Data Governance in Digital Platforms : A case analysis in the building sector

Abstract: Data are often the foundation of digital innovation and are seen as a highly valuable asset for any organization. Many companies aim to put data at the core of their business, but struggle with regulating data in complex environments. Data governance becomes an integral part for data-driven business. However, only a minority of companies fully engage in data governance. Research also lacks knowledge about data governance in complex environments such as digital platforms. Therefore, this thesis examines the role of data governance in digital platforms, by researching the conceptual characteristics of platform data governance. The iterative taxonomy development process by Nickerson et al. (2013) has been used to classify the characteristics of platform data governance. The results are derived from existing literature and motivated by new insights from expert interviews as well as a case analysis of a real-life platform. The final taxonomy shows that the conceptual characteristics of platform data governance are based on the dimensions purpose, platform data, responsibilities, decision domains and compliance. The findings address challenges of data governance in inter organizational settings and help practitioners to define their own data governance. Additionally, the thesis highlights the potential for future research.