個案總覽

Orchestrating an ecosystem requires coordination to create value, but prior research has tended to emphasize centralized ecosystem control over solutions involving distributed governance. By studying multilateral public-private collaborations to develop scientific knowledge to find a cure for Alzheimer's disease, we identify a new model of ecosystem control - indirect and distributed governance using R&D consortia. We report archival and interview data on 46 consortia with overlapping corporate, nonprofit, and governmental membership. We find three models of consortia that allow member organizations to jointly orchestrate an ecosystem without centralized control. We discuss the broader implications of this model for orchestrating ecosystems.

Aegis Analytical Corporation was founded in 1995 by Gretchen L. Jahn and Justin O. Neway to provide process manufacturing software and consulting services to pharmaceutical and biotech manufacturers. Aegis developed a software program that quickly compiles disparate data into a single report. Within minutes, the program develops reports on drug tests and manufacturing quality that previously might take months to compile. With a target market of large pharmaceutical manufacturers, Aegis knew it faced a challenge of getting "in the door" of these companies and of convincing them that Aegis and its software would be around for awhile. To help with the marketing, Aegis formed two alliances with two companies that manufactured and sold complementary products to pharmaceutical manufacturing companies. While there were advantages to partnering with these divisions of Honeywell and Rockwell, most notably the visibility and credibility that these big names offered, many disadvantages developed. Most important is that Aegis's product was just one of many that Honeywell or Rockwell would promote. While there were incentives in place to encourage Honeywell and Rockwell to promote Aegis's product, after a year neither strategic alliance had resulted in a sale of Aegis's software. Aegis's founders were faced with the decisions of whether they should continue with either or both of the alliances. If they chose to continue the alliances, what could they as a small company do to encourage their much larger partners to promote the Aegis product? If they chose to terminate the alliances, can they rely only upon their internal sales staff to adequately promote and sell their product? What would be the effect on their reputation by no longer partnering with Rockwell or Honeywell? Another option might be to attempt to set up new alliances? If so, what steps should they take to increase the probability of success?