The Strategy Skills Podcast: Management Consulting | Strategy, Operations & Implementation | Critical Thinking

Venkat Atluri, McKinsey senior partner and coauthor of The Ecosystem Economy: How to Lead in the New Age of Sectors Without Borders, explains how value creation is shifting from stand-alone enterprises to coordinated networks of collaborators. Drawing on two decades advising leaders in technology, media, and telecom, he outlines what makes ecosystem businesses distinct from traditional conglomerates—and the governance required to make them work at scale.   Atluri emphasizes that ecosystems aren’t about diversification for its own sake, but about following a customer-led thread: “Start with the customer and then follow the thread—what other problems does that customer have that you can solve together with partners?”   Key Insights from the Conversation Beyond Suppliers: Many firms mistake a supplier list or procurement process for an ecosystem. Atluri is clear: “A supplier list is not an ecosystem. An ecosystem is about mutual value creation and sharing in the upside.” Role Clarity Matters: Some firms wi