Three things ecosystem masters get right

Capturing the ecosystem opportunity

American companies recognize the need to implement new business models to address, or even lead disruption. According to Accenture Strategy research, 63 percent of U.S. executives say ecosystems are the way to do it.

Businesses can use ecosystems to make strong market plays that drive disruptive growth. The opportunity is staggering.

However, few businesses have fully capitalized on the opportunity, claiming the role of “ecosystem master.”

Many ecosystems currently don’t live up to their potential. A third of U.S executive respondents target revenue growth of 5 percent or more with their ecosystem plays. Only one in seven achieve this growth.

What are the three things U.S. ecosystem masters are getting right?

1. Data collaboration—masters see a win, not a weakness

Ecosystem masters have figured out how to best share data with their partners. Non-masters, on the other hand, tend to share too little. Ecosystem masters do a better job of integrating with others in the ecosystem—marrying and expanding their data set with partners to enhance analytics and achieve better insights. Virtually all U.S. masters (98 percent) describe themselves as data-driven companies.

Ecosystem masters have a comprehensive data strategy and management plan. A vast number of masters in the U.S. (77 percent) share data with some restrictions within the ecosystem. More control means less risk.

2. Talent pooling—masters tap into a deeper, broader range of resources

American masters pull the “best of” the ecosystem, tapping into talent pools within and outside of the enterprise to access complementary skills and capabilities. They look to combine and grow talent across organizations when building their ecosystem.

When the ecosystem shares talent, it speeds access to experience and differentiated capabilities. Talent sharing also opens the door to a deeper and wider talent pool that brings a level of hyper-diversity. Workers from different backgrounds and companies, with a variety of skills, can work together on achieving outcomes. Ecosystem masters are also willing to lift and shift talent to other organizations within the ecosystem. Businesses benefit as employees learn new methodologies or skills and then bring them back to their company.

3. Platform Co-development—Masters build a launch pad for value

Platforms are the lifeblood that enables ecosystem partnerships to easily collaborate and thrive—and they cannot be created alone. Successful platforms start with a smart foundation to build partner interest and investment, accelerating adoption and expansion.

U.S. ecosystem masters (67 percent) recognize the importance of choosing the right technology platform to support the ecosystem, compared to 36 percent of U.S. non-masters. Masters also look for a technology partner that is going to be a collaborative player in creating the platform.

Joint development of a platform requires an open, collaborative mindset among all participants. The platform should meet the needs of the collective entity. Trust, comfort, commitment and confidence are essential ingredients to creating a mutually beneficial platform.

Master the ecosystem culture

The most successful in the ecosystem are those companies who embrace an ecosystem culture. Only then are they able to manage strategic, systematic and programmatic collaboration across the key capabilities that enable an ecosystem—data sharing, talent pooling and building the platform.

Learn from the ecosystem masters and pursue bolder approaches to seizing the ecosystem opportunity:

Ecosystems are here to stay. There are masters seizing the opportunity, and non-masters who are missing out on the full potential of ecosystems. Which will you be?