Introduction to the Drucker Forum 2019
The Power of Ecosystems - Managing in a Networked World
by Richard Straub
Ecosystems are everywhere, not confined to natural environments — increasingly, we see businesses, public sector institutions, and third-sector organizations all moving beyond their traditional operational borders and creating or participating in new, flexible, and adaptive networks of enterprises jointly pursuing ambitious purposes. There are the ecosystems of developers that have been mobilized by powerful tech firms such as Microsoft and Apple; the innovation clusters embedded in certain geographic ecosystems; and the legions of lean, agile organizations that have proliferated as large infrastructure builders provide robust platforms. Long before these recent developments, Peter Drucker recognized that complementary organizations and institutions together make up a "social ecology"— a complex adaptive system that is new and man-made – in which entities of all sizes and strategies interact and operate in an increasingly fast changing and complex environment. In today’s digitally enabled markets, Drucker’s concept of a social, business ecology has become full-blown reality. With a new “nervous system” provided by digital networks and increasing machine intelligence, pioneering players such as Amazon, Alibaba, Tencent, and Google — as well as long-established companies such as BMW, Haier, Novo Nordisk, and Rio Tinto — are engaging in the new leadership imperative to leverage sprawling commercial ecosystems.
The 11th Drucker Forum will enlighten and equip leaders across economic sectors facing the growing opportunities and challenges of business ecosystems. Discussions will address key questions such as
- What does it mean to be an effective leader in a business ecosystem? What new competencies are required in these more ambiguous and richly connected environments?
- As advanced digital technologies such as AI, machine learning, and the internet of things spread, how will business ecosystems evolve?
- What governance mechanisms make sense for ecosystems?
- Are there different types of business ecosystems and, if so, what are their distinguishing characteristics?
- Under what conditions do productive ecosystems emerge? What role should the state play as facilitator and/or regulator?
- Can more generative ecosystems be designed or can they only be cultivated?
- Is any business an island? Must every manager think more expansively about achieving performance gains?
- How should a company’s broader ecosystem influence its own organizational design? In an era of networks and platforms, do we need a new “theory of the firm”?
- How do the competitive dynamics of ecosystems complicate strategy development and execution?
- Is management theory and practice keeping pace with the rapid emergence of complex business ecosystems? Do we have the concepts and tools to cope with—or better, to capitalize on—the shift?
Miriam
Meckel
Founding publisher of ada, the platform for digital life and the economy of the future, at Handelsblatt Media Group
Rita
Gunther McGrath
Professor, Columbia Business School
Eric
Beinhocker
Professor, Blavatnik School of Government, Univ. of Oxford;
Executive Director, Institute for New Economic Thinking, Oxford Martin School
Laurent
Bernard
VP Global Talent Management, Steelcase
Julian
Birkinshaw
Deputy Dean, Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship, London Business School
Curt
Carlson
Professor of Practice at Northeastern University; Distinguished Executive in Residence at Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Founder & CEO, The Practice of Innovation; Former CEO of SRI International
Nicole
Torres
Senior Associate Editor, Harvard Business Review
Ed
Catmull
Co-founder of Pixar Animation Studios and president of Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios, and Disneytoon Studios.
Vinton G.
Cerf
VP and chief Internet evangelist, Google
Adam
Cheyer
Co-Founder & VP Engineering, Viv Labs; Co-Founder, Siri Inc.
Amy
Edmondson
Professor, HBS
Bill
Fischer
Professor of Innovation Management, IMD
Marc
Funk
CEO, Lonza Group
Michael J.
Gelb
Creative thinking pioneer and executive coach
Fadi
Ghandour
Executive Chairman of Wamda Group, Founder of Aramex
Rick
Goings
Executive Chairman, Tupperware Brands
Hal
Gregersen
Executive Director, MIT Leadership Center, MIT Sloan School of Management
Rahaf
Harfoush
Digital Anthropologist and author
Scott
Hartley
Venture capitalist; start-up advisor
Sabine
Herlitschka
CEO, Infineon Technologies Austria
Kevin
Hrusovsky
Founder and Chairman Powering Precision Health; CEO Quanterix
Adi
Ignatius
Editor-in-chief, Harvard Business Review
Michael G.
Jacobides
Professor of Strategy
London Business School
Whitney
Johnson
CEO, WLJ Advisors
Georg
Kopetz
Co-founder and Member of the Executive Board, TTTech
Helmut
List
Chairman and CEO, AVL List GmbH
Alexander
Osterwalder
Entrepreneur and Business Model Innovator, Co-Founder Strategyzer
Sanjay
Purohit
Chief Curator EkStep Foundation
Rafael
Ramirez
Professor of Practice at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford
Helmut
Reisinger
CEO Orange Business Services
Marie
Ringler
Ashoka Europe Leader
Johan
Roos
Chief Academic Officer, Hult International Business School
Gisbert
Rühl
CEO, Klöckner & Co SE
Zhang
Ruimin
CEO and Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Haier Group
Raj
Sisodia
FW Olin Distinguished Professor of Global Business, Babson College;
Co-founder & Co-Chairman, Conscious Capitalism Inc.
Howard
Sublett
Chief Product Owner, Scrum Alliance
Yoshikuni
Takashige
Chief Strategist, Global Marketing, Fujitsu Limited
Amy
Webb
Founder, Future Today Institute
Thomas
Wedell-Wedellsborg
Partner at The Innovation Architects and author
Bart
Weetjens
Social entrepreneur; Zen priest
»
Don’t expect to get simple answers.
But expect to be inspired.
Richard Straub
Opening and Welcome at the 9th Global Peter Drucker Forum 2017
