Business ecosystems : A research framework for investigating the relation between network structure , firm strategy , and the pattern of innovation diffusion

This paper introduces a research framework to study the relation between network structure, firm strategy and the pattern of innovation diffusion. The framework builds on the following notions: 1) that economic agents are embedded in social networks, 2) that the decisions they take are at least partly dependent on the actions or opinions of other agents, 3) that this network structure influences market dynamics, 4) that firms and consumers engage these market dynamics by forming coalitions that we refer to as ‘business ecosystems’, 5) that key firms in such business ecosystems are able to influence the relation between the network structure and market dynamics by exercising network governance and 6) that firms in such business ecosystems are able to influence the relation between the market dynamics and their own performance by choosing the right strategy. 1 Contact information: drs. Erik den Hartigh, assistant professor, Delft University of Technology, Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management, section Technology, Strategy and Entrepreneurship, Office c2.170, P.O. Box 5015, 2600 GA Delft, The Netherlands, phone +31 15 278 3565, email e.denhartigh@tbm.tudelft.nl