1 ETLA Muistio • Brief 15 • 19 August 2013 Due to increasing complexity in the trade of customized intermediate goods, inal products and services in global value and innovation networks, we envision the emergence of a new professional group: the Chief Complementa- ry Oicer. The rationale behind this concept is that the idea of complementarity in coniguring value oferings may be quite useful in regards to coping with these complexities. The brief proposes that irms and nations should devel- op analysis of overlapping systems of comple- ments and form their strategies and structures accordingly. The era of the Chief Complemen- tary Oicer emerges. Introduction We are experiencing a radical change to the Porterian ethos and are confronting a new di- mension of leadership. This change is necessi- tated by the emergence of new organizational conigurations. The recipe for success will no longer be contingent on how organizations possess or exploit resources in their existing business networks. A irm can develop novel capabilities through exploring and involving complementary resources from other value do- mains and platforms, including diferent forms of social capital (for introduction on comple- mentaries and their it see Milgrom and Rob- erts, 1995; Seppälä and Kenney, 2012). The time is mature for this change. The silent signals of digital productivity and individualization are supporting the new para- digm of coniguring organizations. At the indi- vidual level, new artefacts, behaviors and nar- ratives will emerge. At the irm’s productivity and value creation level, new forms of digital conigurations will materialize. At the organi- zational and leadership level, new models will take over. As a nation and for our irms, we need to be ready for challenges that may arise beyond the current visible horizon of transfor- mations and prepare for the radical challeng- es of the future. From the empiric’s perspective, the need for future organizational reconigura- tions arises from the need to master the multi- direction and critical intersection of agile inno- vation management. This need also stems from the lexible use of internal and external resourc- es combined with state-of-the art internet ena- bled supply chain and sourcing solutions. Framing theoretical foundations: Chief Complementary Oicer The contemporary understanding of how to build and conigure value and supply chains of diferent organizations is facing major chal- The Future of Internet Era Organizations – The Concept of Chief Complementary Oicer ETLA Muisiot tarjoavat ajankohtaista tutkimusietoa poltavista yhteiskunnallisista kysymyksistä. www.etla.i » julkaisut » muisiot ETLA • Elinkeinoelämän tutkimuslaitos ETLA Briefs provide imely research-based informaion on pressing societal issues. www.etla.i » publicaions » briefs ETLA • The Research Insitute of the Finnish Economy Muisio • Brief ISSN-L 2323-2463, ISSN 2323-2463 15 • 19 August 2013 This Brief is published as part of the ongoing project “Chaos or Turbulence in Digital Ecosystems” in collaboraion with BRIE, the Berkeley Round table on the Internaional Economy at the University of California, and ETLA, The Research Insitute on the Finnish Economy; and as part of the ongoing projects “Top Leader”, “External Resource Management”, and “Speed in Innovaion” at Aalto University. The authors thank Petri Rouvinen and Minna Takala for their helpful discussions and comments while wriing this brief. Suggested citaion: Seppälä, Timo; Vuori, Mervi; Laine, Jari & Eloranta, Eero (14.6.2013). “The future of Internet era organizaions – The Con- cept of Chief Complementary Oicer”. ETLA Brief No 15. htp://pub.etla.i/ETLA-Muisio-Brief-15.pdf Timo Seppälä is a Researcher at Etlatieto Oy, a subsidiary of ETLA (timo.seppala@etla.i), and a Researcher at Aalto University (timo.seppala@aalto.i). Mervi Vuori is a Researcher at Aalto University (mervi.vuori@aalto.i). Jari Laine is a Researcher at Aalto University (jari.laine@aalto.i). Eero Eloranta is a Professor at Aalto University (eero.eloranta@aalto.i).