Digital Ecosystems: Collaborating for Lasting Relevance

By Robbert Petterson

In a digital network economy, everything revolves around creating and delivering added value. To remain relevant, one must not only master technology but also understand how to collaborate with others. Robbert Petterson, Management Consultant and Product Lead Digital Business Research at Anderson MacGyver, uses current examples to show how organizations can strengthen their position in an increasingly complex playing field.

That your value within an ecosystem can change rapidly is evident from the impact of Elon Musk’s controversial actions and positions regarding fake news (alleged or not) on his X platform, his open support for Trump, and his interference in European politics. The result is a dramatic decline in demand for Tesla. While the need for electric cars remains undiminished. Competitors are gratefully capitalizing on this.

The message here is: never underestimate the role of consumers and citizens. It is crucial to know what they find important and valuable. And that value is generally not delivered alone, certainly not in a world of increasing digital networking. You therefore need a good understanding of the ecosystem in which you operate. To make this easier, we at Anderson MacGyver have developed the so-called ValueWeb, which provides insight into all actors and their mutual relationships.

The various players within this ValueWeb are characterized by specific activities, which—combined with the activities of others—are offered as a product or service to the consumer and end user. This results in an increasingly digital and dynamic ecosystem of customers, partners, and diverse economic and societal stakeholders.

To participate adequately in such a collaboration, it is essential to build what is known as a Digital Enterprise. Five essential and closely interconnected building blocks shape such a modern organization: a distinctive customer experience, a stable and efficient operational backbone, an adequate digital infrastructure, shared data, and digital intelligence. Everything must align with your role and position within your digital ecosystem. This is not only about the right technology but also about the right skills, the right leadership, and the right governance. This makes building a Digital Enterprise a strategic issue.

Better Customer Experience

Three examples show how each time one of the five building blocks serves as the springboard to success. Which component of the Digital Enterprise you choose depends on the specific context and ambitions. For example, a specialist in solar panel mounting materials wanted to improve the experience and connection with customers to support its European growth ambitions.

It operates within an ecosystem that includes the parent company, financial service providers, regulatory authorities, and distributors who in turn serve the market of homeowners and real estate parties through installers. By visualizing this ecosystem, the company discovered that the installer is actually the key actor and that a long-term relationship must be established there.

A well-thought-out digital ‘installers journey,’ based on customer knowledge and flexible front-end technologies, makes it possible to bypass the traditional distribution network. This places the specialist much closer to the end customer – which can be very important within the dynamics of the ecosystem.

Integrated Backbone

A globally operating leasing company is taking a different strategic approach. The company wants to become the first fully digital ‘Car as a Service’ provider in a transforming automotive sector. In doing so, it responds to the trend from ownership to consumption. To realize this, the entire, heavily outdated core application had to be overhauled.

The company operates in a complex ecosystem with fuel and charging card providers, the ECB as a regulatory authority, maintenance and repair services, car brands, and consumers. As a spider in this automotive web, data exchange must be in order. Good direct contact with the consumer is impossible without the right customer experience. For all this, a scalable, fully integrated backbone was built. This all-encompassing platform is unique in the world and can be marketed ‘white label.’

Such a step requires strong leadership because with every innovation of processes and systems, you are faced with choices: where do you opt for market solutions, and where do you want to differentiate as a company? Moreover, you must decide where to grant local markets the necessary autonomy and where everyone must conform to the global standard.

Energy Transition

A local European grid operator faces the ongoing challenge of maintaining the balance between electricity supply and demand. In a reality where more and more energy is generated decentrally—among other things by the user—and where greater reliance is placed on sustainable but uncertain sources like sun and wind. Meanwhile, electricity demand is rapidly increasing. The current high-voltage grid, consisting of various assets, is therefore reaching its limits.

By preparing the grid with data and intelligence for the energy transition, a leap forward is made. From the ecosystem of construction and maintenance partners, energy producers, regional network providers, and large industrial consumers, large amounts of asset data are collected. This makes it possible to better predict energy demand, as well as maintenance of assets. Better choices can be made. For example, supplying a bit more electricity on cold days, because physical network components are less likely to overheat.

In addition to a modern data platform and an AI Competence Center, effective data governance is essential. Data from relevant sources is delivered to business users as an information product via dedicated Product Teams. Enabled by data-related Centers of Excellence and Platform Teams. This way, the balance between generation and consumption can still be guaranteed, even in increasingly complex dynamics.

Key Roles

To take the right steps as an organization and leader within a digital ecosystem, a good understanding of the desires and interests of all other stakeholders is fundamental. Consumers, citizens, and end users, in particular, play a key role. Therefore, research how you can best connect with them. Keep the most important stakeholders close, and thereby strengthen your position as a digital enterprise within this dynamic interplay of actors. This is how you build an organization that not only participates in the digital ecosystem but also helps shape it.