Tiffani Bova began her career as a sales, marketing and customer service executive for startups and Fortune 500 companies where she was recognized as being one of the first to develop a robust go-to-market model for cloud-based solutions and indirect channel strategies. This experience brought her to Salesforce where she became global growth evangelist, driving customer success through a vast network of customer and partner ecosystems She has consistently been a leader in witnessing, understanding and helping shape the relationship with ecosystems across various organizations. In this discussion, Tiffani shares her insights on:

• What defines an ecosystem, and why it’s more common than you may think
• The history of ecosystems, as she witnessed them on the frontlines, and how the internet and digital technology have accelerated their prevalence
• A practical set of steps and questions to decide if an ecosystem is right for your company, where to draw value from it, and how it will help enhance your capabilities
• The importance of putting the customer first when making the decision to join an ecosystem
• The different types of relationships you can develop with partners in an ecosystem
• How ecosystems can become a significant part of your profitability—and why this is critical to your success

Jonathan Knee is a Michael T. Fries Professor of Professional Practice and Co-Director of the Media and Technology Program at Columbia Business School where he teachesMedia Mergers and Acquisitions and Strategic Management of Media. His most recent book, The Platform Delusion: Who Wins and Who Loses In the Age of Tech Titans, is packed with real-word insights on which companies will thrive and which will fail. These insights are drawn from his learnings of how platforms, ecosystems and competitive advantages all play together to determine success. In this discussion, Jonathan shares his insights on:

• How the key to winning in business is not just a single competitive advantage, but rather building multiple reinforcing competitive advantages
• Why scale is the most important factor in developing competitive advantage, and how it differs in the digital age of platforms and ecosystems
• What other key competitive advantages you should cultivate to amplify your success
• When network effects might be a detriment rather than an advantage
• What defines a platform and how it’s different from an ecosystem
• How to maximize your chances of success in ecosystem-based competition
• Why all players in an ecosystem must deliver as much value from an ecosystem as they extract

Bestselling author, sought after speaker, and longtime Columbia Business School professor, Rita Gunther McGrath, is responsible for some of the most thought-provoking business insights over the past two decades. She is an expert in driving innovation and growth for organisations in times of uncertainty and has consistently been recognized as one of the top ten management thinkers by Thinkers50. Her latest book, Seeing Around Corners is a guide to spotting and responding to inflection points in business before they happen. In this session, Rita is interviewed by Outthinker Strategy Network member, Roopa Unnikrishnan, SVP of Strategy and Corporate Development for IDEX. Roopa formerly served as CSO of Harman and Vontier and has led a career in strategy and innovation for organisations like Pfizer, Citibank and Blackrock. In this session, Rita and Roopa discuss the role ecosystems play in strategy today and: 

• How ecosystem-based competition has evolved over time 
• The questions investors and policy makers should be asking about power in an ecosystem 
• Management best practices that allow organisations participating in ecosystems to operate effectively 
• The future of brands when it comes to ecosystems 
• Recommendations for companies to deliver the most value in their alliances 
• A new type of leadership necessary to lead in the new world of ecosystems

Felix Oberholzer-Gee is the Andreas Andresen Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School. An award-winning instructor, his academic work has been published in the very best, peer-reviewed journals of his profession, and he currently teaches competitive strategy in executive education programs. His work is largely focused on helping businesses apply his framework of Value-Based Strategy, in which businesses learn to identify the biggest value drivers. Within ecosystem-based competition, he’s identified how to specifically leverage ecosystems in maximizing the value delivered to stakeholders. In this discussion, Felix shares his insights on:

• How Value-Based Strategy applies to ecosystems, and how to identify where to draw and give the most value within one 
• Balancing the dynamics and relationships between your company and different players in your ecosystem
• How to identify what complements are best for your business
• Motivating partners in the ecosystem to make investments in complements that would deliver value to your customers
• What adjustments you need to make within your business model and culture to incorporate ecosystems
• Growing your bargaining power and maximizing the value you draw from an ecosystem as you put more value into it

Hosted by Claudio Garcia, president of the Outthinker Strategy Network and former chief strategy officer for Lee Hecht Harrison, this session features ecosystems practitioners, Chris Huff, chief strategy officer for Kofax, Patricia Miron, Integrated Strategy & Operations GM for US Small, Medium, and Corporate Segment for Microsoft, and Tushar Amin, Global Business Model Innovation Leader for Kyndryl who define the new rules for engaging and leading in technology ecosystems. Based on decades of developing critical partnerships and alliances in the technology sector, their observations reveal the fundamental shifts that need to happen for organizations to enter a new era of ecosystem-based competition and how to take the first step. In this discussion, strategy officers explain:

• How serving your partners’ needs is imperative to building the strength of the ecosystem
• Three keys to success when playing in the ecosystem space
• Why board and executive level sponsorship is critical
• The talent investments you need to make to ensure alignment
• Guidance for those organizations who act as ecosystems orchestrators
• The first step for companies to enter the world of ecosystems

Over the last two years, the education industry has completely transformed in favor of an ecosystems approach. Fueled by one-to-one computing, bandwidth access, and increased investment, a seamless digital learning experience is the future of the classroom. Behind the scenes, organizations must learn to collaborate, enhance each other’s capabilities, and share information to create the best possible user experience for both students and educators. Join education ecosystem practitioners, Adam Zalisk, SVP Corporate Strategy for Amplify, and Ken Eng, SVP Strategy and M&A for Macmillan Publishers, and moderator Claudio Garcia, president of the Outthinker Strategy Network, for an exploration of ecosystems in the education sector that reveals:

• The purpose behind an ecosystems approach and why it has shifted in the past two years
• How to find the relevant partners and collaborators based on the end user experience
• The internal skills you need to develop to play effectively in an ecosystem
• How to approach ecosystems as an orchestrator (and why you should look beyond the household names)
• Recommendations for companies to transform their competitive mindset and become part of an ecosystem
• Three trends that are on the rise in education ecosystems

The healthcare industry has long consisted of ecosystems of payors, providers, and regulators in a complex web to reach the end patient. As focus shifts from fragmented specialties to a holistic, whole-person view of healthcare, there is an opportunity to form and leverage these ecosystem relationships more intentionally. In this session, healthcare ecosystem practitioners, Claus Jensen, Chief Innovation Officer for Teladoc Health, Lieke van Kerkhoven, Co-founder of FLOOW2, and Sukanya Soderland, Chief Strategy Officer for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, and moderator Claudio Garcia, President of the Outthinker Strategy Network, discuss how ecosystems can amplify the value of healthcare as they explore:

• The consumer needs that are driving the healthcare industry to an ecosystem-based model
• Why companies need to completely change their “everyone for themselves” mindset to succeed in an ecosystem
• How legacy companies can align on a shared purpose to make transformation more compelling
• The shifts in management, metrics, and incentives that are required to enter an ecosystem
• How to work with existing regulation and how to open new conversations with regulators
• Advice for healthcare players who want to become part of an ecosystem

Over the last ten years, major media and publishing platforms have transformed the way that consumers interact with content. Anyone can become a content creator, and companies are looking for creative ways to monetize content. Many companies are moving toward ecosystems to move quickly and maximize value for their end customers. Join media and publishing ecosystem practitioners, Kalina Nikolova, VP of Operations and Strategy for Yahoo Inc. and Joanne Sheppard, SVP of Strategy and Investments for Holtzbrinck Publishing, to learn more about why ecosystems are forming to respond to changes in the industry and how organizations can leverage them to build a more connected future. You’ll learn:

• They key drivers behind the shift to an ecosystem model, including sustainability, diversity of voices, web 3.0, accelerated rate of change, and open access to information
• The internal changes that will make your organization a better ecosystem partner
• The responsibility of media ecosystems to protect the experience and security of their end customers
• Why it’s important to diversity your network of ecosystem relationships and how to choose the right partners
• Why smaller players should build confidence and negotiate terms of partnerships

Ecosystems have long been a staple in the staffing industry, but they have taken on a new form with the introduction of advanced technologies and the arrival of additional players. The pandemic and the subsequent Great Resignation have dismantled the industry, forcing hiring and staffing companies to rethink the way they attract and retain employees. Many have turned to ecosystems to streamline processes and enhance the applicant experience. In this session, hiring and staffing ecosystem practitioners, Ayman Hamid, Executive Director of Global Business Services for Allegis Global Solutions, Tom Gallo, Head of Strategy and Innovation for ABM Industries, and Ying McPherson, Chief Strategy Officer for Unifi, joined by moderator, Claudio Garcia, President of the Outthinker Strategy, discuss how the competitive landscape has changed and:

• Why candidate experience should be the central focus of your ecosystem strategy
• How to leverage data and insights from your current employees to build your future workforce
• The importance of teaming and alignment around strategic direction
• How to find a balance between novel technologies and classic human elements
• The technical abilities you need to build (or partner with) to deliver functional solutions
• What to look for when selecting your ecosystem partners

Over the past decade, the process of purchasing and owning a home has changed for most consumers. Companies have the opportunity to partner to serve the customer in new and better ways–whether they are buying, renovating, or decorating their homes. In what the home-buyer views as part of a single “home” experience, ecosystems of partners are working behind the scenes to guide and deliver value in every stage of the journey. Join practitioners, Eric Chesin, Chief Strategy Officer for Realogy, Doug McNamee, President of Magnolia, and Mateusz Troicki, VP of Strategy for Kohler, and moderator Claudio Garcia, President of the Outthinker Strategy Network, to explore the shifts and opportunities in homes ecosystems. Discover:

• The benefits of open ecosystems that allow for customer choice
• Why you need to evaluate partners based on trust (and why who you say “no” to is more  important than  who you say “yes” to)
• The type of leadership necessary to manage in an ecosystem model
• Future trends expected in the home sector
• Recommendations for new players who have not yet intentionally leveraged ecosystems