Fostering Value Creation with Digital Platforms: A Unified Theory of the Application Programming Interface Design
Journal
Journal of Management Information Systems (JMIS)
ISSN
0742-1222
Type
journal article
Date Issued
2020
Author(s)
Abstract (De)
While many firms in recent years have started to offer public Application Programming In-terfaces (APIs), firms struggle with shaping digital platform strategies that align API design with aspired business goals and the demands of external developers. We address the lack of theory that explains the performance impacts of three API archetypes (professional, media-tion, and open asset services). We couple survey data from 152 API product managers with manually coded API design classifications. With this data, we conduct cluster and regression analyses that reveal moderating effects of two value creation strategies (economies of scope in production and innovation) on the relationships between API archetype similarity and two API performance outcomes: return on investment and diffusion. We contribute to IS litera-ture by developing a unifying theory that consolidates different theoretical perspectives on API design, by extending current knowledge on the performance effects of API design, and by empirically studying the distinct circumstances under which digital platforms facilitate economies of scope in production or in innovation. Our results provide practical implica-tions on how API providers can align API archetype choice with the value creation strategy and the API’s business objective.
Language
English
HSG Classification
contribution to scientific community
HSG Profile Area
SoM - Business Innovation
Refereed
Yes
Publisher
Sharpe
Volume
37
Number
1
Start page
251
End page
281
Subject(s)
Division(s)
Eprints ID
258598
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Name
JMIS_Wulf_Blohm_Postprint.pdf
Size
1.73 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
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