Innovation Ecosystems: Is there a Cost to Collaboration?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Ron Adner is Associate Professor of Business Administration at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. He teaches in the Leading Innovation – From Idea to Impact program and the flagship Tuck Executive Program (TEP) – the only elite advanced management program lasting just three weeks. Professor Adner is also Faculty Director of a custom engagement for Toshiba Corp. entitled the Innovation Leader Program. Professor Adner’s research and teaching focuses on innovation, strategy, and entrepreneurship. His work introduces a new perspective on the relationship between firms, customers, and the broader ‘innovation ecosystems’ in which they interact to create value.

CONTENT DESCRIPTION: Ecosystems matter. In recent years, firms across a wide range of industries, from technology (Apple, Amazon) to health care (Roche) to defense (Lockheed), have discovered new ways to weave together complex webs of partners as a means to offer superior products to consumers. This ability sets them apart from their business peers, inspiring amazement and praise from customers, admiration and fear among rivals. For many companies, however, such attempts at innovation result in costly failures characterized by broken promises and missed expectations. This is because, along with new opportunities, innovating in ecosystems presents new sets of challenges.