Stability and complexity in digital ecosystems

2012

'Digital ecosystems' is a metaphor inspired by natural ecosystems which describes a set of distributed, adaptive, and open socio-technical systems. Being parts of such ecosystems, individual persons, public and private organisations are becoming increasingly dependent on each other. When such cooperation moves beyond simple buying and selling of goods and well-defined services, there is a need for a flexible infrastructure that supports not only information exchange, but also collaborative knowledge creation, evolution and sharing across a number of cooperation and collaborative networks that traditionally work in a bottom-up and rather improvised way. We will in this paper look at how techniques and approaches to modelling used e.g. for enterprise architecture and collaborative networks should evolve to support the development, support and evolution of digital ecosystems.

2021

This book connects political economy perspectives with scenario planning for mapping out future trajectories of digital ecosystems. The focus is purposefully on digital ecosystems as it encompasses economic, political and social contexts on a global, national and local level. The diversity of political economy approaches allows the author to explore alternative meanings of digital ecosystem development, which is particularly useful for envisioning alternative futures. Often visions about the future of digital ecosystems suffer from a lack of imagination and confirmation bias, which is favorable to the extrapolation of current trends. A wide range of political economy perspectives applied through positivist theorizing in this book shows different interpretations of developments in digital ecosystems. Scenario planning teams around the world have applied a collective imagination to show how future trajectories can be radically different from the current trends. The book outlines meta-scenarios for alternative futures of the political economy of digital ecosystems by reviewing and synthesizing the work of foresight teams. These meta-scenarios served as insights for developing four scenarios for European digital ecosystems through the workshops with high-level executives and experts. The scenarios identified the nature of EU cooperation and the development of digital infrastructure as key drivers. These four scenarios developed in the workshops are further operationalized in a specific context by exploring the implications for Estonia as well as for Chinese investment in European platforms. This exercise shows how scenarios of digital ecosystems can be used for stress-testing decisions and strategies. Decision-makers, students, scholars and other stakeholders in a wide range of industries ranging from academia to ride-sharing can use the scenarios for reframing different development trajectories and future-proofing their strategies. The scenarios can be further developed and modified for specific purposes and contexts as they are not written in stone. Meelis Kitsing is Rector and Professor of Political Economy at the Estonian Business School (EBS), a nonprofit private university with campuses in Tallinn, Estonia, and in Helsinki, Finland. Previously, he served in different analysis and strategy-focused positions for the Estonian government and taught at numerous universities in Europe and the US. He received his PhD from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and his master's degrees from the Fletcher School at Tufts University and London School of Economics. List of figures vi List of tables vii Meelis Kitsing's biography viii Preface ix Meelis Kitsing's biography Meelis Kitsing is Rector and Professor of Political Economy at the Estonian Business School (EBS), a nonprofit private university with campuses in Tallinn, Estonia, and in Helsinki Finland. Previously, he served as the Chair of EBS Economics and Finance Department and Head of Research at Foresight Center, a think tank at the Estonian Parliament. Kitsing also worked as an Adviser at the Strategy Unit of the Estonian Cabinet Office and Head of Economic Analysis at the Estonian Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communication. He also served as the President of the Estonian Economic Association.

This paper presents the possible relationships between Digital Ecosystem and Community Networks. Community Networks emerged from the '80s and '90s computer based community services and today are acquiring more understandings related to the public and the business worlds. Digital Ecosystems is a new concept emerging before any empirical declination. Therefore it is not clear nor simple to understand how the two entities could help each other. We suggest to analyse and compare them by using the Socio-Technical Infrastructures theory. In order to reach this goal a theoretical framework to support the description of these phenomena is presented by relying upon a set of shared dimensions. This intends to make translatable two realities that have important points of contact and potential synergies, as well as non-secondary differences. What we found is that Community Networks could provide community participation methodologies and ubiquitous broadband infrastructures to enable D...

Business Informatics, no. 4 (42), 2017

Аbstract The main objective of digital transformation is to fulfi ll the needs of a "new digital generation customer" for on-demand delivery, quality and personalization. "Anything as a service" has become the key principle of the digital paradigm. This is about a data-oriented service which relies on sharing information resources (including public ones) and the requirements for interoperability, security and trust. This paper presents the main approaches to digital transformation based on the example of the most innovatively active sectors such as banking and healthcare. We compare the proprietary development of digital services (products) to the building of a digital sector ecosystem aimed at attracting an unlimited number of participants. We defi ned the purpose of creating an ecosystem that is to provide the population with digital services formed on demand, in real time, in compliance with legislation and regulations, as well as in the context of maximum trust. We emphasize the role of openness for uniting the eff orts of the community interested in the development of a digital industry, extension of public-private partnerships and building a competitive environment in order to ensure the rapid growth of available digital services, as well as to improve their quality. Since the knowledge MODELING OF SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC SYSTEMS

Culture, Theory and Critique, 2011

This paper reflects critically on challenges and opportunities associated with developing a theoretical framework for an interdisciplinary Framework Programme 7 research project funded by the European Commission in the area of digital ecosystems. The paper first provides a description of the interdisciplinary structure of the research agenda of the project and the areas of digital ecosystem research prioritised by each discipline. Second, it discusses the challenging questions of epistemology that arose in the context of theorising interdisciplinary research and provides a summary of how these were dealt with in order to outline a theoretical framework for digital ecosystems research by the end of the project. Finally, it discusses the lessons that can be extrapolated from the project experience, arguing that it is impossible to develop a unified interdisciplinary theoretical framework due to irreconcilable epistemological differences, yet it is possible and very worthwhile for those adhering to various disciplinary perspectives to collaborate towards the achievement of a practical joint endeavour. These lessons, which are considered valuable to the broader research community, are summarised in a model of the (im)possibility of interdisciplinarity.

Computing Research Repository, 2007

A primary motivation for research in digital ecosystems is the desire to exploit the self-organising properties of natural ecosystems. Ecosystems are thought to be robust, scalable architectures that can automatically solve complex, dynamic problems. However, the biological processes that contribute to these properties have not been made explicit in digital ecosystem research. Here, we discuss how biological properties contribute to the self-organising features of natural ecosystems. These properties include populations of evolving agents, a complex dynamic environment, and spatial distributions which generate local interactions. The potential for exploiting these properties in artificial systems is then considered. An example architecture, the digital business ecosystem (DBE), is considered in detail. Simulation results imply that the DBE performs better at large scales than a comparable service-oriented architecture. These results suggest that incorporating ideas from theoretical ecology can contribute to useful self-organising properties in digital ecosystems.

Theoretical & Applied Science, 2020

ISRA (India) = 4.971 ISI (Dubai, UAE) = 0.829 GIF (Australia) = 0.564 JIF = 1.500 SIS (USA) = 0.912 РИНЦ (Russia) = 0.126 ESJI (KZ) = 8.716 SJIF (Morocco) = 5.667 ICV (Poland) = 6.630 PIF (India) = 1.940 IBI (India) = 4.260 OAJI (USA) =

2022

This paper seeks to determine what triggers the emergence of Digital Business Ecosystems. To reach this aim, Traditional Business Ecosystems are considered as the initial state from which Digital Business Ecosystems arise. Thus, both of the concepts are defined, stating their characteristics, roles of the actors and stages of formation. Moreover, organizational change theory is adopted in order to explain the cited emergence. Disruptions from the use of ICTs and the digital transformation initiatives prompt the evolution of Digital Business Ecosystems approach and stimulates the adoption of more innovative means of conducting business. Therefore, organizational change theory is suitable to explain the motives behind the potential shift of Business Ecosystems from Traditional to Digital. The inherent triggers can take place within each organization of the ecosystem and thus systems theory is advocated; the emphasis on fixing the appropriate organizational goals that involve innovation is the key to meet change. Transition can also emerge from people's own will and the desire to evolve along with the new digital environment, or out of a conflictual situation where norms and rules evolve to embrace the new possibilities that digital offers. The results of the conceptual literature review confirm that the potential shift towards Digital Business Ecosystems is a reality that could be tackled by encouraging organizational development and fostering co-creation of value in a constantly changing environment. The findings offer a relevant conceptual contribution to bridge a gap in the DBE existing research regarding the origins of this concept and its driving force.

International Journal of Managing Information Technology, 2019

Driven by digital solutions, the bioeconomy has taken major steps forward in recent years toward achievement of the long-lasting goal of transition from a traditional fossil economy to a circular economy. The coupling of digitalization and the bioeconomy is leading toward a digitalized bioeconomy that can satisfy a shift in people's preferences for eco-consciousness, which in turn induces coupling of up-down stream operation in the value chain. This dual couplings has led to a new R&D model that absorbs external innovation resources from a broad value chain and assimilates them into various entities. In light of the increasing significance of such a new R&D model that may avoid the dilemma between R&D expansion and productivity decline, this paper elucidated dynamism enabling dual couplings. An empirical analysis of global forest-based bioeconomy firms was conducted, thereby providing an insightful suggestion with respect to dynamism emerging from a new R&D model.

Texila International Journal of Academic Research, 2019

This research project is purposed for critiquing an academic work that centres on the dynamics of the emerging cybersociety phenomenon driven by the influences of ICT innovations on society and its sociocultural systems. The original research work being critiqued is titled: ‘Operation Mechanism of the Driving Force System of Ecosystem of Cyber-Society Based on the System Dynamics’. The work investigated the ecosystem of the Cybersociety phenomenon with the aim of enriching the body of knowledge with an understanding of the operation mechanism of its driving Force System; the Authors considered the ecosystem operation mechanism with reference to system dynamics operating principles. The project result is intended to close the knowledge gaps surrounding the growing interest of the research community in understanding the internal and external forces that stimulate the development, growth, and sustenance of the visible effects of the Cybersociety phenomenon and its ecosystem. The relevance of the study is underlined by the need for deeper scientific insights into the factors that are responsible for the evolution and thriving of the cybersociety phenomenon within the existing societal frameworks which are also fast redefining contemporary society and general lifestyle. This work is aimed at producing a systematic and objective review of the original research for the purpose of highlighting its strengths and weaknesses, and its applicability in real life practice. The project’s output value and contributions to the body of knowledge is founded on the need to satisfy the urgent requirements for professionals, academics and industry practitioners to be equipped with empirical evidence of the validity and reliability of a published material obtained through scientific means involving detailed peer review. In delivering its goals, this project will use empirical research methods for assessing the critiqued article, and synthetization of published materials of evidential values to critically evaluate the published research work for a knowledgeable evaluation report. Keywords: Cyberculture, Cybersociety ecosystem, System dynamics, Driving forces, Operating Mechanism, Article Review, academic critiquing, Networks Sociology, Social Ecology, information age, societal structures, self-determination theories, self-regulation theory, Article stability.