Digital platforms, meta-organizations that use technology to coordinate heterogeneous users (Kretschmer et al., 2022), are transforming industries ranging from healthcare and automotive to advertising and e-commerce (e.g., Kenney et al., 2019; Reischauer et al., 2024). For incumbents in these industries, the rise and entry of platforms bring new strategic challenges. They must decide whether to join existing platforms as complementors (e.g., Samsung with Android OS) or to develop proprietary platforms (e.g., Siemens with Insights Hub, formerly Mindsphere) (Subramanian et al., 2021; Teece et al., 2022). Such choices have far-reaching implications for competitiveness (Adner & Lieberman, 2021) and demand the active management of platform transitions—whether from product to platform (Van Dyck et al., 2024) or between platform generations (Vuori & Tushman, 2024). Platform transitions are not merely technical changes but complex leadership and coordination processes that unfold across organizational boundaries. Recent studies underscore the central role of platform orchestration in these transitions (Autio, 2022; Foss et al., 2023), referring to the mechanisms through which incumbents align independent yet interdependent actors to catalyze innovation and co-create value beyond the boundaries of any single organization (Adner, 2017; Altman et al., 2022).

Orchestrating platform transitions comes with distinct problems. Early-stage platforms, for example, face uncertainty regarding value propositions, roles, and participation rules; once a platform is created, building commitment through agreements, co-specialized investments, and shared governance becomes key; and mature platforms demand continuous adaptation to technological and market change (Foss et al., 2023). For incumbents, these challenges are amplified by the need to balance control with openness and to adapt internal structures toward more collaborative forms of innovation (e.g., Altman et al., 2022; Nambisan & Sawhney, 2011; Piller & Walcher, 2006). Platform transitions, therefore, extends beyond firm boundaries, and entail developing a compelling vision to attract partners and users (Dattée et al., 2018), occupying bottlenecks that constrain innovation (Hannah & Eisenhardt, 2018; Jacobides et al., 2006), and embedding platforms into established industry structures and regulatory contexts (Garud et al., 2022). Overall, effective orchestration depends on the ability to align strategic intent with the relational and institutional dynamics in a given industry (Gawer & Phillips, 2013).

Despite growing interest, many questions remain about how incumbents orchestrate platform transitions. In particular, how do incumbents coordinate actors with divergent goals and capabilities? Which processes and practices foster trust, alignment, and adaptability during transitions? And how can incumbents sustain legitimacy and momentum as their platform strategies evolve? This track invites conceptual and empirical contributions that advance understanding of how incumbents orchestrate platform transitions. We welcome research exploring the strategies, leadership practices, and governance mechanisms through which incumbents orchestrate innovation in platform-driven settings. By integrating insights from strategic management and innovation research, this track seeks to advance knowledge on the pathways through which incumbents can successfully navigate the journey from products to platforms and shape the future of digital industries.