Alignment in Mature Ecosystems: An Iterative Process Of Interorganizational Influence

Abstract

Extant empirical research on ecosystem alignment has offered little insight into how mature ecosystems align their members with a new value proposition. Our longitudinal empirical study of a seven-year hub-driven alignment initiative within the SOK led retail ecosystem in Finland explores how a mature ecosystem hub attempted to enroll its members in a value-proposition updating, ecosystem-wide initiative and the members’ reaction. We find that the mature ecosystem alignment process unfolds through four distinct sets of practices: (1) Courtship, (2) Mutual Adaptation, (3) Peer Emulation, and (4) Coercion. We describe these practices and associated mechanisms and develop a process model indicating how they unfold and interrelate. Our study provides a nuanced, empirically grounded account of mature ecosystem alignment as an iterative process of multilateral interorganizational influence that leads to, on the one hand, a convergence of actions among an expanding set of ecosystem members and, on the other hand, a divergence of views between the newly aligned members and a subset of members who become increasingly entrenched in their perception of irreconcilable differences and ultimately leave the ecosystem. Our discussion suggests that the tension between the hub’s temptation to control and the ecosystem members’ concern about preserving their autonomy propels the alignment process to its conclusion. We conclude with methodological contributions, managerial implications and avenues for future research.