Exploring the Determinants of Partner Management in IIoT Platform Ecosystems

Abstract

Purpose: This study aims to determine the current state of research on partner management in the context of IIoT platforms that rely on partnerships to act as innovation engines. Design/Method/Approach (only for empirical papers): The applied research method is a systematic literature analysis supported by a concept-centric synthesis. The sample of relevant literature comprises thirty papers. Findings: The results indicate that only a few frameworks exist to improve and professionalize partner management in the practice and only a few papers focus on IIoT platform ecosystems. In contrast, there are some articles that empirically examine individual determinants of partner management in detail. Based on these results, a conceptual framework is derived to organize and distinguish the determinants of partner management from the determinants of partner programs necessary to realize partner management. Theoretical Implications: The study contributes to the research stream on partner management in IIoT platform ecosystems and enterprise software ecosystems, synthesizing the existing research and highlighting the importance of curated support of partners as a competitive lever between platform ecosystems competing in the same domain. Practical Implications: Practitioners can use the derived framework to structure partner management activities and make more informed decisions based on the structured view of decisions summarized in the conceptual framework. Originality/Value: Due to the critical role of complementary partners in innovating upon IIoT platforms the framework is an important foundation for further research on the individual determinants of partner management in the context of digital platforms. Research Limitations/Future Research: The derived conceptual framework was not empirically validated. Empirical follow-up research could refine the framework and develop it into a taxonomy using systematic procedures.