Even a Small Conductor Can Lead a Large Orchestra: How Startups Orchestrate Ecosystems

Abstract

Contrary to existing literature, startups can be successful orchestrators of ecosystems. Based on nine qualitative case studies, this article introduces four archetypes that shed light on how a startup can fulfill the tasks of an orchestrator and overcome challenges. The findings identify dimensions of standardization/customization and sources of value creation as defining the role of ecosystem orchestrators and demonstrate the consequences for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), corporates, investors, and accelerators involved in such ecosystems.

Ecosystem orchestration practices for industrial firms: A qualitative meta-analysis, framework development and research agenda

“…For instance, the alignment structure may also involve mutual agreements on standards for interoperability and respective business models within the integrated bundle of the shared value proposition (Kapoor, 2018;Kohtamäki et al, 2019;Wareham et al, 2014). Furthermore, based on the functions performed by ecosystem partners, the ecosystem aligns with firms whose modules are mutually complementary and unique, indicating a state of interdependence where firms add value to each other and are not easily substitutable (Jacobides et al, 2018;Lingens, Böger, et al, 2021). Essentially, ecosystems cannot be reduced to bi-lateral relationships (Adner, 2017;Jacobides et al, 2018).…”

“…This term has become prominent in strategic management and marketing literatures, especially when describing the actions of a focal firm that facilitate value-creation interactions among various actors, moving beyond the traditional supplier-customer relationship (Mann et al, 2022;Shi & Shen, 2022). Its empowering nature has secured orchestration a central position in ecosystem literature (Autio, 2022;Lingens, Böger, et al, 2021). In the context of an industrial 5G ecosystem, effective orchestration involves the collaboration of telecommunications companies, hardware manufacturers, software developers, industrial enterprises, regulatory bodies, cybersecurity experts, research institutions, logistics partners, and consulting services, each playing a distinct yet interconnected role in implementing and optimizing 5G technology in smart manufacturing environments.…”

R&D alliances and SMEs post‐entry internationalization speed: The impact of alliance management capability and co‐innovation ambidexterity

“…Interorganizational coordination is a vital routine in specifying the partners' roles, reducing any power asymmetry, and increasing the value of resource exchange for the generation of radical co‐innovation (Dyer, 1997; Song & Di Benedetto, 2008). By the same token, interorganizational coordination supports relational commitment, thus facilitating the accumulation of knowledge for incremental co‐innovation (Lingens et al, 2021).…”

The Emergence of Dominant Designs in Artificial Intelligence

“…37 In this budding ecosystem, startups may assume an orchestrating role driven by a superior understanding of the market. 38 R&D labs and strategy departments are also accumulating knowledge and experience to give birth to the final mechanism that reaches the mass market, with some technological areas, such as deep learning, already considered general-purpose technologies. 39…”