Generativity and the Paradox of Stability and Flexibility in a Platform Architecture : A Case of the Oracle Cloud Platform

Sun, Ruonan and Gregor, Shirley and Fielt, Erwin (2021) Generativity and the Paradox of Stability and Flexibility in a Platform Architecture : A Case of the Oracle Cloud Platform. Information and Management, 58 (8): 103548. ISSN 0378-7206

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Abstract

Generativity is a technology’s capability of producing new outputs without input from the originator. Platforms are important technologies that embrace generativity. While the literature generally assumes that generativity arises from platform governance and high-level platform design, we propose that generativity also arises from a platform’s three architectural components: the base, the interface, and the add-ons. Drawing on a case study of the Oracle Cloud Platform, we reveal how generativity emerges through the paradox of stability and flexibility in a platform’s architectural components. Further, standardization navigates this paradox by coordinating the dependencies between stability and flexibility across heterogeneous stakeholders.