Not Walls, Windows: Capturing Value in the Digital Age

Posted: 19 Jun 2004

See all articles by Samuel E. Bodily

Samuel E. Bodily

University of Virginia - Darden School of Business

S. Venkataraman

University of Virginia - Darden School of Business

Abstract

Much of strategy has been about defense, building the largest castle with the thickest walls to defend position and tying down the customer with switching costs, standards, and transaction costs. The digital age changed that, making ineffective the usual competitive advantages of size and scope, infrastructure, and the former capabilities. The metaphor has moved from walls to windows: for transparency, fresh air, connection, and some protection from the harsher elements. A proactive windows strategy assembles scale and scope collaboratively, creates relationships that make switching unattractive, develops intangible resources all along the value chain, and builds cospecialized capabilities. Illustrative examples come from three companies that have thrived in the digital age: eBay (a new company and industry), Lending Tree (new in an old industry), and Charles Schwab (old in an old industry).

Note: This is a description of the paper and not the actual abstract.

Keywords: strategy, value chain, capturing value

Suggested Citation

Bodily, Samuel E. and Venkatarman, Sankaran, Not Walls, Windows: Capturing Value in the Digital Age. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=556983

Samuel E. Bodily (Contact Author)

University of Virginia - Darden School of Business ( email )

P.O. Box 6550
Charlottesville, VA 22906-6550
United States
434-924-4813 (Phone)
434-293-7677 (Fax)

HOME PAGE: http://www.darden.virginia.edu/faculty/bodily.htm

Sankaran Venkatarman

University of Virginia - Darden School of Business ( email )

P.O. Box 6550
Charlottesville, VA 22906-6550
United States
804-924-6892 (Phone)
804-243-5023 (Fax)

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