People and Impact
The Enterprise Guide to Platform Thinking
Introduced in 2017, platform thinking has since evolved into several types. Experts see it as the merging of product thinking into digital platforms. However, it was never the same as we see in 2023.
Platform Thinking at a Glance
Platform thinking aims to bring platforms to life and gain maximum value from them. It requires organizational and operational evolution to do so.
The long-term goal of adopting platform thinking is to convert assets into customer value.
Experts categorize platform builds into three types for enterprises:
How Platform Thinking Is Changing the World
Sales personnel and business executives knew one way to approach their audiences in the earlier era: To market consistently. Platform thinking changes how it’s done.
Conversion is no longer about making consumers travel the different funnel stages. Instead, it’s about connecting, engaging, and interacting to create value. In the end, it’s about generating a gravitational force that pulls the consumers right by the hook.
According to Marshall Van Alstyne – this entirely transforms the nature of every firm, changing into an ‘Inverted firm,’ shifting production from the inside to the outside.
Moreover, platform thinking gives an interesting twist to the age-old question: what came first: the chicken or the egg? Because some companies might not delve into product development until they sense customer demand.
However, by utilizing digital platforms as a means to get to the end, enterprises can embark on their set paths while embracing innovation.