Behind the Curtain: Private Properties of a B2B Platform

Abstract

Digital platforms are about cooperation and network effects, but also about competition. Not everything is shared. While platforms are often viewed as sociotechnical entities, they can be observed also in terms of common and private properties: what does an actor share with others and what does it keep to itself, and why? We observed a digital platform ecosystem to understand the common and private properties of different actors. The extant research has focused on the common part, but the motivations for private activities are especially relevant in the B2B context due to different business models. Our findings show that in addition to the common scope, platform ecosystem actors rely on private properties when it provides them a competitive advantage. The common and private activities are inseparable.