PLATFORM
THINKING
© @bylulikibudi
What does Platform Thinking mean?
It is the ability to put platform-based mechanisms at the core of digital business transformations in any business.
We are Daniel Trabucchi and Tommaso Buganza, Professors at Politecnico di Milano. We study platforms with the passion of those who want to untangle the inner mechanisms of innovation.
Besides research, we teach at the executive level, advise and give speeches in international companies to find new ways to foster innovation.
This website brings our projects all together, willing to inspire innovation leaders through Platform Thinking.
In 2024, Thinkers50 welcomed us in its Radar list for work done with the Platform Thinking Ecosystem.
Reading Platform Thinking
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Platform Thinking
READ the past. WRITE the future.
Once a year, during the closing event of Platform Thinking HUB, we release The Platform Thinking Magazine, a summary of the our last year of research with a focus on the key trends of the platform world.
The first issue is titled “Platforms Renaissance”, published in October 2023, focuse on our research on how the S&P 500 companies used Platform Thinking to foster innovation, introducing the Platform Thinking Compass.
Download it for free here.
Our approach to “Platform Thinking” builds on top of more than 30 papers published in scientific journal like Journal of Product Innovation Management, Technovation, Information Systems Journal, Technological Forecasting & Social Change, Internet Research, International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, Creativity and Innovation Management, Research-Technology Management and many others.
You can find our papers on Google Scholar (Trabucchi, Buganza), or through our ResearchGate profiles (Trabucchi, Buganza).
Feel free to write us (daniel.trabucchi@polimi.it; tommaso.buganza@polimi.it) if you cannot access the papers.
On top of the scientific articles we also wrote and shared various dissemination pieces and blog posts:
- Redefining Innovation through Platform Thinking: A Recap of the "Platforms Renaissance" LinkedIn Live Event - November 24th, 2023
- Platform Thinking: cos’è, i vantaggi e perché si parla di Rinascimento delle piattaforme - EconomyUP - October 17th, 2023 (ITA)
- Rivoluzione digitaleIl cambiamento delle aziende passa dalle piattaforme - Linkiesta - October 6th, 2023
- #GenerativeAI, #ChatGPT, and the Opportunities for the #Education world: The Platform Thinking Use Case
- - July 28th, 2023
- TheNTWK Summit 2023 Report From Physical to Digital Experiences - July 25th, 2023
- Sanremo: un meraviglioso caso di #PlatformThinking - February 9th, 2023 (ITA)
- Platform Thinking: tutti possono fare innovazione, a forma di piattaforma (Il caso di Telepass) - February 20th, 2023 (ITA)
- 2023 European Digital Trends Report by TheNTWK - February 2023
- TheNTWK Summit 2022 Report From Physical to Digital Assets - August, 2023
- Perchè l'app Immuni ha fallito? - Will Media - May 21st, 2021 (ITA)
- Sanremo: dati, followers...e #PlatformThinking - March 7th, 2021 (ITA)
- The real frightening questions to ask about privacy and COVID tracking apps - April 13th, 2020
Pieces featuring Platform Thinking:
- Forbes: Embracing Platform Thinking: A New Mindset For Digital Innovators by Ted Ladd - August 22nd, 2023
- ZeroUno: Scopri che Platform Thinker sei - by Elisabetta Bevilacqua - November 30th, 2023
- Forbes Italia: Perché Airbnb è uno degli esempi più riusciti della cosiddetta platform economy - by Giovanni Iozzia - November 24th, 2023
- ISPOA: Platform thinking: come fare innovazione in azienda - by Raffaella Serini - November 23rd, 2023
- Economy Up: Confindustria digitale non c’è più: il segnale forte dell’incertezza italiana sul digitale - by Giovanni Iozza - November 6th, 2023
- Outthinkers Network: The Evolution of Platforms: Creating Value Beyond Digital Archetypes - by Kaihan Krippendorff - October 16th, 2023
- La Stampa: Osservatorio Platform Thinking Hub PoliMi: la potenza delle piattaforme per trasformare il business - October 16th, 2023
- Smart Week: La potenza delle piattaforme per trasformare il business - October 16th., 2023
- Il Sole 24 ore: Piattaforme, opportunità poco sfruttata dalle aziende - by Giampaolo Colletti - October 12th, 2023
- Blockchain Suply Chain Association: The power of Platform Thinking - by Andrea Frosinini, Erik Valiquette & Bob Gravestijn - September 2023
- Forbes Uruguay: Adoptar el pensamiento de plataforma ofrece una nueva mentalidad para los innovadores digitales - by Ted Ladd - August 23rd, 2023
- Il Trentino: Trentino Sviluppo lancia una nuova piattaforma per le imprese biologiche trentine - June 20th, 2023
LIVING Platform Thinking
Platform Thinking HUB is the innovation leaders’ community where to envision revolutionary digital business transformations built upon platform-based mechanisms. It is part of the Osservatori Digital Innovation of the School of Management of Politecnico di Milano.
The first edition, supported by 10 partners (Angelini Industries, Edenred, Epta, ENI, Gruber Logistics, Poste Italiane, Prysmian Group, SDF, Sintetica and Sisal), run from March 2023 to October 2023.
The second edition will kick off on January 2024, reach out if you want to know more.
PTH is based on the principles of Design Science Research, giving a space - through the Platform Thinking GYMs, to each partner to explore the potentialities of Platform Thinking in their organizations, by concretely working on an innovation or business transformation use case.
Find out more here.
Or click on the link below for the International edition featuring TheNTWK.
PLATFORMS RENAISSANCE
Thanks to the more than 1,8k registered participants
Opening & Platform Thinking and the S&P500 companies
Daniel Trabucchi
Tommaso Buganza
Marina Planas
Latest Trends on Platforms
Peter
Evans
Elisabetta Puglielli
A decade of Platform Thinking
Annabelle Gawer
Geoff
Parker
Marshall Van Alstyne
Anna Noakes Schulze
Lessons Learned from Innovating through platforms
Thierry Fabing
Oliver
Birk
Carlotta Dainese
Gabriele Rosani
Milja van’t Noordende
Symplatform is a yearly conference taking place in a phygital format.
It is a joint project developed by Trinity College Dublin, Politecnico di Milano School of Management, and Audencia Business School, founded by Daniel Trabucchi, Tommaso Buganza, Laurent Muzellec and Sébastien Ronteau in 2018.
Find out more here.
Symplatform 2024 will take place in September 2024 on Lake Como.
We design keynote speeches to increase awareness in the need for innovation and digital business transformation, focusing on Platform Thinking.
Our research and teaching background, at the intersection between innovation management, leadership, and project management, allows us to tackle also the human perspective in reacting to the (personal) change that innovation activities require.
We are used to deal with various and divers audiences, from executive level, to newbies in the world of platform, to tech experts and enthusiasts.
Our usual topics are:
Platform Thinking as a Strategic Innovation Tool
Reading the reality around us: capturing value through platforms
Embracing change: how platform thinking can help us remain relevant
WATCHING Platform Thinking
We designed and recorded 4 Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs) that are available on Coursera. The courses moves from the basic definitions of platforms (What’s beyond Uber?), to the principles of platform design (Designing a platform) and to the peculiarities of data-based mechanisms (Exploiting data through platforms). Then, we added a forward looking course on the role of disruptive technologies on platforms mechanisms (Platform Thinking 4 The Metaverse).
The courses are part of the Polimi Open Knowledge library and were produced by METID at Politecnico di Milano.
Click on the logo to reach them.
We do believe in the power of dissemination of scientific knowledge. Therefore, we scripted, recorded and edited short videos that aim to make all our scientific papers in the field of platforms understandable and accessible to a wider audience.
The "Platform room" is the format we designed for this purpose. Short videos (up to 5 minutes) that ask a question on the world of platforms and answer through our research findings. You can find them on YouTube.
LISTENING TO Platform Thinking
Talking about Platforms is the podcast where we present and discuss relevant discoveries from the field of platform research.
The hosts of the podcast are Philip Meier, Daniel Trabucchi and Tommaso Buganza. We welcome in each episode a platform-expert presenting his/her latest paper, project or insights.
The mission of the podcast is to facilitate the dissemination of platform research to a wider audience, going beyond the academic boundaries and to present top scientific papers in an easy, understandable and enjoyable way, while fostering a critical discussion.
The podcast is available on the major platforms (Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, Google Podcasts) link are here.
Guests of the first two season are: Annabelle Gawer, Peter C. Evans,
Joost Rietveld, Mareike Möhlmann, Martin Kenney, Antonella Moretto, Pinar Ozcan, Grace Gu, Milan Miric, John Zysman, Vili Lehdonvirta, Hanna Halaburda, Rebecca Karp, Elizabeth J. Altman, JP Vergne, Andreas Hein, Llewellyn Thomas and Ted Ladd.
The third season is now airing.
Platform Thinkings lives also through the interviews and chat with people around the world that invited us to share our views, ideas and insights.
Podcasts and Video Interviews
- Un nuovo modo di fare innovazione in azienda @ Consulenti del lavoro - January 2024
- Platform Thinking: come fare innovazione in azienda @ IPSOA Risorse Nuove - November 2023
- Intervista @ LIbreria ItalyPost - November 2023
- BSCA Blockchain Supply Chain Aassociation: Big Impact with Daniel Trabucchi and Tommaso Bunganza - July 2023
- Video interview with MediaSpace - July 2023
- Platform Thinking @ TheNTWK Talks - June 2023
- Interview with Tom McFadyen - May 2023
Reach out if you would like to feature us in your podcast.
STUDYING Platform Thinking
”Platform Thinking” is part of our teaching activities at Politecnico di Milano, through differente courses and formats.
Master of Science @ Politecnico di Milano
- “Platform Thinking” since A.Y. 2022-2023 (previously “Managing Technology Disruption)
- ”Platform Thinking in the Metaverse” as Passion in Action (A.Y. 2022-2023).
POLIMI Graduate School of Management
- Online Certification Program: “Platform Thinking for Innovation” (In Italian) - New edition starts in March 2023
- Elective course for MBAs and EMBAs
- Ad hoc corporate courses
PRACTICING Platform Thinking
Based on our research we developed two toolkits to support innovation leaders in designing and fostering innovation through Platform Thinking.
Platform Thinking Business Model Canvas offers a concrete support in designing and representing the basic architecture of a platform and its overarching business model.
Platform Thinking Toolkit offers a concrete support in assessing the idle assets of an established organization to see platforms as a powerful way to foster innovation.
They are available for free on Miro, in the Miroverse
PlatformThinkingGPT is the Gen AI tool based on OpenAI’s ChatGPT that leverages our knowledge on Platform Thinking to established professionals in understanding where to apply platform thinking in their organization.
PlatformThinkingGPT is in its beta version, if you’d like to join the experiment and try it out write us!
Who We Are & Contacts
Daniel Trabucchi is Senior Assistant Professor at the School of Management, Politecnico di Milano. He also serves as a senior researcher in the LEADIN’Lab, the Laboratory for LEAdership, Design, and INnovation. His research interests are focused on innovation management, especially focused on Platform Thinking and the Human-Side of Innovation.
He has been featured in the Thinkers50 Radar list in 2024.
He co-founded Symplatform in 2018, the international conference on digital platforms that aims to match scholars and practitioners in the field.
He the co-founder and Scientific Director of Platform Thinking HUB, the community of innovation leaders focusing on platforms, of the Osservatori Digital Innovation of the School of Management of Politecnico di Milano.
He is Scientific Director of IDeaLs, the global research platform founded by Politecnico di Milano aiming to develop innovative ways to engage people in transformation processes.
He authored more than 70 scientific articles, considering peer-reviewed journal articles, conference proceedings, and book chapters. He is part of the Scientific Committee of the EIASM Innovation Product Development Management Conference (IPDMC), Board Member of CINet (Continuos Innovation Network) and Associate Editors Creativity and Innovation Management.
He teaches Innovation, Leadership and (Agile) Project Management at various levels, from bachelor's to masters, MBAs, Executive MBAs, and corporate classes. He is the director of the International Part Time MBA of the POLIMI Graduate School of Management.
Moreover, he is often involved in advisory projects and keynote speeches with national and multinational organizations in innovation and transformation management.
Stay in touch through LinkedIn or send an email to Daniel.Trabucchi@polimi.it
Tommaso Buganza is Full Professor of Leadership and Innovation at the School of Management of Politecnico di Milano. He is also co-founder of LEADIN'Lab, the Laboratory for Leadership, Design, and Innovation. He is a lecturer in Innovation Management and Project Management, responsible for the Project Management Academy, and coordinator of the innovation and training area at POLIMI Graduate School og Management. He teaches innovation management, project management, and organizational behavior at various levels, from bachelors to MBAs, Executive MBAs, and corporate classes.
He has been featured in the Thinkers50 Radar list in 2024.
He is the chairperson of the International Product Development Management Conference EIASM-IPDMC.
He co-founded Symplatform in 2018, the international conference on digital platforms that aims to match scholars and practitioners in the field.
He the co-founder and Scientific Director of Platform Thinking HUB, the community of innovation leaders focusing on platforms, of the Osservatori Digital Innovation of the School of Management of Politecnico di Milano.
He co-founded and is on the scientific board of IDeaLs, the global research platform founded by Politecnico di Milano aiming to develop innovative ways to engage people in transformation processes.
He authored more than 100 scientific articles, considering peer-reviewed journal articles, conference proceedings, and book chapters. His research has been published in relevant and recognized peer-reviewed journals such as Journal of Product Innovation Management, Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Research-Technology Management, Creativity and Innovation Management, Technology Analysis and Strategic Management, International Journal of Project Management, and European Journal of Innovation Management; he is also a reviewer for many of these journals.
Stay in touch through LinkedIn or send an email to Tommaso.Buganza@polimi.it