Ecosystem types: A systematic review on boundaries and goals

In the past few years, we have witnessed a reinvigorated interest by academics, practitioners and policymakers in the ecosystem concept. Recent reviews have set out to clarify the conceptual boundaries between ecosystem concepts. Yet there is still a lack of clarity when it comes to which ecosystem types can best help organisations achieve various goals. This systematic literature review advances our understanding of the conceptual boundaries between different ecosystems and, more importantly, identifies which types of ecosystems are suitable for achieving the goals. We focus on four commonly studied ecosystem types: business, innovation, entrepreneurship and knowledge ecosystems. The key findings centre on systematically demarcating the ecosystem types by accounting for (and distinguishing between) their conceptual boundaries and goals. The results show how multifaceted ecosystem goals are and reveal several shifts in the literature on ecosystem types over time. Our review establishes a thematic agenda for future research with practical outlook.