Ecosystems for the Rest of Us

Ecosystems open the door to new customers, broader value propositions and greater innovation, yet many companies still stumble over a fundamental question: what role should they actually play? Too often, firms assume they should be the orchestrator, underestimating the time, resources and capabilities that role demands, and end up confusing ecosystems with "egosystems."

This strategy+business article offers a practical framework for deciding where to focus, which role to adopt and how to build a portfolio of ecosystem engagements that genuinely serves both the business and its customers. Drawing on cases ranging from DBS in Singapore to Haier, Lavazza and Intel, it argues that for most companies, the smarter play is to become a stronger partner or complementor rather than reach for the orchestrator crown.

Read here.