How automotive firms enable value creation within mature innovation ecosystems: The case of Polestar

Complementors and their role in inducing and supporting the value co-creation of other complementors have rarely been in focus in innovation ecosystems studies. Specifically, the literature does not explain how a complementor can transition from a peripheral role to becoming a focal complementor. This paper explains how a peripheral complementor characterized by scarce resources and poorly aligned capabilities can overcome these obstacles through co-creation with other complementors and the focal actor of an innovation ecosystem. Through a qualitative case study approach, we show how a product-centric company, the automotive firm Polestar, entered a mature innovation ecosystem centered on the digital platform Android Automotive OS, thereby enhancing Polestar's onboard app development during the period 2018–2022. Using a thematic analysis, the paper shows how a complementor can transition to a focal position by creating and enabling a sub-ecosystem within a mature innovation ecosystem. The focal complementor is capable of aligning complementors to co-create value while simultaneously exploiting the focal actor's resources. The paper explains how the three mechanisms of strategic focus, agile practices, and capability building allow the focal complementor to maintain internal and external legitimacy and mobilize resources.