Business ecosystem management: a capabilities-based view

Abstract

The capabilities-based view is central to understanding ecosystems management. However, there is still a gap in the literature about the capabilities to manage ecosystems. This article aims to identify and map the capabilities applied to business ecosystems management. The methodology consisted of a systematic literature review gathering studies from Web of Science and Scopus databases. From 789 works analyzed, 89 connected capabilities and ecosystems. Content analysis was performed through coding, resulting in a cluster of 11 capabilities, one of which is dynamic and the other ten are operational. The results obtained include the identification, mapping and structuring of dynamic and operational capabilities for ecosystem management and their dispersion among ecosystem actors: focal firm, suppliers, and complementors. We have developed an ecosystem management capability framework, which presents dynamic capabilities as the central link and driver of the set of ecosystem capabilities, which include the capabilities for ecosystem alignment, the capabilities for sustaining the ecosystem, the capabilities for the growth of the ecosystem and the capabilities for sustaining companies in the ecosystem. The findings contribute to the management literature and practice by offering a structure of capabilities for ecosystem management, gathered in a framework that shows the implications of different capabilities in the ecosystem. In addition, the study presents suggestions for future research addressing each capability cluster.