It is important to note that, to do the Building the Ecosystem process properly, the MNC must already possess a deep understanding of local capabilities, values, needs, actors, and socio-economic systems, as well as have formed a working trust with the local BoP community. In addition, it is expected that the idea or proposed business venture has already passed through a number of “filters”, including having received broad endorsement from the local community and having been assessed against locally-created metrics for well-being and value creation. Internally, the MNC must possess team members with experience in a number of methodologies, including participatory learning, asset-based community development, and baseline needs analysis. Therefore, it is assumed that firms have gone through an “Opening Up”-type process in arriving at the current stage. This process is not intended for companies with little to no history working in the local community and/or for incubating “externally-conceived” ideas (i.e., ones not arrived at in collaboration with the local community through participatory means).
In addition, the Building the Ecosystem process assumes that three structures are already in place: a “Core Team”, a local “base camp”, and an organizational or “knowledge” link between the MNC Team and the corporation. The Core Team should be comprised of a multi-functional MNC Team with extensive exposure to the local ways of life, as well as a core set of partners that are representative of the community. In beginning the Building the Ecosystem phase, the Core Team will likely have taken on additional local partners based on the idea selected (e.g., the originator and or key local proponents of the idea). The base camp serves as an interface point between the Core Team and the greater community, while the organizational link to the corporation allows the MNC Team to share and leverage its learning and knowledge throughout the corporation and to deploy firm knowledge to the BoP effort.
As with “Opening Up”, the model above suggests a sequential process. However, the four sub-processes that comprise the “Building the Ecosystem” phase are highly interdependent and overlapping. Indeed, the partner ecosystem should be viewed as a fluid entity, one that adapts and evolves as local needs and actors change. Bearing this in mind, it is important that both the organizational structure of the network and the mechanism by which partners are linked together be flexible.
The following sections are summaries of each of the four sub-processes.