Business informatics researcher Isaac da Silva Torres investigated how digital ecosystems can be made more understandable.
Digital business ecosystems—such as platforms and collaborative networks between organizations—are playing an increasingly important role in the economy and society. Yet, many digital initiatives fail because of a gap between business thinking and IT implementation. Organizations model who creates and earns value, but lose that perspective as soon as processes are technically developed—or vice versa.
Da Silva Torres investigated how value and process models can be systematically connected when designing digital business ecosystems. The central research question was how designers and decision-makers can consistently switch between e3value models (value creation and monetization logic) and BPMN process models (operational execution).
The impetus for this research stemmed from several practical projects in sectors including financial services and digital platforms, where it became clear that existing models are being used independently. This hinders transparency, collaboration, and well-considered decision-making in complex ecosystems.
The findings are particularly relevant for anyone involved in setting up or changing digital collaborations, such as platform companies, governments, and collaborative networks in sectors like mobility, healthcare, energy, and infrastructure. They often grapple with the same question: the idea is sound, but how do we ensure it actually works?
The developed guidelines help align value creation and execution from the outset. This allows parties to better assess who does what, who pays for what, and where risks arise. This reduces the risk of failed digital projects.
A concrete example is the design of digital marketplaces for the reuse of materials or data, where multiple organizations collaborate. With this approach, such platforms can be set up more transparently and reliably. Applications are immediately feasible and align with current themes such as digitization, platformization, and the transition to a circular economy.
Da Silva Torres conducted the research by systematically combining theory and practice. First, he reviewed existing academic literature on digital ecosystems, business models, and process design to understand where bottlenecks arise. Based on this, he developed guidelines that show how to connect different types of models.
He then tested these guidelines in practical case studies, including digital platforms and collaborative networks in the financial and services sectors. He also conducted experimental research in which participants with and without experience performed design tasks, allowing him to compare the effectiveness of different approaches.
Through this combination of literature research, practical cases, and experiments, he was able to demonstrate that the proposed approach is not only theoretically sound but also works better in practice and is more understandable for users.
More information on the thesis
