Win-Win: The Impact of Business Ecosystems on Corporate Strategy, Innovation, and Sustainability

Author: (American) Marco Iansiti, Roy Levien, translated by Wang Fengbin et al.
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features: Whether selling computers, clothing, or cars, your company's fate is increasingly intertwined with that of other businesses. All companies in the network must cooperate sincerely to thrive. This phenomenon fundamentally changes the nature of competition, transforming competition between individual companies into competition between business networks. Moreover, unlike in the past, the success of businesses is increasingly dependent on the management of assets they do not own. In this book, Marco Iansiti and Roy Levien provide a fresh perspective for understanding and exploring the operation of these ubiquitous, complex business networks and their implications for corporate strategy formulation, innovation, and operational management. They argue that the biological ecosystem offers a strong analogy for understanding the functioning of business ecosystems. Just as "keystone species" in nature play a central role in ecosystems, companies like Walmart, Microsoft, and Li & Fung have adopted a "network core enterprise" strategy, proactively shaping and regulating their respective business ecosystems, thereby significantly improving their own performance in the process. Iansiti and Levien believe that excellent network core enterprises not only simplify the challenge of how vast and dispersed business networks connect with customers but also enhance the productivity, stability, and effective innovation of the entire ecosystem by providing other businesses with usable "platforms." Based on over a decade of research and practical experience in numerous industries, the two authors have identified three distinct types of roles that businesses can play within a business ecosystem: network core, dominant, and niche. The authors outline a framework in the book that can be used by companies to evaluate the characteristics of their ecosystem, reassess their technological and operational strategies, and develop specific, actionable strategies to gain sustainable competitive advantages. Due to its practicality and insights, Winning can help leaders, managers, and policymakers better understand, analyze, and successfully execute strategies in today's networked, interconnected environment.