New publication in the California Management Review

The study examines platform governance in established companies transitioning to digital platform strategies, filling a gap in the existing literature that focuses mainly on platform-native start-ups. Using a multiple case study of four established companies (IS-Corp, APIbank, CarGroup and ToolGroup), the research shows that these companies require a multi-layered governance approach rather than the traditional core-periphery model. The results show that incumbents need to simultaneously govern internal business units through hierarchical governance, core partners through close governance, third-party developers through open governance, and the relationships between these ecosystem players through intermediary governance. This multi-layered model enables incumbents to leverage their existing assets - including customer bases, partner networks and internal capabilities - while managing the complexity of multiple organizational structures, legacy systems and long-standing partnerships that accompany their digital transformation.

This work was supported by the German Research Foundation (DFG) (project number 521353095) and the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) (project number 10.55776/I6567).

The California Management Review is a prestigious quarterly journal published by the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley. It was founded in 1958 and acts as a bridge between academic research and practical management application. The focus is on translating the latest business insights into actionable knowledge for managers and practitioners.

Link to the article "Platform Governance for Established Companies"