© 2024 MIT Center for Information Systems Research, Benedict and Sebastian. MIT CISR Research Briefings are published monthly to update the center’s member organizations on current research projects.

Designing Ecosystem Governance to Grow Value
Abstract
In recent MIT CISR research, organizations saw their most challenging strategic goals as being dependent on the actions of other organizations. Ecosystem governance, like good corporate governance, is a key to achieving these goals. Executives in our research described three governance approaches for digital ecosystems that varied along a spectrum, from centralized, which we have termed “Alpha;” to federated, or “Representative;” to decentralized, or “Liquid.” In this briefing, we introduce these approaches and discuss when ecosystems should adopt more decentralized governance approaches to grow value.
About the Researchers
MIT CENTER FOR INFORMATION SYSTEMS RESEARCH (CISR)
Founded in 1974 and grounded in MIT's tradition of combining academic knowledge and practical purpose, MIT CISR helps executives meet the challenge of leading increasingly digital and data-driven organizations. We work directly with digital leaders, executives, and boards to develop our insights. Our consortium forms a global community that comprises more than seventy-five organizations.
MIT CISR Associate Members
MIT CISR wishes to thank all of our associate members for their support and contributions.