A System Dynamics Approach for Digital Business Ecosystem Resilience and Health

With digital innovations, there has been a rise in the establishment of business ecosystems centered on digital platforms. To sustain the performance of these platforms and secure the health of the digital business ecosystems (DBEs), resilience towards disruptive events should be paramount. Resilience can be obtained through sound architectural design approaches and demanding the identification of relevant cause-effect relations between digital system characteristics and performance. In this study, a system dynamics approach is adopted to reveal the relationships and the dynamics between main architectural design characteristics and DBE resilience and health. The main characteristics of the digital platform and the main cause-and-effect relationships among them and with the platform performance are specified. The dynamic model of DBE health and resilience is constructed using causal loop and stock-flow diagrams. Scenario analysis is performed following validation tests. This study contributes to the DBE architectural design, resilience, and business ecosystem health literature by means of a system thinking approach that advances understanding on the main DBE characteristics affecting health and resilience, their relationships, and the dynamics regulating their interactions. Moreover, the study shows the most effective strategies to sustain the related digital business against disruptions and likewise can provide guidance on the design of main DBE architectural choices.