Platform Strategy: Building and Thriving in a Vibrant Ecosystem
Dates:
Due to the COVID-19 situation, theJuly 21-22, 2020 session will take place on original dates but in a virtual format (live online). July 21, 8:30am-4:30pm; July 22, 8:30am-4:30pm. Please view the "July 2020 Offering" tab for a sample schedule and additional information on this virtual session.
Over the past two decades, some of the most profitable and successful firms are those that have adopted a digital platform model—a strategy whereby the company allows two or more disparate groups to interact over a platform to co-create value; for example, website developers and users on Akamai, recruiters and employees on LinkedIn, and drivers and customers on Uber. In this two-day program, participants eager to develop or launch a digital platform approach will learn why and how their business strategies may need to be revised to be successful.
Program Details
Takeaways
July 2020 Offering
Schedule
Participants
Faculty
Case Studies
Reviews
Platform Strategy: Building and Thriving in a Vibrant Ecosystem Certificate Track: Strategy and Innovation Location:
Cambridge, Massachusetts Tuition:
$4,100 (excluding accommodations) Program Days (for ACE Credit) 2
In 2018, eight of the top ten global brands (according to Brandz) were platform-orientated companies —companies that created and now dominate arenas in which buyers, sellers, and a variety of third parties are connected in real time. In today’s networked age, the cloud, social media, and mobile devices are fueling this platform competition, and more and more companies want in. However, many companies do not succeed in becoming platform leaders because their technology and/or business strategies fall short.
While many platform strategies are well known (e.g. Apple’s iTunes), there are other less-heralded platforms that are exploring new ways to create and capture value. These include: dynamic pricing, usage fees, highly targeted product and service offerings, inbound marketing, and network effects.
Key questions the faculty explores include:
Is a customer segment with the highest “willingness to pay” the most valuable segment?
When is tying a customer to a platform (sometimes called “lock in”) counter-productive?
Which pricing formats seem to boost revenues but actually slow platform adoption?
How can companies get in front of the common evolution patterns of platforms?
When should leaders be wary of “platform envy?”
Through case studies and Q&A, experienced managers will emerge with insights into how they can refresh their company’s strategic approach and participate profitably in the multi-sided marketplaces of the future.
By the end of this two-day course, participants should be able to:
Identify examples of traditional and non-traditional forms of platforms
Describe the common evolution patterns of multisided platforms, including same-side vs. cross-side network effects
Identify customer and user groups whose affiliation with the platform is most valuable
Decide whether to try to “tie” customers to a platform or not – the value of open vs. proprietary networks
Design strategies to undermine an established platform or to defend against such attacks
Describe the principles of platform pricing and how to inform the design of an effective pricing format
Recognize the concrete implications of trade-offs in platform design, governance, and staging
Decide whether a given value proposition is best developed as a stand-alone platform, or as a complement embedded into another platform’s ecosystem…or whether to pivot away from platform strategies all together.
The July course will be presented entirely online in a collaborative digital format.
Our faculty, lecturers, guest speakers and staff are busy preparing for an engaging and interactive learning experience designed for our new live online format in Zoom. Our faculty will be sharing presentation slides and utilizing platform tools such as breakouts and polls. We know you value time to connect with your peers, so we plan to facilitate participant introductions, encourage small group work, and give you the opportunity to ask questions throughout your time with us. You will also notice an increased number of breaks to allow for stretching and time away from your screen.
To prepare for your course in Zoom, we recommend a strong internet connection and a web camera. Please make sure to test your system using https://zoom.us/test prior to your program. For the best experience, we suggest connecting via laptop/desktop and only dialing in via phone as a back-up. This will ensure that you are able to fully view the materials and participate in group activities.
As you attend your live online sessions with faculty and other learners, we want you to get as much as possible from the experience. By turning on your webcam when you’re listening to the lesson, participating in breakout rooms, or working together on exercises and activities, you’ll help make the experience more engaging for yourself, your co-learners, and the faculty team. With your help we can make teaching and learning together online an engaging and immersive experience. We look forward to ‘seeing’ and ‘hearing’ from each of you in the course.
Attendance throughout the course is required in order to complete the course and earn any certificate(s).
International Programs Professor of Management Professor, Technological Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Strategic Management
Pierre Azoulay is the International Programs Professor of Management at the MIT Sloan School of Management, and a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research.
His current research focuses on empirical studies of the supply of biomedical innovators, particularly at the interface of academia and the biopharmaceutical industry. He also is interested in the topic of academic entrepreneurship, having recently concluded a major study of the antecedents and consequences of academic patenting. In the past, he has investigated the impact of superstar researchers on the research productivity of their colleagues, and the outsourcing strategies of pharmaceutical firms, in particular the role played by contract research organizations in the clinical trials process.
At MIT Sloan, he teaches courses on competitive strategy and innovation strategy to the EMBA students and Sloan Fellows, as well as a PhD class on the economics of ideas, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
He holds a Diplôme d’Études Supérieures de Gestion from the Institut National des Télécommunications, an MA from Michigan State University, and a PhD in management from MIT.
The Sloan Distinguished Professor of Management and Professor of Marketing MIT Sloan School of Management
Catherine Tucker is the Sloan Distinguished Professor of Management and Professor of Marketing at MIT Sloan. She is also Chair of the MIT Sloan PhD Program.
Her research interests lie in how technology allows firms to use digital data to improve their operations and marketing, and in the challenges this poses for regulations designed to promote innovation. She has particular expertise in online advertising, digital health, social media, and electronic privacy. Generally, most of her research lies in the interface between marketing, economics, and law.
She has received an NSF CAREER Award for her work on digital privacy, the Erin Anderson Award for Emerging Marketing Scholar and Mentor, the Paul E. Green Award for contributions to the practice of Marketing Research and a Garfield Award for her work on electronic medical records.
Tucker is associate editor at Management Science and a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research. She teaches MIT Sloan's course on Pricing and the EMBA course "Marketing Management for the Senior Executive." She has received the Jamieson Prize for Excellence in Teaching as well as being voted "Teacher of the Year" at MIT Sloan.
She holds a PhD in economics from Stanford University, and a BA from the University of Oxford.
The program will cover these cases and important examples of platform strategy:
Skylanders
Keurig
Akamai
Ebooks
Dropbox v. Google Drive
Roppongi Hills
E-Harmony
BluRay v. HD DVD
Netflix v. HBO v. Hulu v. Amazon prime
Uber v. Lyft
The “Digital Oilfield”
All reviews are submitted by program attendees and are not edited by MIT Sloan Executive Education. Read more about our ratings and reviews.
Sergio G:
Teachers are amazing and content is highly strategic. We are talking about a state-of-the-art course on an important topic- platforms - leading participants through main concepts and well-thought practical exercises.
Overall:
Application:
Content:
Experience:
Date Attended:
Nov 7, 2019
Date Reviewed:
Nov 11, 2019
Lu J:
I had had confusion and a desire to understand the complexity of platform economy and how it's disrupting the market establishment before coming to this class. I came out feeling better equipped with a clearer head on how I should be thinking in terms of strategy.
Overall:
Application:
Content:
Experience:
Date Attended:
Nov 7, 2019
Date Reviewed:
Nov 11, 2019
Ahmed H:
this one one of the best programs I have attended in MIT.
Overall:
Application:
Content:
Experience:
Date Attended:
Nov 7, 2019
Date Reviewed:
May 19, 2020
Julian W:
This was a great program and answered many of the questions I had about building and growing a platform.
Overall:
Application:
Content:
Experience:
Date Attended:
Jun 4, 2019
Date Reviewed:
Jun 6, 2019
Ndukwe A:
The program was a classic for Platform strategy development and management.
Overall:
Application:
Content:
Experience:
Date Attended:
Jun 4, 2019
Date Reviewed:
Jun 8, 2019
Jaime E:
Very poor quality of both content and professors. Platforms is a really powerful topic to be delivered in such a light way. Very dissapointed at MIT here.
Overall:
Application:
Content:
Experience:
Date Attended:
Jun 4, 2019
Date Reviewed:
Nov 19, 2019
MIT Sloan -
Replied on: Nov 21, 2019
We are sorry to see that you did not enjoy the program. The other participants in your session gave it a rating of 4.65 on a 5 point scale. The program director would be happy to speak with you about your experience further. Please email sloanexeced@mit.edu if you would like to discuss this more.
Bruno M:
Excelent! It is important to have digital platform concepts and strategy very clear at this moment. This program was really great and professors Catherine and Pierre are awesome!
Overall:
Application:
Content:
Experience:
Date Attended:
Mar 14, 2019
Date Reviewed:
Mar 20, 2019
Mark A:
An excellent program that provided me with the framework and insights I required to assist guide business through its system architecture strategy.
Overall:
Application:
Content:
Experience:
Date Attended:
Mar 14, 2019
Date Reviewed:
Mar 23, 2019
Kshitij G:
The content and cases explain - though there is a grey zone - what makes a product a platform and how the platform can succeed at being useful, growing and competing. The variety of examples and discussions from various industries is good to understand which nuances might work and how they might change over time as the industries evolve.
To sign up to receive emails on Platform Strategy: Building and Thriving in a Vibrant Ecosystem, fill in the following fields and hit submit.
Platform strategy, explained
The formulation of a platform strategy requires somewhat distinct tools to help platform entrepreneurs and managers tackle the challenges of value creation and value capture.
Participant Testimonial
"Great class. Enjoyed every bit of it. The platform framework is excellent and forces managers to ask the right questions in order to develop a good business model." -- Ashwin M.
Faculty Insights
Pierre Azoulay on Platform Strategy: Building and Thriving in a Vibrant Ecosystem.
Participant Insights
Participant, Christian Abera Degu shares his experience at Platform Strategy: Building and Thriving in a Vibrant Ecosystem.
Password Changed
You have successfully changed your password.
Review this Program
You need to have taken this course in order to write a review.
Your Email Has Been Sent
Submitted For Approval
Your Comment has been submitted for approval.
Course Details
MIT Sloan Alumni Discount
To take advantage of your discount, enter the Referral Code ALUM20 on your application form. Discount is valid on all MIT Sloan Executive Education open enrollment programs held in Massachusetts and cannot be combined with any other discount.
Contact MIT Sloan Executive Education
Thank you for contacting MIT Sloan Executive Education. We will respond shortly.
Request Printed Materials
Your request has been received successfully
Change Password
Your password was changed successfully.
Reset or Activate Account
You will receive an email message containing a link to access your account and set or reset your password.
Download the Platform Strategy program brochure
Receive email updates on Platform Strategy: Building and Thriving in a Vibrant Ecosystem
Apply Today
Submitted For Approval
Your Comment has been submitted for approval.