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As digital disruption expands, many legacy businesses seek partnerships with tech companies to maintain competitiveness in the digital sphere. But instead of a centralized “hub” partnership, some companies find greater success through an adaptive ecosystem model, where partners develop significant projects or innovations together. This type of strategy requires imagination and flexibility.

Companies today will have to reinvent themselves to survive, and every large and ambitious company should be trying to figure out how to become a destination for its customers. Consumers are voting with their mobile devices and choosing from a handful of dominant “ecosystem drivers”— businesses such as Amazon and WeChat, which become destinations for their customers’ needs by offering complementary or sometimes competing services — for each domain in their lives.

Is it possible to protect the environment and foster economic growth at the same time? Yes, according to these authors, who call for cooperative ecosystem management that goes beyond the win-lose negotiations that plague most environmental debates. They advocate a balanced approach that considers environmental and development interests simultaneously. After an overview of the Endangered Species Act and the controversies surrounding its implementation, Hoffman et al. suggest the economic benefits that can be gained from protecting endangered species. For example, some pharmaceutical companies see nature as one large R&;D lab in which millions of years of evolution have developed new products for human use. Some plant materials and plant by-products are stronger and more lightweight than synthetic materials. Food and animal stocks rely on genetic diversity. Wetlands can serve as purification and detoxification systems. And an increasingly urban population is more interested in recreational use of land, rather than logging, mining, and grazing. On the other hand, say the authors, economics should not be the sole criterion for determining the merit of endangered species protection. By moving away from an extractive view of natural resources, we shift toward stewardship; a shift in mind-set is crucial in enhancing economic competitiveness rather than diminishing it. To improve the implementation of the ESA, the authors propose: 1. Promoting economic incentives by reforming tax codes, establishing special trust funds, swapping government land for more valuable private land, and charging land-use fees for hunting, fishing, hiking, and camping. 2. Reducing uncertainty for affected groups by establishing fixed time periods and streamlining ESA procedures. This involves generating more information about species and ecosystems, encouraging collaborative problem solving, and providing adequate resources for implementation. 3. Allocating adequate resources for implementation by ensuring funding for generating information and training personnel. 4. Involving stakeholders in decisions by forming advisory boards of affected, interested groups and ensuring negotiations through federal mandates. 5. Moving toward ecosystem management by making science-based decisions, involving stakeholders, articulating social values, and planning for the long term. A broad look at all aspects of ecosystem management -- economic, environmental, and political -- will foster environmental protection along with economic growth.

To prepare for digital disruption, companies need to consider which of four business models to adapt.

Leaders can avoid labor disputes by communicating with employees and seeking their input in corporate governance.

LinkedIn data shows that a skills-first talent strategy can improve employee hiring, upskilling, and retention.

Managers must seek and cultivate new skills in the IT workforce to create digital business value.

The most effective human capital investment initiatives have a common core: opportunity.

Digital ecosystem growth depends on two partnering capabilities: digital readiness and curation.

A new framework aims to help leaders balance individual flexibility with group effectiveness in hybrid work structures.