Distributed Governance of a Complex Ecosystem: How R&D Consortia Orchestrate the Alzheimer's Knowledge Ecosystem. (February 2023)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Olk, Paul; West, Joel
• Is Part Of: California management review. Volume 65:Number 2(2023)
• Page Start: 93
• Page End: 128
• Publication Date: 2023-02
• Subjects: open innovation -- consortia -- knowledge -- ecosystems -- orchestration -- governance -- interorganizational collaboration -- pharmaceuticals; Industrial management -- Periodicals; Industrial management; Management; Bedrijfseconomie; Periodicals; 658.005
• DOI: 10.1177/00081256231165329
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0008-1256

Abstract

Orchestrating an ecosystem requires coordination to create value, but prior research has tended to emphasize centralized ecosystem control over solutions involving distributed governance. By studying multilateral public-private collaborations to develop scientific knowledge to find a cure for Alzheimer's disease, we identify a new model of ecosystem control—indirect and distributed governance using R&D consortia. We report archival and interview data on 46 consortia with overlapping corporate, nonprofit, and governmental membership. We find three models of consortia that allow member organizations to jointly orchestrate an ecosystem without centralized control. We discuss the broader implications of this model for orchestrating ecosystems.