Table 1 Research agenda showing... | Emerald Publishing

Table 1

Research agenda showing conceptual transitions, lenses, questions, methods and contexts

Transition	Theoretical lens	Example research questions	Innovative methods	Exemplary empirical domains	Key references
Interdependence → Relational Dynamics	Sociomateriality	How do API versioning practices shape trust dynamics between platform owners and complementors?	Digital Trace Ethnography: Analyze GitHub commits, API deprecation logs, developer forum discussions	API-based software ecosystems (npm, PyPI)	Orlikowski (2007), Leonardi (2013), Bailey et al. (2022), Ma et al. (2025)
Interdependence → Relational Dynamics	Sociomateriality	What sociomaterial conditions support trust formation in decentralized ecosystems?	Multi-Modal Network Dynamics: Layer technical dependencies with social ties across time	Blockchain DeFi protocols
Orchestration → Governance-in-Practice	Shared Governance and Multi-leadership	How does leadership emerge in ecosystems without central orchestrators?	Digital Trace Ethnography: Follow governance proposals, voting patterns, implementation cycles	Platform cooperatives, DAOs	Reypens et al. (2021), Shipilov and Gawer (2020), Pei and Dong (2025)
	Shared Governance and Multi-leadership	What routines constitute distributed governance?		Open-source foundations (Linux, Apache)
	Dynamic Capabilities	How do sensing and learning routines operate across organizational boundaries?	Experimental Digital Platforms: Manipulate information sharing rules and observe adaptation	Innovation sandboxes, regulatory testbeds	Marchese et al. (2026), De Fano et al. (2026), Leih and Teece (2016)
	Dynamic Capabilities	What ecosystem-level capabilities enable reconfiguration?		Crisis-response innovation networks
Contextual Boundaries → Institutional Embeddedness	Institutional Theory	How are ecosystems legitimized in contested institutional environments?	Infrastructure Inversion Studies: Analyze breakdowns and standardization battles	Smart city implementations	Hinings et al. (2018), Thornton and Ocasio (2008), Khatami et al. (2024)
	Institutional Theory	What forms of institutional work support ecosystem emergence?	Multi-Modal Network Dynamics: Track regulatory lobbying networks alongside technical development	Quantum computing consortia
	Actor-Network Theory	How do standards and tools stabilize or destabilize coordination?	Digital Trace Ethnography: Follow protocol fork debates and implementation	Web3 governance tokens	Latour (2005), Faik et al. (2020), Pikkarainen et al. (2025)
	Actor-Network Theory	In what ways do non-human actors participate in governance?	Machine Learning Pattern Detection: Identify how algorithmic decisions shape participation	AI model marketplaces

Transition	Theoretical lens	Example research questions	Innovative methods	Exemplary empirical domains	Key references
Interdependence → Relational Dynamics	Sociomateriality	How do API versioning practices shape trust dynamics between platform owners and complementors?	Digital Trace Ethnography: Analyze GitHub commits, API deprecation logs, developer forum discussions	API-based software ecosystems (npm, PyPI)	Orlikowski (2007), Leonardi (2013), Bailey et al. (2022), Ma et al. (2025)
Interdependence → Relational Dynamics	Sociomateriality	What sociomaterial conditions support trust formation in decentralized ecosystems?	Multi-Modal Network Dynamics: Layer technical dependencies with social ties across time	Blockchain DeFi protocols
Orchestration → Governance-in-Practice	Shared Governance and Multi-leadership	How does leadership emerge in ecosystems without central orchestrators?	Digital Trace Ethnography: Follow governance proposals, voting patterns, implementation cycles	Platform cooperatives, DAOs	Reypens et al. (2021), Shipilov and Gawer (2020), Pei and Dong (2025)
	Shared Governance and Multi-leadership	What routines constitute distributed governance?		Open-source foundations (Linux, Apache)
	Dynamic Capabilities	How do sensing and learning routines operate across organizational boundaries?	Experimental Digital Platforms: Manipulate information sharing rules and observe adaptation	Innovation sandboxes, regulatory testbeds	Marchese et al. (2026), De Fano et al. (2026), Leih and Teece (2016)
	Dynamic Capabilities	What ecosystem-level capabilities enable reconfiguration?		Crisis-response innovation networks
Contextual Boundaries → Institutional Embeddedness	Institutional Theory	How are ecosystems legitimized in contested institutional environments?	Infrastructure Inversion Studies: Analyze breakdowns and standardization battles	Smart city implementations	Hinings et al. (2018), Thornton and Ocasio (2008), Khatami et al. (2024)
	Institutional Theory	What forms of institutional work support ecosystem emergence?	Multi-Modal Network Dynamics: Track regulatory lobbying networks alongside technical development	Quantum computing consortia
	Actor-Network Theory	How do standards and tools stabilize or destabilize coordination?	Digital Trace Ethnography: Follow protocol fork debates and implementation	Web3 governance tokens	Latour (2005), Faik et al. (2020), Pikkarainen et al. (2025)
	Actor-Network Theory	In what ways do non-human actors participate in governance?	Machine Learning Pattern Detection: Identify how algorithmic decisions shape participation	AI model marketplaces

Source(s): Authors' own work