A path for infrastructural ambidexterity: balancing reliability and flexibility in digital ecosystems

Sustainable digital ecosystems show that the reliability of general purpose IT functions can be successfully combined with the flexibility of customized applications with evident benefit for the economic performance of the resulting system. Theories on organizational learning and digital architectures provide conceptual frameworks to explain this phenomenon. However, the process through which such combination of complementary capabilities can be successfully exploited is still unexplored. In this paper, we adopt a practice lens to investigate the integration process of digitally enabled services provided by innovative startups into large scale infrastructures operated by big organizations. By focusing on the transformative paths for managing tensions in digital business, the study contributes to both research, practice and policy making in the area of digital innovation.