Cooperative Ecosystems: Contents, Perspectives, and Challenges

Both ecosystems and cooperatives are entrepreneurial responses to technical, economic, and social challenges. Both are collaborative organizations. Companies or individuals work together in networks to achieve better results than they would alone. The design of networks shows great diversity. For example, some are more stability-oriented, others flexibility-oriented. Three types of ecosystems have emerged: Business ecosystems, platform-, and data-based ecosystems. Their configuration is based on flexibility and agility and a low degree of formalization. Although these characteristics are positive in a dynamic environment, the deficiencies in the mechanisms of stabilization and participation are criticized. Shared success can stabilize. For this to happen, however, governance must include appropriate incentives for actors to decide in their common interest in dilemma situations, which is also in their own interest in the longer term. The advance of digitization, data management, and value creation via platforms is leading to a further increase in collaborative business models and their differentiation. Ecosystems can take different forms of institutionalization, including those as cooperatives. Cooperatives are characterized by their advantages in stabilization and participation. They are therefore well suited as a form of institutionalization for ecosystems. Here it is argued that cooperatives are ecosystems, while ecosystems can be cooperatives.