Workshop auf der AOM Conference: "The Role of SMEs in the Formation and Evolution of Data Ecosystems"
Abstract
The purpose of this symposium is to bring together scholars to discuss the formation and evolution of data ecosystems. We will focus on the specific opportunities and challenges for SMEs as important stakeholders within data ecosystems. The role of SMEs in data ecosystems is multifaceted. In fact, on one side there is a flourishing of innovative startups and SMEs that play a role in the ecosystems providing innovative and complementary products (e.g., wearable electronics) or services (data collection or AI-based solutions for analysis), intermediary role (Oliveira and Lóscio 2018), or data users (Sen et al. 2016; Thompsonet al. 2013) to be more competitive. SMEs are flexible and adaptable to change (Nasrollahi et al. 2021) and foster agility within ecosystems. However, to reap benefits from big data and data infrastructures, SMEs often face challenges such as limited resources, restricted access to data, and gaps in capabilities and skills. Moreover, data ecosystems are aligned with the expectations and motives of large organizations, often prioritizing their goals over those of smaller stakeholders. This symposium aims to provide a deeper understanding of business models, governance and design of data ecosystems by focusing on the role of SMEs from strategic, organizational, innovation, infrastructural, ethical and regulatory perspectives. Building on presented papers, this symposium serves as a platform to discuss challenges and opportunities for SMEs within data ecosystems.
