Unraveling the Interaction of Information Systems and Ecosystems – A Comprehensive Classification of Literature

Abstract

Pervasive digitalization substantially influences how contemporary firms interact with their business environments. Increasing connectivity of firms, things, and people lead to more complex interrelations, rendering an ecosystem perspective relevant. Accordingly, research increasingly points to the value of the ecosystem construct for explaining the phenomena of digital transformation. Although prominent in most recent studies, the challenge of achieving a clear understanding of this construct and its interaction with information systems remains a relevant obstacle for progress in current research. Therefore, we systematically identified and analyzed high quality literature on ecosystems and information systems, resulting in a set of 42 relevant journal publications. Our findings summarize the current state of knowledge and highlight important gaps in the literature. Moreover, we derive valuable insights on the role of information systems in ecosystem genesis as well as development and, by drawing on the origins in biology, offer interesting avenues for further research.