Evolution of the ecosystem approach and risks of its application in logistics management with a state orientation to technological leadership

Technological leadership is a national development priority for the Russian Federation. Against the backdrop of accelerating digital transformation and increasing complexity of supply chains, methods that ensure flexibility, transparency, and synchronization in procurement and supply management (PSM) have become particularly crucial. Originally borrowed from biology, the ecosystem approach has been actively adopted in economics and socio-economic management to enhance participants’ interactions and realize synergistic benefits. At the current stage of the digital and data-driven economy, the ecosystem approach is progressively permeating business practice. We identify several fundamental principles underlying effective business ecosystems: co-evolution of participants, systemic coherence, realization of network effects, extensive user-base scale, high customer-contact frequency, and flexible architecture. These principles provide a universal foundation for understanding both the nature and sustainability of business ecosystems in conditions of large enterprises focus on technological leadership strategies. Special attention is given to exploring how the ecosystem approach can be applied to PSM amid vigorous digitalization. The study aims to trace the evolution of the ecosystem approach, delineate its core principles, and examine its application in PSM within large commercial enterprises and state-participated corporations. To this end, we conduct a comparative, case-based analysis that reflects the approach’s evolutionary trajectory – from closed, bilateral collaborations to end-to-end technological platforms that form the ecosystem’s core. Both successful and problematic ecosystem implementations are reviewed. We further identify key risks in deploying the ecosystem approach in PSM and propose mitigation strategies tailored to major private and state-affiliated organizations. Our methodological toolkit comprises a systems approach, retrospective analysis, benchmarking, comparative industry case studies, and content analysis of consulting reports and scholarly publications by domestic and international researchers.