Data Control Coordination in the Formation of Ecosystems in Highly Regulated Sectors

Ecosystems in highly regulated sectors, such as banking, are orchestrated through institutional policies and technical standards that ensure the interoperability of cloud service infrastructures. Despite such interoperability, actors must still coordinate distributed data control to guarantee that data are treated under equal conditions. Drawing on a case study of the Italian banking sector between 2009 and 2020, we investigate the coordination efforts of ecosystem actors in distributing data control across organizational boundaries and jurisdictions. We show that, despite the availability of interoperability standards, the distribution of data control creates tensions that, on the one hand, hinder integration efforts and, on the other hand, allow disproportionate value capture, together contributing to ecosystem failures. We introduce a process model that details how contractual and procedural coordination mechanisms can mitigate these tensions and facilitate value co-creation. We conclude with a discussion of the contributions and implications of our findings for further research on data control coordination.