Böger, MaximilianMaximilianBöger2023-04-132023-04-132021https://www.alexandria.unisg.ch/handle/20.500.14171/110868The success factors for companies are changing fundamentally. Digitalization and globalization have caused a reordering of traditional industry boundaries, and firms can no longer meet customer expectations in isolation. In a more borderless economy, it is crucial to create a mindset more open to expanding the view of competitors and market possibilities. As boundaries between industries become blurred, companies need to consider partnering with other players, from corporations, to startups and public institutions. As a result, firms from various industries will develop or be part of ecosystems. Ecosystems – a novel way of cooperating – have the power to create a customer-centric, simplified joint value proposition that expands a product or service beyond what an end-user could previously obtain from a single firm. The combination of partners’ complementary skills enables an ecosystem to meet customer demands and allows firms to stay competitive. Yet, understanding the complex nature of this underlying phenomenon is a challenge for both theory and management alike. Despite significant interest in ecosystems, the following questions remain unexplored: (i) the development of ecosystems, (ii) the role of startups as orchestrators within ecosystems, and (iii) the impact of ecosystems on innovation as R&D intensity. As a result, this thesis will be guided by these three research gaps. In order to provide the information needed, this dissertation uses two methodological approaches. It is based on two qualitative case studies (Chapter 2 and Chapter 3) and one quantitative text mining analysis with R, over the years 2013–2018 (Chapter 4 C), to explore the underlying phenomenon. I was one of the first to study the establishment of an ecosystem in general. Besides identifying four archetypes of ecosystems, my findings highlight the importance of search in the development process. Secondly, and contrary to the existing literature on the role of a startup as an orchestrator, I am able to prove that an ecosystem can be successfully orchestrated by a startup. Lastly, my findings highlight the relevance of ecosystems for innovation and R&D. My insights reveal that most STOXX Europe 50 companies engage in ecosystems to innovate and show an increasing trend of R&D intensity. The dissertation focuses on several contributions to the literature on ecosystems and provides hand-on guidance for practitioners.enInnovationÖkosystemManagementEDIS-5038doctoral thesis