Building Ecosystem Partnerships That Deliver Concrete Business Results

1. Executive Summary

Most ecosystem partnerships die after the press-release glow. Ericsson flipped the script with a five-step playbook: choose partners for strategic fit, define roles with precision, co-create outcome-led solutions, build a joint execution model, and codify what works. The approach cut sales cycles, opened doors in manufacturing, ports, mining and energy, and embedded partner execution into every go-to-market motion.

2. Business Challenge

Ecosystem talk is everywhere, yet most partnerships stall at the press-release stage—high on optics, low on business impact. Three structural flaws keep repeating:

• Brand over fit. Partners chosen for logo value rather than domain relevance and shared go-to-market priorities.
• Surface-level activity. Co-marketing replaces co-creation; field teams see little that helps them sell.
• No shared engine. Without a joint operating model, accountability vanishes and partnerships drift into HQ-only showcases.

At Ericsson, these gaps translated into longer sales cycles, slow entry into trust-intensive verticals such as manufacturing, ports, mining and energy, and fragmented ownership across regions and functions.

Key question: How do you design ecosystem partnerships that deliver measurable commercial outcomes—shorter sales cycles, new-market access and repeatable execution—rather than another ceremonial alignment?

3. Strategic Response

At Ericsson, we repositioned ecosystem development as a business-building capability. We operationalized a repeatable approach for selecting the right partners, co-creating outcome-based solutions, and driving joint execution to market.

Our goals were to:

• Accelerate access to new markets via partner trust and reach
• Develop co-created value propositions relevant to verticals like manufacturing, ports, mining, and energy
• Build operating models for joint execution—so the ecosystem wasn’t bolted on, but built in

4. Key Initiatives and Execution

We developed a five-part playbook based on lived experience:

1. Strategic Fit over Brand Fit

• Selected partners for domain relevance, technical complementarity, and GTM alignment
• Avoided vanity partnerships; focused on those that helped solve concrete customer problems

2. Define Roles with Clarity

• Mapped partner roles across co-innovation, validation, and market access
• Created “who does what” blueprints for every motion—strategic and operational

3. Co-Create, Don’t Just Co-Market

• Developed use-case-led solutions in co-design sprints
• Avoided vague “5G + Partner” stories; focused on customer outcomes (e.g., mine safety, port automation)

4. Build a Joint Execution Model

• Defined shared metrics (pipeline, win rates, influence)
• Set up joint governance with escalation paths and regular field engagement
• Trained sales and marketing teams to operationalize the partnerships

5. Codify and Scale What Works

• Documented GTM playbooks and co-sell wins
• Created templates for partner onboarding, field enablement, and storytelling

5. Results and Outcomes

6. Frameworks Applied

• Ron Adner’s Wide Lens
  Helped map co-innovation and adoption chain risks. Partners weren’t just channel extenders—they reduced ecosystem risk.
• Business Model Canvas (Osterwalder & Pigneur)
  Used to co-design joint value propositions, especially the partner network, customer segments, and value delivery mechanisms.
• Strategic Alliances Typology (Doz & Hamel)
  Clarified whether the partnership goal was co-marketing, co-innovation, or market entry—and helped align roles and incentives accordingly.
• Outcome-Driven Innovation (Ulwick)
  Anchored co-creation sessions around customer outcomes, not product integrations or generic messaging.

7. Pitfalls and Lessons Learned

1. Selecting Partners Based on Brand, Not Strategic Fit

Companies often pursue ecosystem partners for brand value or name recognition. While visibility helps, partnerships without complementary value rarely deliver results.

Lesson: Prioritize ecosystem fit over logo value. The most impactful partners are those that bring domain relevance, GTM alignment, and shared incentives—not just brand equity.

2. Ambiguity in Roles and Responsibilities

When roles in the partnership are unclear—whether in co-innovation, sales motion, or customer ownership—execution suffers.

Lesson: Define roles with surgical precision. Map co-design, validation, and GTM activities across both organizations, and align expectations from the start.

3. Lack of Field-Level Enablement

Ecosystem strategies often stall when partnerships are only understood at HQ. Field teams struggle to operationalize what the partnership means in real accounts.

Lesson: Train and equip account teams on how to leverage the partnership. Provide joint value stories, shared collateral, and customer-facing playbooks.

4. Governance and Accountability Gaps

Without structured governance, partnerships drift—either into inaction or political friction.

Lesson: Establish clear governance rhythms, KPIs, and escalation paths. Success requires shared accountability and real-time coordination.

5. Failing to Codify and Scale What Works

Many organizations fail to capture and replicate the tactics that worked in successful partnerships, losing momentum and learning.

Lesson: Codify success stories, artifacts, and tactics. Build reusable partner blueprints and share best practices widely across regions and teams.

8. Ideal Use Cases

This case is ideal for organizations that want to:

• Move beyond symbolic partnerships to commercial co-creation
• Enter complex or credibility-sensitive verticals through ecosystem access
• Align internal teams around a repeatable partner execution model
• Turn partner programs into a strategic GTM motion, not a communication layer

Applicable for:
Companies with complex go-to-market models—across B2B, SaaS, product-led, or services-driven environments

9. Key Insight

Ecosystems succeed when two (or more) organizations co-own a customer problem—and commit to solving it together.

Partnerships aren’t about alignment at HQ—they’re about traction in the field. What matters is shared context, execution clarity, and mutual accountability.

10. References

• Adner, R. (2012). The Wide Lens: What Successful Innovators See That Others Miss
• Doz, Y. & Hamel, G. (1998). Alliance Advantage
• Osterwalder, A. & Pigneur, Y. (2010). Business Model Generation
• Ulwick, A. (2005). What Customers Want: Using Outcome-Driven Innovation
• Iansiti, M. & Levien, R. (2004). Strategy as Ecology, HBR

11. Appendix: Framework Critique and Limitations

Ron Adner’s Wide Lens

Strength: Reveals interdependent ecosystem risks beyond a company’s direct control
Limitation: Lacks day-to-day execution guidance; must be paired with operating model frameworks

Business Model Canvas

Strength: Excellent for value proposition clarity and alignment
Limitation: Too static for dynamic partner relationships—needs flexible documentation practices

Strategic Alliance Typology

Strength: Helps categorize partnerships and align incentives
Limitation: Doesn’t account for field-level breakdowns or evolving power asymmetries

Outcome-Driven Innovation (ODI)

Strength: Centers innovation on measurable customer outcomes
Limitation: Requires strong facilitation and real customer access to generate meaningful insight