Driving Growth in Digital Ecosystems

A strong partnering capability is required to successfully grow digital ecosystems. This capability must be designed to support digital partnering, which is not the same as the traditional handshake and bespoke partnering of the physical world. Traditional partnering often includes exclusive relationships, long-term contracts, and deep integrations, all of which take time to establish and require strategic commitment. Digital partnering creates growth by adding more products and customers via digital connections with other companies that enable fast response to customer needs. It requires the ability to determine and agree with partners about who will create value, how revenue will be apportioned, and what data will be shared; it also requires the capacity to quickly add partners' products and services via plug-and-play connections that offer immediate order and payment processing, and sometimes delivery as well. Here, Sebastian et al discuss the two principal partnering capabilities for a successful digital partnering in ecosystems.