The governance of platform development processes

A metaphor and a simulation model

Journal article (2018)

Authors

G. van de Kaa Economics of Technology and Innovation - TPM
George Papachristos University College London
J.A. de Bruijn Multi Actor Systems
Research Group
Economics of Technology and Innovation (TPM) (TU Delft)
Copyright: © 2018 G. van de Kaa, George Papachristos, J.A. de Bruijn
DOI
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https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2018.08.021
Simulation Governance Platforms Decision-making Standards
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Published Date

2018

Language

English

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Faculty

Technology, Policy and Management

Department

Values Technology and Innovation

Research Group

Economics of Technology and Innovation

Abstract

Platform market competition has been extensively researched, but the governance of the platform development process prior to market launch has received little attention. We develop a system dynamics simulation model using the avalanche game as a metaphor for platform development. We describe a typical platform development process, and show how this process corresponds to the game. To examine the role of incentives for consensus building in platform development, we extend the original simulation model of the avalanche game using literature on platform development. This provides insights about how platform governance incentives influence the platform development process. Specifically, we find that under high degrees of urgency, consensus is achieved more quickly when a greater number of participants are involved in a standards committee. We explain this counterintuitive notion by making use of the literature on decision-making in networks of interdependencies.