Visual Business Ecosystem Intelligence: Lessons from the Field
TL;DR: Georgia Institute of Technology researchers have been developing and implementing visual business ecosystem intelligence tools in corporate settings, discussing the challenges they faced, the lessons learned, and opportunities for future research.
Abstract: Macroscopic insight into business ecosystems is becoming increasingly important. With the emergence of new digital business data, opportunities exist to develop rich, interactive visual-analytics tools. Georgia Institute of Technology researchers have been developing and implementing visual business ecosystem intelligence tools in corporate settings. This article discusses the challenges they faced, the lessons learned, and opportunities for future research.
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TL;DR: A research agenda for digital platforms research in IS is developed and six questions for further research are suggested: Are platforms here to stay, how should platforms be designed, how do digital platforms transform industries, how can data-driven approaches inform digital platformsResearch, and how should researchers develop theory fordigital platforms.
Abstract: As digital platforms are transforming almost every industry today, they are slowly finding their way into the mainstream information systems (ISs) literature. Digital platforms are a challenging research object because of their distributed nature and intertwinement with institutions, markets and technologies. New research challenges arise as a result of the exponentially growing scale of platform innovation, the increasing complexity of platform architectures and the spread of digital platforms to many different industries. This paper develops a research agenda for digital platforms research in IS. We recommend researchers seek to (1) advance conceptual clarity by providing clear definitions that specify the unit of analysis, degree of digitality and the sociotechnical nature of digital platforms; (2) define the proper scoping of digital platform concepts by studying platforms on different architectural levels and in different industry settings; and (3) advance methodological rigour by employing embedded case studies, longitudinal studies, design research, data-driven modelling and visualisation techniques. Considering current developments in the business domain, we suggest six questions for further research: (1) Are platforms here to stay? (2) How should platforms be designed? (3) How do digital platforms transform industries? (4) How can data-driven approaches inform digital platforms research? (5) How should researchers develop theory for digital platforms? and (6) How do digital platforms affect everyday life?
907 citations
Cites background from "Visual Business Ecosystem Intellige..."
...Prior work has shown that ecosystemic thinking is becoming particularly important for decision makers (Basole, 2014) due to increasingly global, complex and interconnected business environments....
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TL;DR: Wang et al. as discussed by the authors investigated the innovation capacities of a multi-layered innovation ecosystem that involves science, technology, and business sub-ecosystems, when considering two core attributes of the innovation ecosystem: the integrated value chain and the interactive network.
118 citations
02 Jun 2015
TL;DR: It is argued that a data-driven visualization approach, using both institutionally and socially curated datasets, can provide important complementary, triangulated explanatory insights into the dynamics of interorganizational networks in general and business ecosystems in particular.
Abstract: Business ecosystems consist of a heterogeneous and continuously evolving set of entities that are interconnected through a complex, global network of relationships However, there is no well-established methodology to study the dynamics of this network Traditional approaches have primarily utilized a single source of data of relatively established firms; however, these approaches ignore the vast number of relevant activities that often occur at the individual and entrepreneurial levels We argue that a data-driven visualization approach, using both institutionally and socially curated datasets, can provide important complementary, triangulated explanatory insights into the dynamics of interorganizational networks in general and business ecosystems in particular We develop novel visualization layouts to help decision makers systemically identify and compare ecosystems Using traditionally disconnected data sources on deals and alliance relationships (DARs), executive and funding relationships (EFRs), and public opinion and discourse (POD), we empirically illustrate our data-driven method of data triangulation and visualization techniques through three cases in the mobile industry Google’s acquisition of Motorola Mobility, the coopetitive relation between Apple and Samsung, and the strategic partnership between Nokia and Microsoft The article concludes with implications and future research opportunities
107 citations
Cites background or methods from "Visual Business Ecosystem Intellige..."
...…approach to data-driven business ecosystem analysis and visualization. three metrics at the node level (i.e., degree, betweenness centrality, and clustering coef.cient), each at 6-month intervals, to describe the dynamics of business ecosystems [Basole 2009; Basole et al. 2012; Basole 2014]....
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...Based on prior experiences [Basole et al. 2012, 2013; Basole 2014; Still et al. 2012] and due to page and publication medium constraints, we utilize a combination of tabular representations, cumulative network visualization, and small multiples to depict the dynamics of business ecosystems....
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...Managerially, our article provides competitive intelligence and insights into the systemic behavior and outcomes of .rms, thus enabling the wide lens [Adner 2012; Basole 2014]....
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TL;DR: Seeking better understanding of digital transformation is a priority for the next generation of policymakers and decision-makers in the developing world.
Abstract: Seeking better understanding of digital transformation.
75 citations
Cites background from "Visual Business Ecosystem Intellige..."
...V A LUA B LE INS IG HTS CAN be gained by applying visual analytic techniques to understand complex, emerging ecosystem dynamics and evolving enterprise strategies.(1,2) One such context is the application programming interface (API) ecosystem....
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01 Nov 2014
TL;DR: The study provides macroscopic view of supply network risk issues across multiple tiers, grounded in theories of supply chains as complex systems, network analysis, and risk management, and demonstrates the importance of visual decision support for supply networkrisk assessment.
Abstract: In today's complex, global supply networks it has become increasingly challenging to identify, evaluate, and mitigate risks of disruption. Traditional supply chain practices have primarily focused on dyadic risk management, rarely considering risks in the sub-tier supply network. However, this approach severely limits a decision maker's ability to understand the highly interconnected nature of systemic risks and develop corresponding mitigation strategies. Grounded in theories of supply chains as complex systems, network analysis, and risk management, we demonstrate the importance of visual decision support for supply network risk assessment. We empirically illustrate our approach with supply network visualization examples from the electronics industry. We conclude the study with implications for the design and implementation of visual supply network decision support systems and future research opportunities. A visual network analytic approach allows mapping of flow, information, and risk.Subtier risk is prevalent in electronics industry and distributions differ by tier.The study provides macroscopic view of supply network risk issues across multiple tiers.Multiple visual depictions reveal distribution of risk levels across supply network.Integrating depictions enables timely identification of dependencies and risks.
56 citations
References
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Book•
01 Aug 2004
TL;DR: Iansiti and Levien as discussed by the authors used the powerful example of biological ecosystems to show how companies can leverage these emerging business networks for long-term success, which is referred to as the "keystone advantage".
Abstract: Today, many companies operate within a complex network of firms that all depend on each other for success. In this book, authors Marco Iansiti and Roy Levien use the powerful example of biological ecosystems to show how companies can leverage these emerging business networks for long-term success. The book's title, "The Keystone Advantage", is taken directly from biology - it refers to "keystone species", which proactively maintain the healthy functioning of their entire ecosystem for a simple reason: their own survival depends on it. In the same way, say the authors, companies can protect and ensure their own success by deliberately fostering the combined health of the network they operate in.
1,190 citations
TL;DR: The current practices in the information visualization research community are encapsulated and a different approach is provided to reaching decisions about what might be the most effective evaluation of a given information visualization.
Abstract: We take a new, scenario-based look at evaluation in information visualization. Our seven scenarios, evaluating visual data analysis and reasoning, evaluating user performance, evaluating user experience, evaluating environments and work practices, evaluating communication through visualization, evaluating visualization algorithms, and evaluating collaborative data analysis were derived through an extensive literature review of over 800 visualization publications. These scenarios distinguish different study goals and types of research questions and are illustrated through example studies. Through this broad survey and the distillation of these scenarios, we make two contributions. One, we encapsulate the current practices in the information visualization research community and, two, we provide a different approach to reaching decisions about what might be the most effective evaluation of a given information visualization. Scenarios can be used to choose appropriate research questions and goals and the provided examples can be consulted for guidance on how to design one's own study.
583 citations
TL;DR: How service value is created in a network context and how the structure and dynamics of the value network as well as customer expectations influence the complexity of the services ecosystem are explored.
Abstract: This paper explores how service value is created in a network context and how the structure and dynamics of the value network as well as customer expectations influence the complexity of the services ecosystem. The paper then discusses what transformative role information and communication technology (ICT) plays in coordinating and delivering value and managing this complexity. A conceptual model is developed for understanding and investigating the nature, delivery, and exchange of service value and assessing the complexity of a service value network. Three central arguments are presented. First, value in the services economy is driven and determined by the end consumer and delivered through a complex web of direct and indirect relationships between value network actors. Second, the complexity of service value networks not only depends on the number of actors but also on the conditional probabilities that these actors are involved in delivering the service to the consumer. Third, ICT plays a central role in reducing complexity for consumers by providing greater levels of value network integration, information visibility, and means to manage and anticipate change.
418 citations
TL;DR: This approach enables decision makers to visually explore the complexity of interfirm relations in the mobile ecosystem, discover the relation between current and emerging segments, determine the impact of convergence on ecosystem structure, and understand a firm's competitive position.
Abstract: The mobile ecosystem is characterized by a large and complex network of companies interacting with each other, directly and indirectly, to provide a broad array of mobile products and services to end-customers With the convergence of enabling technologies, the complexity of the mobile ecosystem is increasing multifold as new actors are emerging, new relations are formed, and the traditional distribution of power is shifted Drawing on theories of network science, complex systems, interfirm relationships, and the creative art and science of visualization, this paper identifies key players and maps the complex structure and dynamics of nearly 7000 global companies and over 18,000 relationships in the converging mobile ecosystem Our approach enables decision makers to (i) visually explore the complexity of interfirm relations in the mobile ecosystem, (ii) discover the relation between current and emerging segments, (iii) determine the impact of convergence on ecosystem structure, (iv) understand a firm's competitive position, and (v) identify interfirm relation patterns that may influence their choice of innovation strategy or business models
315 citations
TL;DR: This study defines and develops graph and information theoretic measures of coopetition, convergence, complexity, and velocity of the ICT ecosystem, and frames the "transformation path" of the ecosystem using these proposed metrics and maps the trajectory using complex network visualizations.
69 citations