The success of organizations increasingly depends on collaborations with other organizations. In this lecture, we will explore the external dependencies of relationships of business models. You will learn about non-generic complementarities and how organizations can leverage them to create and capture value.

Learning Goals

After attending this lecture, you should be able to…

• Understand what business ecosystems are and know how to describe them
• Understand the concept of complementarities and distinguish between generic and non-generic (unique and super modular) complementarities
• Identify and describe how combinations of complementarities in production and consumption create ecosystems that are valuable for the organization

Required Readings

1. Jacobides, M. G. (2019). In the ecosystem economy, what’s your strategy? Harvard Business Review, 97(5), 128–137.
2. Jacobides, M. G., Cennamo, C., & Gawer, A. (2018). Towards a theory of ecosystems. Strategic Management Journal, 39(8), 2255–2276. https://doi.org/10/gd845g

Complementary Readings

1. Daymond, J., Knight, E., Rumyantseva, M., & Maguire, S. (2022). Managing ecosystem emergence and evolution: Strategies for ecosystem architects. Strategic Management Journal. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.3449
2. Stonig, J., Schmid, T., & Müller‐Stewens, G. (2022). From product system to ecosystem: How firms adapt to provide an integrated value proposition. Strategic Management Journal, 43(9), 1927–1957. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.3390
3. Shipilov, A., & Gawer, A. (2020). Integrating research on interorganizational networks and ecosystems. Academy of Management Annals, 14(1), 92–121. https://doi.org/10/ggbnkn

The Course

This lecture is part of the Business Model Innovation course at the Radboud University Nijmegen. In an increasingly interconnected world, organizations are confronted with unprecedented levels of turbulence, uncertainty, and complexity. Global trends such as rapid urbanization, climate change, global economic power shifts, digitalization influence the effectiveness and efficiency of existing business models. To ensure future competitive success, organizations must rethink the way they create, deliver, and capture value. This course teaches students how to redesign an organization’s business model and make it future-proof.