Why to collaborate? Three approaches to innovation behind the transition from firms to ecosystems

Digital technologies have enabled new innovations and mechanisms for creating and sharing value among multiple participants. This study approaches innovation from three different perspectives: business models, platforms, and brokerage. The business model perspective describes how innovation can be monetized through the operational activities of a firm. Platforms and digital technologies have brought new possibilities for value creating innovations, especially in manufacturing. Since many of these possibilities rely on the effective sharing of information and resources, and on the forming of new connections, the processes of brokerage are discussed last. The study insights draw from five replicative case studies that describe the increasing role of services and digital technologies for the business models of manufacturing firms. The study concludes with three propositions that model the transition from firms to ecosystems.