| Abstract: |
Spurred on by increasing digitalization and the rise of technology companies
such as Facebook, Airbnb or Uber, multi-sided platforms (MSPs) have become
increasingly important in a wide range of industries in recent years. In
general, MSPs represent an electronic marketplace in which two or more groups
of actors interact, and the decisions of individual actors influence the
decision-making behavior of the remaining actors. Due to their distributed
nature and their interdependencies with institutions, markets, and
technologies, MSPs depict unique, new socio-technical artifacts and therefore
present researchers with an exciting and challenging research object. Previous
research on MSPs have predominantly taken a pro-innovative perspective and
have accumulated a vast knowledge base on factors that promote the success of
MSPs. However, the triumphant growth and success of MSPs, such as Airbnb or
Uber, represent the exception rather than the rule. Most multi-sided platforms
are struggling hard to stay viable and often lose this battle. Failure of an
MSP can result in massive financial damage for companies, which is revealed,
for example, by the $4 billion collapse of General Electric's "Predix"
platform. Existing technology diffusion and adoption models provide only
anecdotal evidence to the failure of MSPs, which is why knowledge of factors
that inhibit the diffusion of MSPs is particularly important. Scholars,
therefore, call for a comprehensive and systematic investigation of factors
inhibiting the diffusion of MSPs as well as for the development of new or the
extension of existing technology diffusion and adoption models to increase
their explanatory and predictive validity. Network effects are a key
characteristic and a crucial driver for the diffusion of MSPs. The impacts of
diffusion-inhibiting factors on network effects have only been superficially
examined in previous research. In contrast, the beneficial influence of
network effects in the case of one- or two-sided platforms in conventional
market relations between businesses and consumers (e.g., game consoles or
service platforms such as Airbnb) has been thoroughly investigated. However,
dependencies and areas of tension, which mainly occur in the diffusion of
technology within or between different organizations (company to company
context, B2B), have been neglected. Furthermore, case studies have often
analyzed MSPs where management and ownership are carried out by a single
organization. Nowadays, however, organizations are no longer isolated. They
create their values together and act in corporate networks. As a result, the
highly complex management structure within these networks can also influence
the diffusion of multi-sided platforms. Dynamic B2B networks are characterized
by intensive cooperation between loosely connected organizations in a
fast-changing environment with a high degree of uncertainty. The organizations
operating in the network are dependent on the rapid exchange of information
with their competitors and are therefore in a co-operative and competing
business relationship with them at the same time. The management structure
within a dynamic B2B network is shared, the goods or services produced are
easily interchangeable and are provided by several organizations. Although
MSPs have been developed specifically for the interaction of different actors
and offer a fast exchange of information between multiple organizations, the
diffusion of these systems in dynamic B2B networks is particularly
challenging. In summary, MSPs depict new socio-technical information system
artifacts that have so far been examined from a pro-innovative perspective.
Their manifold interdependencies with institutions, markets, and technologies
lead to a highly complex diffusion process in which, among others, internal
and external organizational factors, as well as the individuals' pre- and
post-adoption behavior must be taken into account. Previous research cannot
provide sufficient explanation for why MSPs fail, especially in dynamic B2B
networks where a large number of organizations operate dynamically in an
environment with frequently changing business relationships. Motivated by the
limited explanatory and predictive validity of existing technology diffusion
and adoption models for the investigation of multi-sided platforms in dynamic
B2B networks, this thesis will examine factors inhibiting the diffusion of
MSPs as well as their impact on network effects and on individuals’ pre- and
post-adoption behavior. For this purpose, five studies have been conducted to
systematically illuminate various partial aspects of the diffusion of MSPs.
The first study (Article 1) identified 21 factors that inhibit the diffusion
of MSPs in dynamic B2B networks. The second study (Article 2) examined the
influence of these 21 inhibiting factors on network effects, which depict main
drivers for the diffusion of MSPs. Studies three to five (Articles 3 - 5) each
consider the influence of a specific inhibitory factor on individuals' pre-
and post-adoption behavior. In detail, article 3 examines the extent to which
specific technological features (factor functionalities) influence trust in
technology and subsequently, the adoption of the technology. Article 4
examines the extent to which causal attributions (factor blaming other actors)
influence users' information system continuance intention. Finally, article 5
analyses the extent to which users' continuance intention is influenced by the
personality trait resistance to change (factor spirit of innovations). Taken
together, this thesis provides a deeper and more comprehensive understanding
of the diffusion of MSPs in dynamic B2B networks. The systematical and
comprehensive investigation of factors inhibiting the diffusion of MSPs in
dynamic B2B networks contributes to answering various calls for research. By
analyzing the relationships between factors inhibiting diffusion and network
effects, this thesis contributes to research at the interface between platform
and technology diffusion research. Alongside these contributions to research,
each of the five articles contained an in-depth and comprehensive discussion
on contributions to research and practice. |