Dynamic capabilities and multi-sided platforms: Fostering organizational agility, flexibility, and resilience in B2B service ecosystems

Abstract

The use of multi-sided platforms in business-to-business services can redefine how established businesses and their operational activities meet the requirements of volatile business markets. Using an abductive research approach, we analyzed how the dynamic capabilities of service firms as platform owners foster the organizational capabilities of agility, flexibility, and resilience in a multi-sided platform ecosystem. Using data from 34 interviews, and based on the Gioia methodology, we illustrated the underlying mechanisms that foster a service firm's ability to promptly respond and deliver improved services to quickly changing market needs. This study contributes theoretically to the B2B marketing literature, particularly regarding organizational capabilities in digital platform ecosystems, by presenting a framework and three propositions that illustrate service firms' pertinent organizational capabilities for long-term success. This study also offers avenues for further research as well as several implications for managers regarding building faster, more accurate service responses.