Generativity and the paradox of stability and flexibility in a platform architecture: A case of the Oracle Cloud Platform

Ruonan Sun; Shirley Gregor; Erwin Fielt

doi:10.1016/j.im.2021.103548

Generativity and the paradox of stability and flexibility in a platform architecture: A case of the Oracle Cloud Platform

Ruonan Sun^*, Shirley Gregor, Erwin Fielt

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

18 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Generativity is a technology's capability of producing new outputs without input from the originator. Platforms are important technologies that embrace generativity. While the literature generally assumes that generativity arises from platform governance and high-level platform design, we propose that generativity also arises from a platform's three architectural components: the base, the interface, and the add-ons. Drawing on a case study of the Oracle Cloud Platform, we reveal how generativity emerges through the paradox of stability and flexibility in a platform's architectural components. Further, standardization navigates this paradox by coordinating the dependencies between stability and flexibility across heterogeneous stakeholders.

Original language	English
Article number	103548
Journal	Information and Management
Volume	58
Issue number	8
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.im.2021.103548
Publication status	Published - Dec 2021

Access to Document

10.1016/j.im.2021.103548

Cite this

@article{ae9308f5324d4b9582d3a35aec56b089,

title = "Generativity and the paradox of stability and flexibility in a platform architecture: A case of the Oracle Cloud Platform",

abstract = "Generativity is a technology's capability of producing new outputs without input from the originator. Platforms are important technologies that embrace generativity. While the literature generally assumes that generativity arises from platform governance and high-level platform design, we propose that generativity also arises from a platform's three architectural components: the base, the interface, and the add-ons. Drawing on a case study of the Oracle Cloud Platform, we reveal how generativity emerges through the paradox of stability and flexibility in a platform's architectural components. Further, standardization navigates this paradox by coordinating the dependencies between stability and flexibility across heterogeneous stakeholders.",

keywords = "Architecture, Flexibility, Generativity, Oracle Cloud, Paradox, Platform, Stability",

author = "Ruonan Sun and Shirley Gregor and Erwin Fielt",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2021 Elsevier B.V.",

year = "2021",

month = dec,

doi = "10.1016/j.im.2021.103548",

language = "English",

volume = "58",

journal = "Information and Management",

issn = "0378-7206",

publisher = "Elsevier B.V.",

number = "8",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Generativity and the paradox of stability and flexibility in a platform architecture

T2 - A case of the Oracle Cloud Platform

AU - Sun, Ruonan

AU - Gregor, Shirley

AU - Fielt, Erwin

PY - 2021/12

Y1 - 2021/12

N2 - Generativity is a technology's capability of producing new outputs without input from the originator. Platforms are important technologies that embrace generativity. While the literature generally assumes that generativity arises from platform governance and high-level platform design, we propose that generativity also arises from a platform's three architectural components: the base, the interface, and the add-ons. Drawing on a case study of the Oracle Cloud Platform, we reveal how generativity emerges through the paradox of stability and flexibility in a platform's architectural components. Further, standardization navigates this paradox by coordinating the dependencies between stability and flexibility across heterogeneous stakeholders.

AB - Generativity is a technology's capability of producing new outputs without input from the originator. Platforms are important technologies that embrace generativity. While the literature generally assumes that generativity arises from platform governance and high-level platform design, we propose that generativity also arises from a platform's three architectural components: the base, the interface, and the add-ons. Drawing on a case study of the Oracle Cloud Platform, we reveal how generativity emerges through the paradox of stability and flexibility in a platform's architectural components. Further, standardization navigates this paradox by coordinating the dependencies between stability and flexibility across heterogeneous stakeholders.

KW - Architecture

KW - Flexibility

KW - Generativity

KW - Oracle Cloud

KW - Paradox

KW - Platform

KW - Stability

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85137171765&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.im.2021.103548

DO - 10.1016/j.im.2021.103548

M3 - Article

SN - 0378-7206

VL - 58

JO - Information and Management

JF - Information and Management

IS - 8

M1 - 103548

ER -

Generativity and the paradox of stability and flexibility in a platform architecture: A case of the Oracle Cloud Platform

Abstract

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this