The Ecosystem Economy

CONCLUSIONTen Time-Tested Principles for the Emerging Ecosystem Economy: Finding Prosperity in a World of Sectors Without Borders

We hope that by now you have a sense, not only of the transformative power of ecosystems, but also of the path that you might take toward building your own successful ecosystem business.

Over the course of this book, we've frequently emphasized both the exciting opportunities and the potential threats that the ecosystem economy presents. Ecosystems, we'll recall, are communities of interconnected digital and physical business that work across the boundaries between traditional sectors of the economy to meet customer needs holistically. It's true that if you fail to take seriously the monumental shift they represent, you could place your business in great peril. And it's also true that if you carefully track new developments in the economy, and play your cards right, ecosystems could bring you great success and prosperity.

As we mentioned at the outset, there is potentially $70–100 trillion in gross economic output (as measured in revenue) at stake over the next few decades. The potential of the ecosystem economy means not only increased competition, but also more freedom to devise new and creative value propositions that leverage emerging technologies to solve previously insurmountable problems—or meet latent, not fully realized customer needs. Finding your way in this new economy means not only a huge opportunity to grow your business, but also ...