In the world of digital business ecosystems, you may no longer be playing solely in your traditional markets. Organizations need to think about the end-to-end customer journey in specific scenarios and the discrete value propositions that can be aggregated together via the ecosystem or platform.

In air travel, this might involve thinking about the overall passenger experience that cuts across airlines, airports, car rental agencies and hotels. In the automotive world, this might involve thinking about the future of self-driving cars and implications on road-side service, insurance, and other traditional services which can be re-imagined and re-designed.

As an example, the RAC is the U.K.'s leading motoring services company. Its recent acquisition of vehicle diagnostics specialists Nebula Systemsshows it's thinking about next-generation services for motorists that extend its business model from a reactive, labor-based model, to a more proactive, digitally enabled "predictive breakdown service." By acquiring and partnering with high-tech companies, the RAC is enhancing its ecosystem to react to the evolving needs of its members.