Talking about Platforms

Abstract The terms decentralized organization and distributed organization are often used interchangeably, despite describing two distinct phenomena. I propose distinguishing decentralization, as the dispersion of organizational communications, from distribution, as the dispersion of organizational decision-making. Organizations can be distributed without being decentralized (and vice versa), and...

In 2020, the research team around Liz, Sloan, and Deloitte focused on opportunity marketplaces: internal platforms that help organizations develop, engage and retain talent. In 2021, the team published on workforce ecosystems: structures that consist of interdependent actors, from within the organization and beyond, working to pursue both individual and collective goals. In 2022, the team further...

Abstract from the paper we discuss during the episode: When platform leaders change the rules guiding who can access and control a platform, the strategies of those who create value from the platform can be upended. Little research examines how platform participants adapt their strategies when a platform leader changes the rules governing access and control. We trace how participation with a devel...

Abstract from the paper we discuss with the author during the episode: A major result in the study of two-sided platforms is the strategic interdependence between the two sides of the same platform, leading to the implication that a platform can maximize its total profits by subsidizing one of its sides. We show that this result largely depends on assuming that at least one side of the market sing...

Abstract from the book we discuss with the author during the episode: The rise of the platform economy into statelike dominance over the lives of entrepreneurs, users, and workers. The early Internet was a lawless place, populated by scam artists who made buying or selling anything online risky business. Then Amazon, eBay, Upwork, and Apple established secure digital platforms for selling physical...

Closing episode for the first season of the TaP podcast. We cover a broad range of topics, starting at the gap between academic research and the diffusion of knowledge into practice, what skills a platform professional needs, and how this might or might not change when it comes to Web3.

Abstract from the paper we discuss with the author during the episode: As a platform improves trust between the two sides of its market to facilitate matching and transactions, it faces an increased risk of disintermediation: with sufficient trust, the two sides may circumvent the platform to avoid the platform’s fees. In this paper, we investigate the relationship between increased trust and disi...

Abstract from the paper we discuss with the author during the episode: Digital platforms have disrupted many sectors but have not yet visibly transformed highly regulated industries. This study of Big Tech entry in healthcare and education explores how platforms have begun to enter highly regulated industries systematically and effectively. We present a 4-stage process model of platform entry, whi...

Abstract from the paper we discuss with the author during the episode: The importance of platform‐based businesses in the modern economy is growing continuously and becoming increasingly relevant. Specifically, the deployment of digital technologies has enhanced the applicability of two‐sided business models, enabling companies to act not just as builders and owners of assets, but as orchestrators...

Abstract from the paper we discuss with the author during the episode: Online platforms are pervasive and powerful in today's economy. We explore the increased centrality of platforms in two ways. First, we measure the extent to which platforms are insinuating themselves into the economy. We accomplish this by analyzing the presence of platforms as intermediating organizations across all US servic...

Abstract from the paper we discuss with the author during the episode: Online labor platforms (OLPs) can use algorithms along two dimensions: matching and control. While previous research has paid considerable attention to how OLPs optimize matching and accommodate market needs, OLPs can also employ algorithms to monitor and tightly control platform work. In this paper, we examine the nature of pl...

Abstract from the paper we discuss with the author during the episode This article explores what factors drive digital platform firms to set or modify their boundaries. Building on economics, strategic management, and information systems research, I suggest that digital platforms make strategic decisions over three distinct types of interrelated boundaries: (1) the scope of the platform firm (what...

Abstract from the paper we discuss with the author during the episode We study how a multisided platform’s decision to certify a subset of its complementors affects those complementors and ultimately the platform itself. Kiva, a microfinance platform, introduced a social performance badging program in December 2011. The badging program appears to have been beneficial to Kiva—it led to more borrowe...

Abstract from the paper we discuss with the author during the episode Research Summary With the growth of digital platforms, understanding the role of property rights on those platforms has become increasingly important. Digital piracy, the unauthorized copying and distribution of digital products, is therefore an important strategic issue, both because of lost revenues and because it is thought t...

In the first episode, Daniel and Philip describe in one minute what Talking about Platforms is all about, what you can look forward to and why you should definitely subscribe so you don't miss the upcoming episodes. TaP will start with the first season of eight episodes and publish new episodes every other week.