Designing Early Warning Systems for Digital Gazelles : An Echelon-led Approach

Title data

Watkowski, Laura Marie-Luise ; Francisco, Rosemary ; Oosterwyk, Grant:
Designing Early Warning Systems for Digital Gazelles : An Echelon-led Approach.
In: Proceedings of the 46th International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS). - Nashville, USA , 2025

Official URL:

Abstract in another language

High failure rates among born- or grown-digital startups—so-called digital gazelles—limit innovation and economic development, often due to an inability to anticipate risks in volatile environments. While early warning systems (EWS) can support more timely and informed decisions, existing frameworks are typically ill-suited to the fast-paced, resource-constrained reality of digital gazelles. This study applies the Design Echelons methodology to structure the development of an EWS tailored to these ventures. We identify six aggregated dimensions informed by literature and interviews, contributing to the problem statement and Echelon I. From these, we derive six meta-requirements and twelve design principles as part of Echelon II. Our contributions include: a contextualized understanding of risk-related challenges faced by digital gazelles, design knowledge for future EWS development, and methodological guidance for structuring complex DSR projects. This work lays the foundation for EWS solutions that support the survival and scaling of digital gazelles in entrepreneurial ecosystems.

Further data

Item Type:	Article in a book
Refereed:	Yes
Keywords:	Digital gazelles; high-growth organizations; design echelon approach; design science research; uncertainty; entrepreneurial ecosystem
Institutions of the University:	Faculties > Faculty of Law, Business and Economics > Department of Business Administration Faculties > Faculty of Law, Business and Economics > Department of Business Administration > Chair Business Administration VII - Information Systems Management and Digital Society Faculties > Faculty of Law, Business and Economics > Department of Business Administration > Chair Business Administration VII - Information Systems Management and Digital Society > Chair Business Administration VII - Information Systems Management and Digital Society - Univ.-Prof. Dr. Torsten Eymann Research Institutions Research Institutions > Affiliated Institutes Research Institutions > Affiliated Institutes > Branch Business and Information Systems Engineering of Fraunhofer FIT Research Institutions > Affiliated Institutes > FIM Research Center for Information Management
Result of work at the UBT:	Yes
DDC Subjects:	000 Computer Science, information, general works > 004 Computer science 300 Social sciences > 330 Economics
Date Deposited:	08 Oct 2025 08:43
Last Modified:	08 Oct 2025 08:43
URI:	https://eref.uni-bayreuth.de/id/eprint/94832