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From sectoral systems of innovation to socio-technical systems

From sectoral systems of innovation to socio-technical systems  - Insights about dynamics and change from sociology and institutional theory.

 

The text provides four contributions to the approach of Sectoral systems of innovation:
1: Socio technical systems
2: Analytical distinction between systems, actors and the institutions
3: Making the institutions an integral part of the analysis.
4: Address issues of change from one system to another

 

So what is “Sectoral systems of innovation”?
In sectoral systems of innovation: “the scope of analyses has been broadened from artefacts to systems, from individual organizations, to networks of organizations”(Geels, 2004).

Sectoral Systems of innovations  has several approaches:

  1. Sectoral systems of innovation = Group of firms making products for a certain sector.
  2. Technological system of innovations = network of agents in a infrastructure generating technology.
 

Aim of the paper:  “contribute to the discussion about the kinds of elements and, especially, the dynamic interactions between them” (Geels, 2004)

There are four contributions:

  1. Innovations and users are both important
  2. Divide [resources, material aspects], [actors] and [rules and institutions]
  3. Pay more attention to institutions, they are often a leftover category in analyses.
  4. “Address the change from one system to another. “

 

Problem: Normal innovation systems only focus on the production side. This focus should be widened.
Proposal: Look at Socio technical systems, make difference between production, distribution and use of technologies.

 

Networks lengthened trough time, in the middle ages knowledge, capital and labour were located in the same place, now because of low cost transportations and mass production networks lengthened. à this leads to more different social groups (Geels, 2004). In this way Texel stayed quite traditional, lots of products are locally produced. Lots of services are provided by the islanders.

 

Also production and use are very separated nowadays. Creation of knowledge and innovation is more important than the user.

Cultural studies focus more on the user side than technical studies.

New technologies need to be tamed , before they can be integrated in the everyday life of the user. (A problem of user focused approaches is that the development of the technology itself disappears from view, it becomes a black box) (Geels, 2004).

Advantage Socio Technical approach: Evolutions in Technology and society becomes main focus.

Fine summarizing quote: “Like a film script, technical objects define a framework of action together with the actors and space in which they are supposed to act” (Geels, 2004). So new inventions need to adapt and get a shape which fit the user.

 “actors interact within the constraints and opportunities of existing structures, at the same time that they act upon and restructure these systems”(Geels, 2004). So existing structures are defined by the people, they can be adjusted by the way people behave.

“ST-systems are maintained and changed by activities of actors, on the other hand, they form a context for actions.” (Geels, 2004)

The actors change the rules of the game, example: One car company launches a green car. Another one follows. Then government introduces stricter rules for emission, forcing other companies to follow the green trend.

 “A particular aspect of stability is network externalities. This means that the more a technology is used by other users, the larger the availability and variety of products that become available and are adapted to product use “ (Geels, 2004).

The more a technology is produces and used, the more is learned about it, and the more it is improved.

“Niches are locus of radical innovations. They are incubation rooms for radical novelties”.  So niches are places for trial and error, to avoid the normal path.

Niches don’t break through very often, but they are the starting points for change.

Examples of niches that did break through on Texel are: The Seaweed Centre and the Zelfpluktuin

Sometimes a radical innovation breaks through in mass markets. A combat starts with the existing system and might in some occasion replace it. This has also influences on other fields as infrastructers en users. This is a “period of restructuring”. Some actors exit and new actors appear. In the end a new stable system is generated.

Transitions from sailing ships to steamships and the rise of jet-engines after WWII are interesting examples of periods of change.

Interesting for transitions on Texel

Problem: normal innovation systems only focus on the production side. This focus should be widened. Proposal: Look at Socio technical systems, make difference between production, distribution and use of technologies.

This means that technologies and initiatives are already there, it is also about integrating and designing a way to make the innovations part of the lifestyle.  And this has all to do with the behavior of the islanders:

 “actors interact within the constraints and opportunities of existing structures, at the same time that they act upon and restructure these systems”(Geels, 2004). So existing structures are defined by the people, they can be adjusted by the way people behave.

On Texel a lot of niches broke through, think of the zelfpluktuin and the Seaweed Centre, they already passed the stage of trial and error, these sustainable initiatives are no longer niches but a new constant level.

 

Source:

Geels, F.W. (2003). From sectoral systems of innovation to socio-technical systems Insights about dynamics and change from sociology and institutional theory. Department of Technology Management, Eindhoven University, Eindhoven.