The Keystone Advantage: What the New Dynamics of Business Ecosystems Mean for Strategy, Innovation,

Iansiti, Marco; Levien, Roy

ISBN 10: 1591393078 / ISBN 13: 9781591393078

Published by Harvard Business Review Press, 2004

About this Item

Befriedigend/Good: Durchschnittlich erhaltenes Buch bzw. Schutzumschlag mit Gebrauchsspuren, aber vollständigen Seiten. / Describes the average WORN book or dust jacket that has all the pages present.

Seller Inventory # M01591393078-G

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Keystone Advantage: What the New Dynamics of Business Ecosystems Mean for Strategy, Innovation,
• Publisher: Harvard Business Review Press
• Publication Date: 2004
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1591393078
• ISBN 13: 9781591393078
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: good

About this title

Synopsis

Leveraging the power of business networks for success. Whether it sells computers, clothing, or cars, your firm's fate is increasingly linked to that of many other firms, all of which must collaborate effectively in order for each to thrive. This phenomenon has changed the basis of competition from battle between firms to battles between networks of firms--and more than ever before, success depends on managing assets your company doesn't own.

In The Keystone Advantage, Marco Iansiti and Roy Levien offer a new lens for understanding how these ubiquitous and complex business networks behave and explore the implications for strategy formulation, innovation, and operations management. Iansiti and Levien argue that biological ecosystems provide a powerful analogy to the functioning of business networks. Just as "keystone species" in nature play central roles in their ecosystems, companies such as Walmart, Microsoft, and Li & Fung deploy "keystone strategies" to actively shape and regulate the workings of their business ecosystems--dramatically improving their own performance in the process. Iansiti and Levien argue that the best keystones simplify the challenge of connecting a very large and distributed network of companies to their customers and provide "platforms" that other firms can leverage to increase productivity, enhance stability, and spur innovation.

Drawing from more than ten years of research and practical experience across a range of industries, the authors identify three specific roles that firms play within business ecosystems: keystone, dominator, and niche. The book lays out a framework any firm can use to assess the characteristics of its own ecosystem, reevaluate its technology and operations strategy, and formulate specific tactics for gaining sustainable competitive advantage.

Practical and insightful, The Keystone Advantage will help leaders, managers, and policy makers to understand, analyze, and successful execute strategy in today’s networked environments.

About the Author

Marco Iansiti is the David Sarnoff Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School and a cofounder of Keystone Strategy Inc., a consulting firm on strategy and innovation management. Roy Levien is a principal at Aldaron and founder of Keystone Advantage LLC.