Purpose This study aims to integrate core perspectives from knowledge management theory and platform ecosystem theory to develop an analytical framework that explains the types of knowledge collaboration that occur within platform ecosystems. In doing so, it seeks to bridge the gap between these two parallel research streams by synthesising insights from both literatures. Design/methodology/approach This paper employed content analysis to systematically review the content and contexts of 111 studies drawn from peer-reviewed articles published in journals rated 3 stars or above in the Academic Journal Guide 2024. Findings The analysis reveals a three-phase process of knowledge collaboration – aggregation, coordination and emergence – together with three platform-enabling structures in platform ecosystems –infrastructure, governance and generativity. The framework reveals a cross-level mechanism between actors and the system. Knowledge collaboration is not an automatic outcome of platform building, but rather a co-constructed process involving multiple actors supported by the platform. The platform’s infrastructure lowers the threshold for identifying and accessing knowledge and provides the technical foundation for aggregation. Platform governance, through rules and incentives, structures the co-development, integration and application of knowledge, fostering cognitively aligned communities and normative interaction. Finally, by strengthening feedback loops and encouraging recombination, platform generativity opens diverse innovation pathways and drives the continual creation of new knowledge. Originality/value The insights generated by this review respond to recent calls in the knowledge management literature for a deeper understanding of knowledge collaboration. Compared with classical models, the proposed framework emphasises the dynamic coupling among multiple actors and the non-linear interaction processes that unfold within informal structures. Moreover, this research contributes to platform ecosystem theory by unpacking the micro-level complexities of knowledge collaboration. First and foremost, it challenges the prevailing assumption that structure alone determines who collaborates with whom, instead highlighting the distinct analytical value offered by the knowledge management tradition.
Chen et al. (Tue,) studied this question.