Abstract
The paper presents the findings from a 3-year single-case study conducted in connection with the International Data Spaces (IDS) initiative. The IDS represents a multi-sided platform (MSP) for secure and trusted data exchange, which is governed by an institutionalized alliance of different stakeholder organizations. The paper delivers insights gained during the early stages of the platform’s lifecycle (i.e. the platform design process). More specifically, it provides answers to three research questions, namely how alliance-driven MSPs come into existence and evolve, how different stakeholder groups use certain governance mechanisms during the platform design process, and how this process is influenced by regulatory instruments. By contrasting the case of an alliance-driven MSP with the more common approach of the keystone-driven MSP, the results of the case study suggest that different evolutionary paths can be pursued during the early stages of an MSP’s lifecycle. Furthermore, the IDS initiative considers trust and data sovereignty more relevant regulatory instruments compared to pricing, for example. Finally, the study advances the body of scientific knowledge with regard to data being a boundary resource on MSPs.
Highlights
MotivationUniversity, Ahornstr. 55, D-52074 Aachen, Germany 4 Fraunhofer FIT, Birlinghoven Castle, D-53754 SanktAugustin, GermanySpurred by the rise of technology companies such as Apple and Facebook, digital platforms are receiving increasing attention both in the scientific and in the practitioners’ community
The paper addresses three research questions addressing the early stages of the platform design phase: RQ #1: How do alliance-driven multi-sided platform (MSP) come into existence and evolve?
The International Data Spaces (IDS) case represents a unique and – in many regards – an extreme case of an MSP: first, it has been designed and developed by a multi-stakeholder alliance, and not by a single entity or keystone firm; second, the subject of analysis as presented in this paper is the early platform design phase, and not – as in many other studies – the platform adoption and use phase; and third, through its nature as a multi-sided data platform, the IDS case delivers deep insights regarding the use of data as a platform boundary resource
Summary
University, Ahornstr. 55, D-52074 Aachen, Germany 4 Fraunhofer FIT, Birlinghoven Castle, D-53754 Sankt. Gawer (2009), for example, identified some MSPs from the supply chain management domain that are “shared among firms that are part of a formal alliance” Such “alliance-driven MSPs”, which are characterized by shared ownership and governance (e.g. a joint-venture company or industry association), as well as decentral platform governance models have been neglected by academic research so far (De Reuver et al 2018). As a multi-sided data platform, the IDS represents an extreme case (Ridder 2017; Yin 2014) of an MSP, as the keystone actor here is not a single firm (e.g. a technology company) but a non-for-profit association forming an alliance of multiple organizations that may assume one or more roles on the platform (such as data provider, data consumer, research organization, software/service provider, auditing firm). The remainder of the paper is structured as follows: this introductory section is followed by an analysis of related work in the field of multi-sided platforms; the third section outlines the research design applied and the research process conducted; the results of the case study are presented in the fourth section; the fifth section discusses the case study findings and puts them in perspective with existing literature and theory; the paper concludes with a summary of the case study, its contribution to the body of scientific knowledge, remarks on the study’s limitations, and an outlook to future research opportunities
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