Government as orchestrator: Ecosystem transformation at scale and speed

Research Summary Grand challenges are ecosystem challenges: success depends on aligning a multilateral set of public and private sector actors whose interdependent contributions determine whether a mission is achieved. This study examines how government can orchestrate ecosystem alignment by leveraging distinctive capabilities to deliver solutions at scale with urgency. Using an ecosystem‐as‐structure analytic approach, it draws on Operation Warp Speed, the U.S. government COVID‐19 vaccine initiative, to surface mechanisms and dynamics of ecosystem transformation. The analysis introduces coordinative fiat as a mode of coordination distinct from hierarchy, coercion, or market signals; considers the choices involved in designing a purpose‐built orchestrating entity; links orchestration of the external ecosystem to reconfiguration of the orchestrator's own internal ecosystem; and identifies orchestration capacity as a key constraint on ecosystem strategy. Managerial Summary Grand challenges are ecosystem challenges: success depends on aligning a multilateral set of public and private sector actors whose interdependent contributions determine whether a mission is achieved. The Operation Warp Speed COVID‐19 vaccine initiative demonstrates how government can drive alignment at speed and scale to address such challenges. The analysis highlights four lessons for leaders: (i) the use of coordinative fiat to align independent actors without relying on hierarchy or coercion; (ii) the design of orchestrating entities; (iii) linking transformation of external ecosystems to the transformation of internal ecosystems; and (iv) strategizing orchestration capacity as a key constraint on scope. While the discussion is anchored in the public sector, it holds clear implications for private‐sector initiatives as well.