Papers by Erik Den Hartigh
Productivity is a key performance measure for service businesses and serves as a compass for meas... more Productivity is a key performance measure for service businesses and serves as a compass for measuring their innovativeness. In this chapter we present a tool for measuring productivity in service businesses. Improvements in service business productivity do not depend on industry, business size or business growth, but on the specific knowledge and competences of managers. Using case examples we show various ways of how managers can improve the productivity of their service businesses. They can do so by adopting a perspective of standardization, flexibility or individualization. Based on these perspectives, we provide a framework that shows how managers can improve service business productivity by coordinating strategic orientation, value creation and the configuration of business processes.
The focus of this study is on the challenges faced by managers in effectively dealing with the ne... more The focus of this study is on the challenges faced by managers in effectively dealing with the new management logic of increasing returns as the information and knowledge intensity of their transformation processes rises. Dealing with these challenges is especially relevant for companies currently making the transition from capital and physical labor intensive transformation processes (old economy) to information and knowledge intensive transformation processes (new economy). For these companies, this study provides a definition of increasing returns, explains the sources of increasing returns and develops tools for monitoring the realization of increasing returns. These tools are applied at the Randstad Group, a leading temporary employment agency based in the Netherlands, currently making the transition from the old to the new economy. The study concludes with a discussion of the management implications of the new logic of increasing returns and suggestions for further research.
European Management Journal, 2002
Self-reinforcing mechanisms in firms and markets come in four forms: (1) scale effects; (2) learn... more Self-reinforcing mechanisms in firms and markets come in four forms: (1) scale effects; (2) learning effects; (3) interaction effects, and; (4) network effects. Monitoring these self-reinforcing mechanisms is necessary for managers to be able to strategically act upon them and in this way improve their firm’s competitive performance. Unfortunately the tools that managers could use for doing this are currently not available. Based on extensive interviews with academics and practitioners, we developed a set of tools that managers can use to monitor the presence of self-reinforcing mechanisms in their firms and markets. The applicability of the tools was tested in a case study with the Randstad Group, the world’s third largest staffing firm.
A business ecosystem is a network of suppliers and customers around a core technology, who depend... more A business ecosystem is a network of suppliers and customers around a core technology, who depend on each other for their success and survival. In this paper we present a simple agent-based model of a business ecosystem. This includes a conceptualization of the model, a specification of the model and a small series of experiments to investigate the influence of network structure on the diffusion of innovations. Based on those experiments, propositions are derived that will be used in further research to conceptualize, specify and test a more advanced version of the model.
This paper introduces a research framework to study the relation between network structure, firm ... more This paper introduces a research framework to study the relation between network structure, firm strategy and the pattern of innovation diffusion. The framework builds on the following notions: 1) that economic agents are embedded in social networks, 2) that the decisions they take are at least partly dependent on the actions or opinions of other agents, 3) that this network structure influences market dynamics, 4) that firms and consumers engage these market dynamics by forming coalitions that we refer to as 'business ecosystems', 5) that key firms in such business ecosystems are able to influence the relation between the network structure and market dynamics by exercising network governance and 6) that firms in such business ecosystems are able to influence the relation between the market dynamics and their own performance by choosing the right strategy.
Technology Analysis & Strategic Management, 2009
In this paper we present a health measurement instrument for business ecosystems. We demonstrate ... more In this paper we present a health measurement instrument for business ecosystems. We demonstrate the use of this instrument in the Dutch IT industry. The instrument enables managers to monitor the financial and network health of their business ecosystem, different cross-section of the ecosystem and of individual partners in the ecosystem. As such it is helpful in benchmarking and improving business ecosystem performance, in the partner engagement process and in business ecosystem governance.
European Management Journal, 2001
Increasing returns means that a company can produce higher levels of output with relatively lower... more Increasing returns means that a company can produce higher levels of output with relatively lower levels of input. This article focuses on the challenges faced by managers in dealing with increasing returns. Dealing with these challenges is especially relevant for companies with information and knowledge intensive business processes. For the managers of these companies this article (1) provides a definition of increasing returns, (2) explains the sources of increasing returns, (3) discusses the consequences of increasing returns for the rules of market competition, and (4) presents guidelines for competing in increasing returns markets.
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Papers by Erik Den Hartigh