How ecosystem management will influence business model innovation : bridging the gap between theory and practice

Ecosystems have become one of the "hottest" topics in industry practice and academia and are becoming increasingly important for companies to grasp in their business model innovation activities. However, research and practice are developing along different lines. Hence, this paper aims to bridge the gap between theory and practice and clarify which critical topics in the field of ecosystem management will be crucial for business model innovation in the future. This leads to four key areas that need attention: 1) Organisational change and firm culture as the most significant barriers for ecosystems and, thereby, business model innovation, 2) Portfolio strategies and performance evaluation for ecosystem-based business model innovation, 3) New investment approaches to deal with start-ups that are ecosystem orchestrators 4) Hands-on approaches for the different roles and tasks in an ecosystem. This makes ecosystem thinking an integral part of business model innovation thinking.