Abstract
In this article, we investigate the development of a business ecosystem by focusing on the knowledge processes associated with the various phases of its lifecycle. Specifically, we ask: What knowledge processes are involved in the birth, expansion, leadership, and renewal phases of a business ecosystem, and how are these processes linked together to shape its lifecycle? To address this research question, we build on a case study of a near-field communication (NFC) platform ecosystem, which is considered to be an innovative network-centric organizational form. The findings reveal three knowledge processes: generation, application, and valorization. Together, these knowledge processes enable the performance of a variety of tasks and activities associated with the distinctive phases of a business ecosystem’s lifecycle.
Similar content being viewed by others
Notes
CHEMIN: Chemins de l’Histoire E-guidés par Mobiles Intégrants le NFC
MBDS: mobiquité, base de données et intégration de systèmes
An API is an application programming interface, which is a plug-in that enables applications to exchange data.
Transports Public Genevois is an iPhone application developed by GFI for Geneva public transportation that provides bus timetables and traffic information in real time.
Our own translation.
Reich et al. (2014, p. 597) for example, investigating project management in IT demonstrated that the process consisting in aligning knowledge within project teams had a larger impact on project value than the production of knowledge.
Our translation.
References
Aarikka-Stenroos, L., Sandberg, B., & Lehtimäki, T. (2014). Networks for the commercialization of innovations: a review of how divergent network actors contribute. Industrial Marketing Management, 43, 365–381.
Amin, A., & Cohendet, P. (2004). Architecture of knowledge. Firms, capabilities and communities. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Andersson, M., Lindgren, R., & Henfridsson, O. (2008). Architectural knowledge in organizational IT innovation. The Journal of Strategic Information Systems, 17(1), 19–38.
Arthur, W. B. (2007). The structure of invention. Research Policy, 36, 274–287.
Attour, A., & Ayerbe, C. (2012). Connaissances et innovation au sein des écosystèmes d’affaires. Le cas des services mobiles. Revue Française de Gestion, 221, 77–94.
Attour, A., & Ayerbe, C. (2015). Le management amont et aval des droits de propriété intellectuelle au sein des écosystèmes-plateformes naissants. Système d’Information et Management, 20(3), 47–96.
Attour, A., & Barbaroux, P. (2016). Architectural knowledge and the birth of a platform ecosystem. Innovations Journal of Innovation Economics and Management, 2016/1(19), 11–30.
Attour, A. & Della Peruta, M. (2014). Architectural knowledge: key flows and processes in designing an inter-organizational technological platform. Knowledge Management Research & Practice. Advance online publication 4 August 2014; doi:10.1057/kmrp.2014.21
Ayerbe, C., & Missonier, A. (2007). Validité interne et validité externe de l’étude de cas: principes et mise en œuvre pour un renforcement mutuel. Finance Contrôle Stratégie, 10(2), 37–62.
Barbaroux, P. (2014). Rupture technologique et naissance d’un écosystème: voyage aux origines de l’internet. Revue d’Économie Industrielle, 146(2), 27–59.
Barbaroux, P., & Attour, A. (2016). Interactive approaches to innovation and kowledge management. Innovations Journal of Innovation Economics and Management, 2016/1(19), 3–10.
Burgelman, R. A., Maidique, M., & Wheelright, S. (2004). Strategic management of technology and innovation. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Cepeda, G., & Vera, D. (2007). Dynamic capabilities and operational capabilities: a knowledge management perspective. Journal of Business Research, 60, 426–437.
Clarysse, B., Wrigt, M., Bruneel, J., & Mahajan, A. (2014). Creating value in ecosystems: crossing the chasm between knowledge and business ecosystems. Research Policy, 43, 1164–1176.
Cohen, W., & Levinthal, D. (1990). Absorptive capacity: a new perspective on learning and innovation. Administrative Science Quarterly, 35, 128–152.
Corbel, P., & Simoni, G. (2012). Innovation et partage des connaissances. Revue Française de Gestion, 221, 71–75.
David, A. (2000). Logique, épistémologie et méthodologie en sciences de gestion: Trois hypothèses revisitées. In A. David, A. Hatchuel, & R. Laufer (Eds.), Les nouvelles fondations des sciences de gestion – Eléments d’épistémologie de la recherche en management (pp. 83–110). Paris: Vuibert.
David, A. (2004). Etudes de cas et généralisation scientifique en sciences de gestion. Le Havre: Actes de la XIIIème Conférence de l’Association Internationale de Management Scientifique.
Fidel, P., Schlesinger, W., & Cervera, A. (2015). Collaborating to innovate: effects on customer knowledge management and performance. Journal of Business Research, 68, 1426–1428.
Gassmann, O., & Bader, M. A. (2006). Intellectual property management in inter-firm R&D collaborations. Taiwan Academy of Management Journal, 6(2), 217–236.
Gawer, A. (2014). Bridging differing perspectives on technological platforms: toward an integrative framework. Research Policy, 43, 1239–1249.
Gebauer, H., Worch, H., & Truffer, B. (2012). Absorptive capacity, learning processes, and combinative capabilities as determinants of strategic innovation. European Management Journal, 31(1), 57–73.
Geertz, C. (1973). Thick description: toward an interpretative theory of culture. In C. Geertz (Ed.), The interpretation of cultures (pp. 3–30). New-York: Bas Books.
Guba, G. & Lincoln, Y.S. (1994). Competiting paradigms in qualitative research. In N.K. Denzin et Y.S. Lincoln (Eds). On the Book of Qualitative Research, Sage, 105-117.
Iskia, T., Lescop, D. Lescop, E. (2014). An evolutionary view of platform-based ecosystems. 7ème Conférence sur le Gestion des Connaissances dans la Société et les Organisations (GeCSO). 4 & 5 juin 2014. Aix-en-Provence, France
Jyoti, J., Gupta, P., & Kotwal, S. (2011). Impact of knowledge management practices on innovative capacity: a study of telecommunication sector. Vision, 15(4), 315–330.
Kellogg, K., Orlikowski, W., & Yates, J. (2006). Life in the trading zone: structuring coordination across boundaries in postbureaucratic organizations. Organization Science, 17(1), 22–44.
Kline, N., & Rosenberg, N. (1986). An overview of the process of innovation. In G. Landau & N. Rosenberg (Eds.), The positive sum strategy: harnessing technology for economic growth (pp. 275–306). National Academies Press: Washington, DC.
Koenig, G. (2013). Business ecosystem revisited. In S. Ben Letaifa (Ed.), Understanding business ecosystems (pp. 69–84). Paris: De Boeck.
Lema, R., Quadros, R., & Schmitz, H. (2015). Reorganising global value chains and building innovation capabilities. Research Policy, 44, 1376–1386.
Loilier, T., & Malherbe, M. (2012). Le développement des compétences éco systémiques. Le cas de l’ESA émergent des services mobiles sans contact. Revue Française de Gestion, 222, 89–105.
Loilier, T., & Malherbe, M. (2013). Experimentation and the development of eco-systemic competencies in the field of contactless mobile services. In S. Ben Letaifa (Ed.), Understanding business ecosystems (pp. 193–207). Paris: De Boeck.
Lopez-Nicolas, C., & Merono-Cerdan, A. L. (2011). Strategic knowledge management, innovation and performance. International Journal of Information Management, 31, 502–509.
Michailova, S., & Zhan, W. (2015). Dynamic capabilities and innovation in MNC subsidiaries. Journal of World Business, 50, 576–583.
Milesi, D., Petelski, N., & Verre, V. (2013). Innovation and appropriation mechanisms: evidence from Argentine microdata. Technovation, 33, 78–87.
Moore, J. (1993). Predators and prey: a new ecology of competition. Harvard Business Review, 71(3), 75–86.
Moore, J. (1996). The death of competition—leadership and strategy in the age of business ecosystems. Harper Business. Brownstown: From Motor City Books
Moore, J. (2006). Business ecosystems and the view from the firm. The Antitrust Bulletin, 51(1), 31–75.
Nambisan, S., & Baron, R. A. (2013). Entrepreneurship in innovation ecosystems: entrepreneurs’ self-regulatory processes and their implications for new venture success. Entrepreneurship Theory & Practice, 37(5), 1071–1097.
Noblet, J. P., & Simon, E. (2010). Capacité d’absorption: revue de littérature, opérationnalisation et exploration. Gestion, 27(6), 59–74. 2000.
Nonaka, I. (1994). A dynamic theory of organizational knowledge creation. Organization Science, 5(1), 14–37.
Paillé, P. (1996). De l’analyse qualitative en général et de l’analyse thématique en particulier. Recherches Qualitatives, 15, 179–194.
Palmberg, C. (2006). The sources and success of innovations. Determinants of commercialization and break-even times. Technovation, 26, 1253–1267.
Pénin, J., Burger-Helmchen, T., Dintrich, A., Guittard, C., & Schenk, E. (2013). L’innovation ouverte. Définition, partiques et perspectives, prospectives et entreprise: Eclaireg sur les entreprises dans un monde ouvert. Paris: CCI.
Reich, B. H., Gemino, A., & Sauer, C. (2014). How knowledge management impacts performance in projects: an empirical study. International Journal of Project Management, 32, 590–602.
Rochet, J. C., & Tirole, J. (2006). Two-sided market: a progress report. The Rand Journal of Economics, 3(35), 645–667.
Savall, H., & Zardet, V. (2004). Recherche en sciences de gestion: Approche qualimétrique – Observer l’objet complexe. Paris: Economica.
Schumpeter, J. A. (1939). Business cycles: a theoretical, historical, and statistical analysis of the capitalist process. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Stake, R. (1995). The art of case study research. Thousand Oaks: Sage.
Sternitzke, C. (2010). Knowledge sources, patent protection, and commercialization of pharmaceutical innovations. Research Policy, 39, 810–821.
Teece, D. J. (1986). Profiting from technological innovation: implications for integration, collaboration, licensing and public policy. Research Policy, 15, 285–305.
Teece, D. J. (2007). Explicating dynamic capabilities: the nature and micro-foundations of (sustainable) enterprise performance. Strategic Management Journal, 28(13), 1319–1350.
Teece, D. J. (2010). Business models, business strategy, and innovation. Long Range Planning, 43, 172–194.
Verona, G., & Ravasi, D. (2003). Unbundling dynamic capabilities: an exploratory study of continuous product innovation. Industrial and Corporate Change, 12(3), 577–606.
Wang, C. L., & Ahmed, P. K. (2007). Dynamic capabilities: a review and research agenda. International Journal of Management Reviews, 9(1), 31–51.
Yin, R. (1989). Case study research: design and methods (Rev.ed.). Newbury Park: Sage Publishing.
Zahra, S. A., & George, G. (2002). Absorptive capacity: a review, reconceptualization, and extension. Academy of Management Review, 27(2), 185–203.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Attour, A., Barbaroux, P. The Role of Knowledge Processes in a Business Ecosystem’s Lifecycle. J Knowl Econ 12, 238–255 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13132-016-0395-3
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13132-016-0395-3