As industry boundaries dissolve and digitalization grows apace, ecosystems are becoming increasingly important. Yet for all the excitement and Big-Tech envy, there is little guidance for how to create ecosystems. How should a firm best engage? Should it become a partner to someone else’s ecosystem, or build its own? Should it focus on a broad range of digitally connected services, or narrow down? How should we think about ecosystem value proposition, governance, and complementor choice? And, what is the case for investment in ecosystems? Drawing on recent research and projects with leading firms, this article offers a framework for understanding, engaging in, and building business ecosystems.

随着行业边界的消失和数字化的快速发展，生态系统变得越来越重要。然而，对于所有的兴奋和对大科技的嫉妒，对于如何创建生态系统几乎没有指导。公司应该如何最好地参与？它应该成为其他人生态系统的合作伙伴，还是建立自己的生态系统？它应该专注于广泛的数字连接服务，还是缩小范围？我们应该如何思考生态系统的价值主张、治理和互补选择？而且，投资生态系统的情况如何？本文借鉴领先公司的最新研究和项目，为理解、参与和构建业务生态系统提供了一个框架。