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5 - The Platform Organization

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 November 2023

By
Annabelle Gawer ,
Michael A. Cusumano  and
David B. Yoffie
Edited by
Charles C. Snow  and
Øystein D. Fjeldstad
Charles C. Snow
Affiliation:
Pennsylvania State University
Øystein D. Fjeldstad
Affiliation:
BI Norwegian Business School
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Summary

The ability to organize is our most valuable social technology. Organizing affects an enterprise’s efficiency, effectiveness, and ability to adapt. Modern organizations operate in increasingly complex, dynamic environments, which puts a premium on adaptation. Compared to traditional organizations, modern organizations are flatter and more open to their environment. Their processes are more generative and interactive – actors themselves generate and coordinate solutions rather than follow hierarchically devised plans and directives. Modern organizations search outside their boundaries for resources wherever they may exist. They coproduce products and services with suppliers, customers, and partners. They collaborate, both internally and externally, to learn and become more capable. In this book, leading voices in the field of organization design articulate and exemplify how a combination of agile processes, artificial intelligence, and digital platforms powers adaptive, sustainable, and healthy organizations.

Keywords

organizational platformtwo-sided and multisided platformsplatform designplatform power and regulationnetwork effectsorganization design
Type
Chapter
Information
Designing Adaptive Organizations , pp. 86 - 103
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

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