Book Review Short Take: The Ecosystem Economy

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There are, conservatively, 300 gazillion books published every year. No one has the time to list them, let alone read them or review them. That’s a problem because there’s a lot of value in many books you may not hear about because of the clutter. 

“Short Takes” is my humble effort to cut through the clutter and highlight business books that might be perfect for your next read. Here’s why I think The Ecosystem Economy: How to Lead in the New Age of Sectors Without Borders might be a good choice for you.

The first time I remember hearing the term “business ecosystem” was when I read James Moore’s book, The Death of Competition. More than two decades have passed. The phrase is now popping up everywhere. Even so, I’m not sure we all share the same understanding of what a “business ecosystem” is and why we should pay attention.

To help with that I suggest three articles as background.

From EY: What business ecosystem means and why it matters

“Companies that utilize business ecosystems will be better positioned to drive innovation and capital efficiency to create customer value.”

From the BCG Henderson Institute: Ecosystem Strategies: A Systematic Literature Review

“We embarked on a systematic review of the relevant literature across academic disciplines to distill the key findings, structure them into a holistic ecosystem strategy framework, and derive promising areas for future research.”

From the Harvard Business Review: In the Ecosystem Economy, What’s Your Strategy?

“In many contexts, the firm is no longer an independent strategic actor. Its success depends on collaboration with other firms in a designed ecosystem spanning multiple sectors. In these cases, traditional strategy frameworks are of little help. Instead, the author says, companies should focus on five questions:”

Here are some articles and reviews of The Ecosystem Economy by Venkat Atluri and Miklós Dietz.

From Bob Morris: The Ecosystem Economy: A book review

“Thankfully, Venkat Atluri and Miklós Dietz have recently published The Ecosystem Economy in which — in Part One — they examine ‘the past, present, and future of ecosystems…and explain how humanity finally began to break away from sectors; how a confluence of changing consumer patterns and technology breakthroughs created some of the first ecosystems; and how in the coming decades, ecosystems will turn the world inside out before our eyes.’ In Part Two, they explore ‘the real-world implications of these momentous changes — and give you all the knowledge you need to adapt and stay ahead of the shifting landscape.’”

From Inc. Magazine: 5 Hazards to Avoid When Transforming Your Organization in This Digital Era

“As a business consultant, I can get you started in this transformation, but I was pleased to see more detailed guidance, including things to watch out for, in a recent book, The Ecosystem Economy, by Venkat Atluri and Miklos Dietz, both experienced senior partners at McKinsey. I will paraphrase their key strategy challenges here, with my own points added.”

From McKinsey & Company: Author Talks: The Ecosystem Economy by Venkat Atluri & Miklos Dietz

“In this edition of Author Talks, McKinsey Global Publishing’s Charles Barthold chats with McKinsey senior partners Venkat Atluri and Miklós Dietz about their new book, The Ecosystem Economy: How to Lead in the New Age of Sectors Without Borders (John Wiley & Sons). With traditional sector barriers breaking down, Atluri and Dietz project that one-third of global GDP will soon come from ecosystems—or networks of organizations across different sectors. To survive the coming transformation and get a piece of $80 trillion in revenue potential, companies will need a playbook for cross-industrial strategy.”

Reading recommendations are a regular feature of this blog. Want more recommendations about what to read? Monday is “Book Day.” Come back for book reviews, reading lists and other reading-related posts.

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