HomeResearch & Knowledgeback to HomeDigitalback to Research & KnowledgeCelonis: Building a lean digital ecosystemback to Digital

Case Study

Celonis: Building a lean digital ecosystem

By Carlos Cordon, Benoit F. Leleux and Marc Chauvet

16 pages

August 2022

Order this case study

Reference: IMD-7-2286

To maintain its position as the category leader in process mining and execution management, Celonis needed to be able to facilitate – or even automate – corrective measures on these processes to edge closer to process mining nirvana, i.e. a fully automated, intelligent and real-time execution management system (EMS). But how to determine the right balance between features that were best developed in-house and those that could rely on its growing ecosystem of partners? Would the team be able to manage the explosive growth following the onboarding of so many partners? Celonis had created tools to bring the Lean philosophy into the digital age, but would the new ecosystem be enough to launch it into orbit?

Learning Objective

Introduce the concept of Lean and how it is applied in the digital space
Illustrate how to assess an organization’s gaps
Showcase how to build an ecosystem of partners and some of the underlying challenges

Keywords

Strategy, Digital Transformation, Disruption, Entrepreneurship, Operations, Production, Lean Management, Ecosystem, Big Data, Process Management, Data Mining, Consultancy, Scale-up, Growth Management, Start-up, Technology Management, Digital

Settings

World/global, Germany
Celonis, Business Management Services, Consultancy
2015-2022

Type

Field Research

Available Languages

English

Related material

Teaching note, Video

IMD case studies are distributed through case clearing houses. In order to browse the collection and purchase copies please visit the links below.

The Case Centre

Cranfield University

Wharley End Beds MK43 0JR, UK
Tel +44 (0)1234 750903
Email [email protected]

Harvard Business School Publishing

60 Harvard Way, Boston MA 02163, USA
Tel (800) 545-7685 Tel (617)-783-7600
Fax (617) 783-7666
Email [email protected]

Asia Pacific Case Center

NUCB Business School

1-3-1 Nishiki Naka
Nagoya Aichi, Japan 460-0003
Tel +81 52 20 38 111
Email [email protected]

IMD retains all proprietary interests in its case studies and notes. Without prior written permission, IMD cases and notes may not be reproduced, used, translated, included in books or other publications, distributed in any form or by any means, stored in a database or in other retrieval systems. For additional copyright information related to case studies, please contact Case Services.

Contact

Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

This case study is part of a series

Celonis: Building a lean digital ecosystem
Celonis: The process mining unicorn

2023 John Molson MBA International Case Writing Competition - 3rd Prize

This case study is part of a series

Celonis: Building a lean digital ecosystem
Celonis: The process mining unicorn

Keep reading

Case Study

Mastercard 2023: Rewired for infinite optionality

Disruption Digital Strategy

By Howard H. Yu, Mark J. Greeven and Martin Králik

Case Study

La Marzocco: Espresso perfection

Sustainability Entrepreneurship Growth

By Benoit F. Leleux and Jan Van der Kaaij

Article

Phishing attacks are evolving. Here’s how to resist them

Improvements in technology have made deepfakes — fraudulent audio, video, and images — easier than ever to create. As a result, 2024 has seen a nearly 60% surge in phishing attacks. These attacks hijack our perceptions and our ability to distingui...

Digital Cybersecurity Technology Management

By Öykü Işık and Ankita Goswami

in HBR.org

29 October 2024

Article

I launched the AI safety clock. Here’s what it tells us about existential risks

f uncontrolled artificial general intelligence—or “God-like” AI—is looming on the horizon, we are now about halfway there. Every day, the clock ticks closer to a potential doomsday scenario. That’s why I introduced the AI Safety Clock last month. ...

Artificial Intelligence Technology Management Disruption

By Michael R. Wade

in Time

13 October 2024

Case Study

The AI paradox: Will generative AI enhance or destroy the business model of 99designs.com? (Cartoon case)

99designs.com is a global platform connecting freelance designers with potential clients. The case study examines the potential impact of generative AI on 99designs’ business model. The platform uses a crowdsourcing approach that invites designers...

Strategy Business to Business Digital Disruption

By Stefan Michel

Book

The Family Business Book

Families are the most prevalent type of business owners in any global economy. But succeeding across generations is tricky, and only a few continue to prosper across generations. The Family Business Book is your comprehensive guide to building a s...

Family Business Global Business Entrepreneurship

By Alfredo De Massis and Emanuela Rondi

Article

Founderful: ‘Ideas are a commodity. Execution is everything.’

In episode six of Tech for Good, Edouard Treccani, principal at Founderful, a Swiss pre-seed Venture Capital fund founded in 2019, discusses its mission to invest in emerging startups and support students at Swiss universities build great companie...

Entrepreneurship

By Jim Pulcrano and Edouard Treccani

in I by IMD

3 October 2024

Article

"Founder mode": che cos’è, perché può spaccare la Silicon Valley (e segnare la fine dell’era del management)

September 2024 marks a turning point in the world of corporate management. Paul Graham, a prominent figure in Silicon Valley and founder of Y Combinator, the most renowned global innovation incubator, recently published an essay on founder mode , ...

Family Business Leadership Innovation Disruption

By Alfredo De Massis and Paolo Lacchè

in Corriere della Sera

30 September 2024

Article

British Library Cyber Attack - 10 Lessons - Cyber Security

When the British Library fell victim to a major ransomware attack it opted for a policy of full transparency. Here we outline what government organizations, NGOs, and businesses can learn from the incident, especially if they rely on legacy system...

Technology Management Crisis Management Digital

By Öykü Işık

in I by IMD

30 September 2024

Article

Businesses are the new pawns in world's shifting political landscape

The US leads in military matters and finance, while China dominates manufacturing in a more fragmented and unpredictable landscape for companies.

Economics Geopolitics Disruption

By Richard Baldwin

in The National

26 September 2024

Mastercard 2023: Rewired for infinite optionality

By Howard H. Yu Mark J. Greeven and Martin Králik
Case reference: IMD-7-2455 ©2024

Summary

In the 2010s, card processing – Mastercard’s flagship service – started showing signs of commodification as new, nimble players (typically, fintech startups thriving on digital) entered the payment processing space, and customer preferences evolved beyond plastic cards and traditional contact payments. To re-energize its central position and its ability to capture value, Mastercard – as the incumbent – had to make bold decisions. The case details Mastercard’s approach to conceptualizing and building a global platform ecosystem that upholds the principles and design elements of modularity (i.e. interoperability and scalability) and optionality. Today, Mastercard's services, based on application programming interfaces (APIs), integrate with a variety of platforms and offer flexibility to businesses that require customized payment solutions. All along, the company has accommodated a high level of internal disruption. The case also explores the nature of Mastercard’s systematic collaboration with fintechs – players that often started out as competitors in specific parts of Mastercard’s value chain. It describes the company’s engagement with fintechs as fostering collaboration and co-creation and facilitating access; in other words, opening doors and sharing tools with partners. The case presents observations and quotes by CEO Michael Miebach, whose career trajectory at Mastercard – spanning Africa & Middle East experience, fintech partnerships, product management and the CEO role – sheds additional light on the philosophy and values that have driven the company’s transformation to a technology powerhouse and self-described original fintech.

Reference IMD-7-2455

Organization Mastercard

Industry Finance and Insurance, Financial Services

Available Languages English

Contact

Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

Related topics

Disruption

Digital

Strategy

Browse all topics

La Marzocco: Espresso perfection

By Benoit F. Leleux and Jan Van der Kaaij
Case reference: IMD-7-2603 ©2024

Summary

In July 2024 Guido Preti, La Marzocco’s sustainability manager, was preparing his three-year plan to combine La Marzocco’s ESG program with that of its new owners, the De’Longhi Group. Since its inception in 1927, the company had relentlessly sought to produce the perfect espresso machine through exceptional craftmanship, user centric designs and technology innovation. The company had grown from an artisanal builder of high-end professional coffee machines to a global player selling over 40,000 espresso machines a year to both professionals and consumers around the globe. In December 2023, De’Longhi Group announced the establishment of a global hub for professional coffee machines that brought together La Marzocco and Eversys. One particularly tricky question was how to align La Marzocco’s famed ESG reporting and sustainability program with that of De’Longhi Group while maintaining its best-place-to-work culture.

Reference IMD-7-2603

Organization La Marzocco

Industry Manufacturing, Machinery

Available Languages English

Contact

Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

Related topics

Sustainability

Entrepreneurship

Growth

Browse all topics

Phishing attacks are evolving. Here’s how to resist them