196 research outputs found
Challenges in Studying Multi-Sided Disruptive Platforms: Combining Topic Modeling with Qualitative Content Analysis
No full textThis research case study presents a novel way to study the development and growth of a multi- sided disruptive platform built on digital technologies. The corresponding business model un- folds industry-changing dynamics eventually changing competition logic in established markets. Despite the appeal of those models, developing and managing such a multi-sided disruptive platform is challenging because multiple platform sides need to be strategically aligned to de- velop along a disruptive path. Hence, scholars and practitioners are increasingly debating about the dynamics arising in the development and growth of such platforms. The focal case study discusses a research project which contributes to those debates:
This case study discusses how we used topic modeling and qualitative content analysis to make sense of a large amount of historical data from and about multiple platform sides to understand the strategic management and alignment mechanisms that unfolded over time. We discuss how we studied an entrant that was spun off from an established catalog retailer and is steering a multi-sided disruptive platform in the German fashion retail industry. We present how we faced the challenges of collecting data from multiple platform sides and how we used topic modeling to overcome data asphyxiation (i.e. difficulties in making sense of an overwhelming amount of qualitative data). Readers of this case study are equipped with practical insights about a) study- ing the development of multi-sided platforms over time, and b) using topic modeling and qualita- tive content analysis as complementing methodological approaches
The power of two-sided platforms to disseminate resistant innovations
No full textPurpose – Platforms have often been considered an excellent example of innovation with an incredibly fast diffusion rate due to network effects. Notwithstanding, in many cases, they match the definition of resistant innovations, requiring a significant change in the consumers’ behavior that may slow down the process of diffusion. How can network effects be leveraged to disseminate resistant innovation based on a platform structure?
Design/methodology/approach – This research focuses on the car-sharing industry as a single case study, involving five different providers and two service aggregators operating in Milan, Italy.
Findings – First, this research shows how direct network externalities on the providers’ side may play a vital role in the dissemination process, increasing the value perceived by the potential new entrants. Second, it shows how co-opetition dynamics, eventually encouraging multihoming phenomenon, may play – in the first phases of the diffusion process – a pivotal role to let the industry flourish.
Research limitations/implications – This research contributes to the growing literature on platforms and two-sided platform showing how this model may be applied more broadly to network businesses to understand competitive dynamics.
Practical implications – This study offers insights to managers and practitioners dealing with network services, showing the potential benefits of coopetitive strategies while facing the initial phases of the dissemination process.
Originality/value – This paper gets together resistant innovation, two-sided platforms and network effects offering novel insights on the dynamics of network services – such as the car-sharing – while giving fresh insights taking the perspective of the service providers
Platform Thinking: Read the past. Write the future.
No full textDigital platforms like Uber, Spotify, Airbnb, Booking.com, and many others completely re-shaped the daily life of millions of users. However, many innovation leaders struggle to conceive the significance of their impact. Platform-based business models are not just the real of geeks’ startups, digital services, and Unicorns.
This book shows there that their potential in creating value is higher than suspected.
Even though platform ecosystems are complex, readers will take on a journey to become platform thinkers. Their eyes will be trained to look beyond what’s visible and start reading the platform world around them. Then, they will be guided into a step-by-step process and learn how to write a new platform model from scratch.
This book is the result of a decade of research. It offers both a framework and practical instruments to champion digital transformation in any organization. It is specially intended for those who are interested in the glittering platform world and are still trying to figure it out
Fostering digital platform innovation: From two to multi‐sided platforms
No full textTwo‐sided markets and digital platforms are becoming increasingly relevant in the modern scenario. Companies like Airbnb and Uber are inspiring many other firms in different fields that share their basic structure: they match two (or more) groups of customers. This research aims at exploring the innovation strategies companies such as these rely on to expand their basic structure towards more complex models. Being inspired by previous models in the field and considering the role that big data seems to play in these businesses, a first conceptual model is presented. Therefore, 100 companies—using mobile apps as the empirical setting—are explored in this research to understand the common behaviors concerning evolution. In the end, three strate- gies are presented: Supply (Side) Expansion, Transactional Advertising, and Data Trad- ing. These strategies are further discussed to highlight two main directions of innovation—ecosystem innovation and data push innovation—which may be merged giving birth to multi‐sided epiphanies. The paper contributes to the literature showing various strategies and their implication to foster innovation on two‐sided platforms. Moreover, it shows possible ways to exploit the value embedded in the complex eco- systems of the relationships they create
Entrepreneurial dynamics in two-sided platforms: the influence of sides in the case of Friendz
No full textPurpose: Two or multi-sided platforms - defined as those companies that aim to connect two or more groups of customers leveraging the opportunities provided by indirect network externalities – got massive attention from both scholars and practitioners over the last decade. Entrepreneurship scholars mainly focused on the platform's ability to enable entrepreneurial ventures for the complementors' side, exploring the network-centric view. This study aims to expand it by exploring the broader influence that sides can have on the platform provider's entrepreneurial decisions over time, during the evolution of the two-sided platform. Design/methodology/approach: The study is based on a longitudinal single case study developed over five years. The research presents the born and evolution of Friendz, an Italian two-sided platform. Findings: The research presents a four-phases evolution process that shows how the entrepreneurs may first leverage an existing platform to develop a new venture and then develop his/her own two-sided platform. In this latter phase, the findings show how the sides may actually influence the platform provider's entrepreneurial decisions, both in terms of value proposition design, but also regarding the creation of new ventures. Research limitations/implications: The study contributes to the two-sided platform literature highlighting new evolutionary paths that expand current literature and highlight the doubling platform approach. Moreover, it contributes to the entrepreneurship literature offering a novel perspective on the entrepreneurial dynamics in two-sided platforms by re-balancing the power between the platform provider and the sides within the double network-centric view. Practical implications: From a practitioners' perspective, this study offers an evolutionary path and specific tactics related to the evolution of an entrepreneurial venture based on a two-sided platforms that may inspire entrepreneurs working on two-sided platforms on how to use existing platforms and on the management of sides and the value propositions used to target them. Originality/value: This study takes a novel perspective at the intersection between platforms and entrepreneurship literature streams, exploring the power that sides have over the platform provider in shaping the platform's entrepreneurial evolution. In doing so, it proposes a double network view on two-sided platforms and highlights three network-related tensions that can guide the evolution of the two-sided platforms
Agile-as-a-tool and agile-as-a-culture: a comprehensive review of agile approaches adopting contingency and configuration theories
No full textToday’s world requires new approaches to innovation that leverage continuous test- ing and pivoting. Speed and the ability to respond to exogenous shocks are becoming increasingly important in both theory and practice. Following the introduction of the Agile Manifesto in 2001, a wide range of industries have adopted agile approaches, which differ from other ways of managing innovation projects by promoting flex- ibility and the rapid development of new solutions. Despite the proliferation of agile approaches across industries, the literature lacks a systematic understanding of their underlying elements. Therefore, we conduct a systematic literature review using a text mining technique to longitudinally explore the evolutionary dynamics of the field. Analyzing the results through the dichotomous lens of contingency and con- figuration theories, we show that the agile literature can be systematized into two perspectives: agile-as-a-tool in the contingency perspective, and agile-as-a-culture in the configuration perspective. Our review reveals underexplored intersections in the field of innovation and provides interesting insights into these two perspectives. We also propose a research agenda to shed light on these emerging perspectives in the agile innovation and management literature
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