Ecosystem management: Past achievements and future promises

• Published in: Technological forecasting & social change 2021-10, Vol.171, p.120950, Article 120950
• Main Authors: Gomes, Leonardo Augusto de Vasconcelos, Flechas, Ximena Alejandra, Facin, Ana Lucia Figueiredo, Borini, Felipe Mendes
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Analysis; Bibliometrics; Content analysis; Distributed value creation; Ecosystem management; Ecosystems; Environmental protection; Historical development; Innovation ecosystem; Innovations; Literature reviews; Logistics; Management; New scientific field; Supply chain management; Supply chains
• ISSN: 0040-1625; 1873-5509
• DOI: 10.1016/j.techfore.2021.120950

•The introduction of ecosystem management (EM) mirrors that of supply chain management (SCM) between the 1980s and 1990s.•This study attempts to define the domain of EM, thus contributing to the development of the EM research.•We propose a new definition of ecosystem as a type of meta-organization.•We propose that the scope of EM falls into three main views: the process view, the configurational view, and the competitive view. The introduction of supply chain management (SCM) between the 1980s and 1990s represented a breakthrough in the field of management. SCM provides the analytical and theoretical background to design, plan, and manage production activities involving complex chains of firms. Nowadays, both production activities and incremental and radical innovation are organized through complex networks. Innovations, especially radical ones, have unique characteristics related to production flows, which generate new challenges for researchers and managers. In this study, we argue that similar to SCM, ecosystem management (EM) represents a potential breakthrough in the field. However, no general framework exists to address EM. To address this challenge, we perform a systematic literature review by adopting a hybrid approach that combines bibliometric analysis and content analysis. Our findings offer a historical perspective of how EM and the ecosystem concept have evolved over three generations. Building on and reaching beyond current scholarship, we propose a definition of ecosystem as a type of meta-organization. We also identify the goals, scope, and boundaries of EM. Our contributions invite scholars to explore old and new questions related to innovation and management in a novel way.