IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/tefoso/v148y2019ics0040162519305505.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

A complex adaptive systems agenda for ecosystem research methodology

Author

Listed:
  • Phillips, Mark A.
  • Ritala, Paavo

Abstract

Ecosystems have recently emerged as a visible stream in organization and management research. The ecosystem concept promises a broader, systems view of organizational and technological phenomena beyond traditional firm, value chain or network boundaries. However, adopting an ecosystem approach presents a range of methodological challenges for researchers, including how to set boundaries for the ecosystems, as well as how to examine their structure and relationships, as well as to explain the inherent dynamics and co-evolution. Based upon on a complex adaptive systems lens, this study proposes a theoretically grounded but pragmatic approach to address these challenges. The proposed methodological framework facilitates exploration of the conceptual, structural and temporal dimensions of ecosystem research design. An illustrative example is also included to showcase the framework's applicability.

Suggested Citation

  • Phillips, Mark A. & Ritala, Paavo, 2019. "A complex adaptive systems agenda for ecosystem research methodology," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 148(C).
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:tefoso:v:148:y:2019:i:c:s0040162519305505
    DOI: 10.1016/j.techfore.2019.119739
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0040162519305505
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.techfore.2019.119739?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Battistella, Cinzia & Colucci, Katia & De Toni, Alberto F. & Nonino, Fabio, 2013. "Methodology of business ecosystems network analysis: A case study in Telecom Italia Future Centre," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 80(6), pages 1194-1210.
    2. Scaringella, Laurent & Radziwon, Agnieszka, 2018. "Innovation, entrepreneurial, knowledge, and business ecosystems: Old wine in new bottles?," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 136(C), pages 59-87.
    3. Brice Dattée & Oliver Alexy & Erkko Autio, 2018. "Maneuvering in Poor Visibility : How Firms Play the Ecosystem Game when Uncertainty is High," Post-Print hal-02312003, HAL.
    4. Rahul Kapoor & Nathan R. Furr, 2015. "Complementarities and competition: Unpacking the drivers of entrants' technology choices in the solar photovoltaic industry," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 36(3), pages 416-436, March.
    5. Jonathan Wareham & Paul B. Fox & Josep Lluís Cano Giner, 2014. "Technology Ecosystem Governance," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 25(4), pages 1195-1215, August.
    6. Bill McKelvey, 1999. "Avoiding Complexity Catastrophe in Coevolutionary Pockets: Strategies for Rugged Landscapes," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 10(3), pages 294-321, June.
    7. Gautam Ahuja & Giuseppe Soda & Akbar Zaheer, 2012. "The Genesis and Dynamics of Organizational Networks," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 23(2), pages 434-448, April.
    8. Paul Cilliers, 2001. "Boundaries, Hierarchies And Networks In Complex Systems," International Journal of Innovation Management (ijim), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 5(02), pages 135-147.
    9. Todd H. Chiles & Alan D. Meyer & Thomas J. Hench, 2004. "Organizational Emergence: The Origin and Transformation of Branson, Missouri's Musical Theaters," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 15(5), pages 499-519, October.
    10. Filipe M. Santos & Kathleen M. Eisenhardt, 2005. "Organizational Boundaries and Theories of Organization," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 16(5), pages 491-508, October.
    11. Clarysse, Bart & Wright, Mike & Bruneel, Johan & Mahajan, Aarti, 2014. "Creating value in ecosystems: Crossing the chasm between knowledge and business ecosystems," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 43(7), pages 1164-1176.
    12. Anil K. Gupta & Paul E. Tesluk & M. Susan Taylor, 2007. "Innovation At and Across Multiple Levels of Analysis," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 18(6), pages 885-897, December.
    13. Roundy, Philip T. & Bradshaw, Mike & Brockman, Beverly K., 2018. "The emergence of entrepreneurial ecosystems: A complex adaptive systems approach," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 1-10.
    14. Halinen, Aino & Tornroos, Jan-Ake, 2005. "Using case methods in the study of contemporary business networks," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 58(9), pages 1285-1297, September.
    15. Alan D. Meyer & Vibha Gaba & Kenneth A. Colwell, 2005. "Organizing Far from Equilibrium: Nonlinear Change in Organizational Fields," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 16(5), pages 456-473, October.
    16. Rong, Ke & Patton, Dean & Chen, Weiwei, 2018. "Business models dynamics and business ecosystems in the emerging 3D printing industry," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 134(C), pages 234-245.
    17. Michael G. Jacobides & C. Jennifer Tae, 2015. "Kingpins, Bottlenecks, and Value Dynamics Along a Sector," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 26(3), pages 889-907, June.
    18. Ke Rong & Yong Lin & Boyi Li & Thommie Burström & Lynne Butel & Jiang Yu, 2018. "Business ecosystem research agenda: more dynamic, more embedded, and more internationalized," Asian Business & Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 17(3), pages 167-182, July.
    19. Peter M. Allen, 2001. "A Complex Systems Approach To Learning In Adaptive Networks," International Journal of Innovation Management (ijim), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 5(02), pages 149-180.
    20. R. A. Thiétart & B. Forgues, 1995. "Chaos Theory and Organization," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 6(1), pages 19-31, February.
    21. Philip Anderson, 1999. "Perspective: Complexity Theory and Organization Science," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 10(3), pages 216-232, June.
    22. Luo, Jianxi, 2018. "Architecture and evolvability of innovation ecosystems," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 136(C), pages 132-144.
    23. Gomes, Leonardo Augusto de Vasconcelos & Facin, Ana Lucia Figueiredo & Salerno, Mario Sergio & Ikenami, Rodrigo Kazuo, 2018. "Unpacking the innovation ecosystem construct: Evolution, gaps and trends," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 136(C), pages 30-48.
    24. Meynhardt, Timo & Chandler, Jennifer D. & Strathoff, Pepe, 2016. "Systemic principles of value co-creation: Synergetics of value and service ecosystems," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 69(8), pages 2981-2989.
    25. Agnieszka Radziwon & Marcel Bogers, 2018. "Managing SMEs’ Collaboration Across Organizational Boundaries Within a Regional Business Ecosystem," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: Wim Vanhaverbeke & Federico Frattini & Nadine Roijakkers & Muhammad Usman (ed.), RESEARCHING OPEN INNOVATION IN SMEs, chapter 7, pages 213-248, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    26. Carliss Y. Baldwin & Kim B. Clark, 2000. "Design Rules, Volume 1: The Power of Modularity," MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, edition 1, volume 1, number 0262024667, April.
    27. Mark A. Phillips & Jagjit Singh Srai, 2018. "Exploring Emerging Ecosystem Boundaries: Defining ‘The Game’," International Journal of Innovation Management (ijim), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 22(08), pages 1-21, December.
    28. Brice Dattée & Oliver Alexy & Erkko Autio, 2018. "Maneuvering in Poor Visibility : How Firms Play the Ecosystem Game when Uncertainty is High," Post-Print hal-02276702, HAL.
    29. Herman Aguinis & Angelo M. Solarino, 2019. "Transparency and replicability in qualitative research: The case of interviews with elite informants," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 40(8), pages 1291-1315, August.
    30. Järvi, Kati & Almpanopoulou, Argyro & Ritala, Paavo, 2018. "Organization of knowledge ecosystems: Prefigurative and partial forms," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 47(8), pages 1523-1537.
    31. Kolloch, Michael & Dellermann, Dominik, 2018. "Digital innovation in the energy industry: The impact of controversies on the evolution of innovation ecosystems," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 136(C), pages 254-264.
    32. Mingers, John & White, Leroy, 2010. "A review of the recent contribution of systems thinking to operational research and management science," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 207(3), pages 1147-1161, December.
    33. Douglas P. Hannah & Kathleen M. Eisenhardt, 2018. "How firms navigate cooperation and competition in nascent ecosystems," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 39(12), pages 3163-3192, December.
    34. Geels, Frank W., 2004. "From sectoral systems of innovation to socio-technical systems: Insights about dynamics and change from sociology and institutional theory," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 33(6-7), pages 897-920, September.
    35. Shahzad (Shaz) Ansari & Raghu Garud & Arun Kumaraswamy, 2016. "The disruptor's dilemma: TiVo and the U.S. television ecosystem," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 37(9), pages 1829-1853, September.
    36. Yuliya Snihur & Llewellyn D. W. Thomas & Robert A. Burgelman, 2018. "An Ecosystem‐Level Process Model of Business Model Disruption: The Disruptor's Gambit," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 55(7), pages 1278-1316, November.
    37. Jason Owen-Smith & Walter W. Powell, 2004. "Knowledge Networks as Channels and Conduits: The Effects of Spillovers in the Boston Biotechnology Community," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 15(1), pages 5-21, February.
    38. Snihur, Yuliya & Thomas, Llewellyn D. W. & Burgelman, Robert A., 2018. "An Ecosystem-Level Process Model of Business Model Disruption: The Disruptor's Gambit," Research Papers 3662, Stanford University, Graduate School of Business.
    39. Oh, Deog-Seong & Phillips, Fred & Park, Sehee & Lee, Eunghyun, 2016. "Innovation ecosystems: A critical examination," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 1-6.
    40. Laurent Scaringella & Agnieszka Radziwon, 2018. "Innovative Entrepreneurial Knowledge-based Business Ecosystems: Old Wine in New Bottles?," Post-Print hal-01953922, HAL.
    41. Stéphane J. G. Girod & Richard Whittington, 2015. "Change Escalation Processes and Complex Adaptive Systems: From Incremental Reconfigurations to Discontinuous Restructuring," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 26(5), pages 1520-1535, October.
    42. Lamar Pierce, 2009. "Big losses in ecosystem niches: how core firm decisions drive complementary product shakeouts," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(3), pages 323-347, March.
    43. Tsujimoto, Masaharu & Kajikawa, Yuya & Tomita, Junichi & Matsumoto, Yoichi, 2018. "A review of the ecosystem concept — Towards coherent ecosystem design," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 136(C), pages 49-58.
    44. Duncan J. Watts & Peter Sheridan Dodds, 2007. "Influentials, Networks, and Public Opinion Formation," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 34(4), pages 441-458, May.
    45. Korhonen, Jouni & Snakin, Juha-Pekka, 2005. "Analysing the evolution of industrial ecosystems: concepts and application," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 52(2), pages 169-186, January.
    46. Michael G. Jacobides & Carmelo Cennamo & Annabelle Gawer, 2018. "Towards a theory of ecosystems," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 39(8), pages 2255-2276, August.
    47. Ron Adner & Rahul Kapoor, 2010. "Value creation in innovation ecosystems: how the structure of technological interdependence affects firm performance in new technology generations," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(3), pages 306-333, March.
    48. Walrave, Bob & Talmar, Madis & Podoynitsyna, Ksenia S. & Romme, A. Georges L. & Verbong, Geert P.J., 2018. "A multi-level perspective on innovation ecosystems for path-breaking innovation," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 136(C), pages 103-113.
    49. Anindya Ghosh & Lori Rosenkopf, 2015. "PERSPECTIVE—Shrouded in Structure: Challenges and Opportunities for a Friction-Based View of Network Research," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 26(2), pages 622-631, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Shi, Xianwei & Liang, Xingkun & Luo, Yining, 2023. "Unpacking the intellectual structure of ecosystem research in innovation studies," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 52(6).
    2. Dedehayir, Ozgur & Mäkinen, Saku J. & Ortt, J. Roland, 2022. "Innovation ecosystems as structures: Actor roles, timing of their entrance, and interactions," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 183(C).
    3. Gomes, Leonardo Augusto de Vasconcelos & Flechas, Ximena Alejandra & Facin, Ana Lucia Figueiredo & Borini, Felipe Mendes, 2021. "Ecosystem management: Past achievements and future promises," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 171(C).
    4. Silva, Lucas Emmanuel Nascimento & Gomes, Leonardo Augusto de Vasconcelos & Faria, Aline Mariane de & Borini, Felipe Mendes, 2024. "Innovation processes in ecosystem settings: An integrative framework and future directions," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 132(C).
    5. Hou, Hong & Shi, Yongjiang, 2021. "Ecosystem-as-structure and ecosystem-as-coevolution: A constructive examination," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 100(C).
    6. Han, Jin & Zhou, Haibo & Löwik, Sandor & de Weerd-Nederhof, Petra, 2022. "Building and sustaining emerging ecosystems through new focal ventures: Evidence from China's bike-sharing industry," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 174(C).
    7. Cobben, Dieudonnee & Ooms, Ward & Roijakkers, Nadine & Radziwon, Agnieszka, 2022. "Ecosystem types: A systematic review on boundaries and goals," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 142(C), pages 138-164.
    8. Uzunca, Bilgehan & Sharapov, Dmitry & Tee, Richard, 2022. "Governance rigidity, industry evolution, and value capture in platform ecosystems," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(7).
    9. Yanzhang Gu & Longying Hu & Hongjin Zhang & Chenxuan Hou, 2021. "Innovation Ecosystem Research: Emerging Trends and Future Research," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(20), pages 1-21, October.
    10. Reiter, Andreas & Stonig, Joachim & Frankenberger, Karolin, 2024. "Managing multi-tiered innovation ecosystems," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 53(1).
    11. Pushpananthan, Gouthanan & Elmquist, Maria, 2022. "Joining forces to create value: The emergence of an innovation ecosystem," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 115(C).
    12. Granstrand, Ove & Holgersson, Marcus, 2020. "Innovation ecosystems: A conceptual review and a new definition," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 90.
    13. Gomes, Leonardo Augusto de Vasconcelos & Facin, Ana Lucia Figueiredo & Salerno, Mario Sergio, 2021. "Managing uncertainty propagation in innovation ecosystems," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 171(C).
    14. Patrycja Klimas & Wojciech Czakon, 2022. "Species in the wild: a typology of innovation ecosystems," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 16(1), pages 249-282, January.
    15. Thomas, Llewellyn D.W. & Autio, Erkko & Gann, David M., 2022. "Processes of ecosystem emergence," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 115(C).
    16. Mark A. Phillips & Jagjit Singh Srai, 2018. "Exploring Emerging Ecosystem Boundaries: Defining ‘The Game’," International Journal of Innovation Management (ijim), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 22(08), pages 1-21, December.
    17. Joachim Stonig & Torsten Schmid & Günter Müller‐Stewens, 2022. "From product system to ecosystem: How firms adapt to provide an integrated value proposition," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 43(9), pages 1927-1957, September.
    18. Baldwin, Carliss Y. & Bogers, Marcel L.A.M. & Kapoor, Rahul & West, Joel, 2024. "Focusing the ecosystem lens on innovation studies," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 53(3).
    19. Cozzolino, Alessio & Geiger, Susi, 2024. "Ecosystem disruption and regulatory positioning: Entry strategies of digital health startup orchestrators and complementors," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 53(2).
    20. Van Dyck, Marc & Lüttgens, Dirk & Diener, Kathleen & Piller, Frank & Pollok, Patrick, 2024. "From product to platform: How incumbents' assumptions and choices shape their platform strategy," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 53(1).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:tefoso:v:148:y:2019:i:c:s0040162519305505. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00401625 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.