创新生态系统的理论与实践[M].合肥：中国科学技术大学出版社, 2018.8.

Tang S K, Li A. National innovation ecosystem: Theory and Practice [M]. Hefei: University of Science and Technology of China Press.

[51]. 李纪珍，陈劲（译）；马克·道奇森，大卫·甘恩，尼尔森·菲利普斯（编）. 牛津创新手册[M]. 北京：清华大学出版社, 2019.

Li J Z, Chen J. The Oxford Handbook of Innovation Management [M]. Beijing: Tsinghua University Press, 2019.

[52]. 柳卸林，郑刚，蔺雷，李纪珍（译）；詹·法格伯格, 戴维·莫利, 理查德·纳尔逊（编）. 牛津创新手册[M]. 知识产权出版社, 2009.

Liu X L et al., The Oxford handbook of Innovation [M]. Intellectual Property Publishing House, 2009.

[53]. 曾国屏,苟尤钊,刘磊.从“创新系统”到“创新生态系统”[J].科学学研究,2013,31(01):4-12.

Zeng G P, Gou Y Z, Liu L. From innovation system to innovation ecosystem [J]. Studies in Science of Science. 2013,31(01):4-12.

[54]. Yoo Y, Henfridsson O, Lyytinen K, Research commentary - the new organizing logic of digital innovation: An agenda for information systems research[J]. Information Systems Research, 2010, 21(4), 724-735.

[55]. Boudreau K J. Let a thousand flowers bloom? An early look at large numbers of software app developers and patterns of innovation[J]. Organization Science, 2012, 23(5), 1409-1427.

[56]. OECD. Digital Innovation: Seizing Policy Opportunities [R] 2019, OECD Publishing, Paris.

[57]. Tsujimoto M, Kajikawa Y, Tomita J, Matsumoto Y. A review of the ecosystem concept - Towards coherent ecosystem design[J]. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 2018, 136. 49-58.

[58]. Baldwin C. Bottlenecks, modules, and dynamic architectural capabilities [EB/OL]. Harvard Business School, 2015 (working paper no. 15–028).

[59]. Sklyar A, Kowalkowski C, Tronvoll B, Sörhammar D. Organizing for digital servitization: A service ecosystem perspective[J]. Journal of Business Research, 2019. 10, 450-460.

[60]. 杨伟，周青，方刚．产业创新生态系统数字转型的试探性治理——概念框架与案例解释[J]．研究与发展管理2020, 32(6), 13-25.

Yang W, Zhou Q, Fang G. Tentative Governance for Digital Transformation in the Industrial Innovation Ecosystem-A Concept Framework and an Illustrative Case [J]. R&D Management, 2020, 32(6), 13-25.

[61]. 袁国宝. 新基建：数字经济重构经济增长新格局[M].北京：中国经济出版社, 2020.

Yang G B. New infrastructure: Digital economy reconstructs the new pattern of economic growth [M]. Beijing: China Economy Press, 2020.

[62]. Acemoglu D, Johnson S. Unbundling institutions[J]. Journal of Political Economy, 2005, 113(5), 949–995.

[63]. Gupta R, Mejia C, Kajikawa Y. Business, innovation and digital ecosystems landscape survey and knowledge cross sharing[J]. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 2019, 147, 100-109.

[64]. Choi T Y, Dooley K J, Rungtusanatham M. Supply networks and complex adaptive systems: Control versus emergence[J]. Journal of Operations Management, 2001, 19(3), 351-366.

[65]. Rong K, Wu J X, Shi Y J, Guo L. Nurturing business ecosystems for growth in a foreign market: Incubating, identifying, and integrating stakeholders [J]. Journal of International Management, 2015, 21(4), 293-308.

[66]. Parker G, Alstyne M V, Jiang X. Platform ecosystems: How developers invert the firm [J]. MIS Quarterly, 2017, 41(1), 255-266.

[67]. de Reuver M, Sørensen C, Basole R C. The digital platform: A research agenda [J]. Journal of Information Technology, 2018, 33 (2), 124-135.

[68]. Rai A, Constantinides P, Saonee S. Next-generation digital platforms: Toward Human-AI hybrids [J]. MIS Quarterly, 2019, 43 (1), 3-9.

[69]. Cusumano M A, Gawer A. The elements of platform leadership [J]. MIT Sloan Management Review, 2002, 43, 1-8.


Accesses

Citation

Detail
Sections
Recommended
Copyright © Editorial office of Science Research Management
Tel: 010-62555521　
E-mail：kygl@casisd.cn
Powered by Beijing Magtech Co. Ltd.

/

〈 〉