Customer Orientation: The Case of Creating Value in Ecosystems

Abstract

This chapter is a study of customer orientation in the process of creating value in ecosystems. Firms operating in ecosystems and networks can create value for customers in novel ways. Moreover, value creation in ecosystems is important because of the multiple interrelated and overlapping roles that actors perform. For instance, two firms can at the one and the same time be considered competitors and complementors while also being in a customer–supplier relationship. Thus, the terms “customer” and “customer orientation” become very complex and particularly nuanced because it is not easy to identify who is the customer and how value is created. Therefore, the purpose of this chapter is to identify and analyse how managers understand customer value creation in the ecosystem context and to elucidate activities through which managers advance customer orientation in their organisational contexts. The findings of the study illustrate that there are various ways in which managers create value for their customers. They vary depending on the role of context and the dimensions of value promised to customers. This chapter contributes by providing useful insights into how customer orientation is understood and managed within ecosystems.