Exploring the Mechanism for Value Cocreation Ecosystem of Industrial Internet Platforms: A System Dynamics Approach

Abstract

Industrial internet platforms (IIPs) are pivotal to manufacturing transformation, yet their value cocreation dynamics remain underexplored. This study bridges this gap by developing a multitheoretical evolutionary framework and employing a rigorous mixed-methods approach, integrating empirical data from Chinese firms with system dynamics simulation. The model’s robustness was ensured through comprehensive validation, including extreme-condition tests, historical data fitting, sensitivity analysis, and strategy simulation. Findings reveal IIP value cocreation as a complex adaptive system, driven by three core factors—platform affordance, resource synergy, and actor-network governance—that interact via chain feedback loops, with their dominance shifting sequentially across the ecosystem lifecycle. Furthermore, multiscenario simulations demonstrate that the innovation-driven ecosystem, supported by collaborative governance, achieves superior long-term value creation compared to the market-driven and robust ecosystem, despite initial tradeoffs. This demonstrates that sustainable competitiveness is rooted in governance structures designed to continuously stimulate and fairly distribute innovative value. The research provides a validated theoretical foundation for strategic adaptation, offering insights for platform managers and policymakers in fostering resilient innovation ecosystems.