The Role of Spaces and Occasions in the Transformation of Information Technologies - Lessons from the Social Shaping of IT Systems for Manufacturing in a Danish Context

This article takes as its point of departure the view that technological change is a social process involving negotiations between networks of players. The paper aims to inform the debate on technology management by identifying the dynamics of spaces and occasions where technological change is addressed and politicized. It takes as its focus the development of the information technology (IT) systems for manufacturing, known as Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems in Denmark. These systems, which started out 30 years ago as a visionary concept in the US, are now in daily use in Danish firms. This technology has been moulded by the twin forces of stability and negotiability, with the interplay of supplier and user constellations set out in the context of the relative stability of company social systems. The article discusses three spaces within which the social shaping of IT takes place: the user producer segments, the company internal scene and technological context with the competing pull of mass production of software and company customization. Strategic possibilities are shown to be of a shifting nature with the occasions shaping technology appearing both as ruptures and emergent options which are restricted by the strategies of participating players. Consequently no single player has a natural position to manage technological change and it is suggested that technology strategies should be subject to open debate and exchange of experiences from a multiplicity of positions and perspectives.     

The rise and fall of self-service in Amsterdam trams: user–technology relations in a case of service innovation

The stabilisation of innovative technology depends on reconciling technological opportunities and user behaviour. This can be achieved by adjusting the technology to the users, by configuring the user, or by a combination thereof. This paper evaluates different strategies in a case of service innovation: the substitution of conductors with self-service machines in the Amsterdam tramways around 1970 and the various forms of fare-dodging that came along. To counteract fare-dodging, the transport company unsuccessfully relied on a strategy to configure users. Alternative strategies, notably configuring users through technological adjustment, are suggested to increase the chance of stabilisation. These observations and suggestions are related to the actual characteristics of services: given that transport services are immediately and collectively used, their misuse, if not corrected by fellow passengers, soon tends to threaten the aspect of stability. Emphasising service characteristics thus contributes to a better understanding of strategies to reconcile services and users.     

The economic contribution of information technology: Towards comparative and user studies

By what process does technical change in information technology (IT) increase economic welfare? How does this process result in increases in welfare at different rates in different countries and regions? This paper considers existing literature on measuring the economic benefits from information technology, emphasizing comparative issues and user studies. Following Bresnahan and Trajtenberg (1995), we call the invention associated with customizing the technological frontier to the unique needs of users in particular regions “co-invention”, placing emphasis on understanding how its determinants vary across users in different regions. We develop a framework for understanding the processes behind value-creation, demand-side heterogeneity and co-inventive activity. Then we discuss why these processes make measuring the welfare benefits from advances in information technology particularly difficult. We highlight the metrics currently available for measuring the economic pay-out of the IT revolution and identify which of these vary meaningfully in a comparative regional context. Finally, we finish with observations about further areas of research.     

The Story-lines of Technological Change: Innovation, Construction and Appropriation

The paper contrasts three story-lines of technological change, which represent three different ways to think about technology as a social process. Each story-line, or discourse, or narrative strategy, has its own special terminology and is derived from particular academic fields and intellectual traditions. And each has different ways of considering the forms of social agency that are relevant in relation to technological change. For the story-line of innovation, the relevant agents are the producers of commercial products, often referred to as systems of innovation; for the story-line of construction, agency is conceptualized as those particular actors that have an interest in a particular artifact and its promulgation. For the story-line of appropriation, the social agency is differentiated into various user communities. When we analyze the relations between technology and society, it is important to know which kind of story we are telling and which story-line, or narrative strategy we are following.     

The Story-lines of Technological Change: Innovation,Construction and Appropriation

The paper contrasts three story-lines of technological change, which represent three different ways to think about technology as a social process. Each story-line, or discourse, or narrative strategy, has its own special terminology and is derived from particular academic fields and intellectual traditions. And each has different ways of considering the forms of social agency that are relevant in relation to technological change. For the story-line of innovation, the relevant agents are the producers of commercial products, often referred to as systems of innovation; for the story-line of construction, agency is conceptualized as those particular actors that have an interest in a particular artifact and its promulgation. For the story-line of appropriation, the social agency is differentiated into various user communities. When we analyze the relations between technology and society, it is important to know which kind of story we are telling and which story-line, or narrative strategy we are following.     

Theory and practice of integrated impact assessment : The case of the western energy study

Four aspects of an applied technology assessment of western energy development are examined: the social and political context, the analytical approach, organization and management, and participation and utilization strategies. The value of technology assessments in addressing the uncertainties and value conflicts created by technological change depends in large part on organizational and management devices, particularly interdisciplinarity, external review, and participatory research strategies. While these approaches provide no guarantees, they help to compensate for inadequate theories and methodologies in providing integrated research findings.     

Creating marketing strategies in new technology markets: A study of the expert system industry

Technological innovation is widely recognized as a major factor influencing competitiveness. This is particularly true i n turbulent and dynamic IT markets. Consequently, the effective strategic management of technological innovation by companies is one route to securing their survival and growth. The focus of the research presented is the evolution of marketing strategies by innovators facing diverse competitive challenges in the expert system market. The study examined the role of strategic marketing i n the commercial exploitation of technology and how this role changes, especially after market launch. What was interesting urm the extent to which suppliers were not only designing new technologies but also creating business applications for the new technology. The acquisition of market know-how to devise end-,user applications was a vital ingredient i n securing a competitive advantage.     

Creating marketing strategies in new technology markets: A study of the expert system industry

Technological innovation is widely recognized as a major factor influencing competitiveness. This is particularly true i n turbulent and dynamic IT markets. Consequently, the effective strategic management of technological innovation by companies is one route to securing their survival and growth. The focus of the research presented is the evolution of marketing strategies by innovators facing diverse competitive challenges in the expert system market. The study examined the role of strategic marketing i n the commercial exploitation of technology and how this role changes, especially after market launch. What was interesting urm the extent to which suppliers were not only designing new technologies but also creating business applications for the new technology. The acquisition of market know-how to devise end-,user applications was a vital ingredient i n securing a competitive advantage.     

European TA-discourses - European TA?

Is there a balance to be achieved between national technological assessment (TA) activities and the European level? What are the potential benefits of the European-level TA infrastructure both for the Community's own R&D and for national TA activities? This article discusses these questions in light of the different ways TA has been conceptualized in Europe, particularly in the light of the current debate on social shaping of technology and constructive TA. As a member of the VALUE II Think Tank group, I have also included a presentation of the initiatives of VALUE II to strengthen European TA infrastructure.     

Technological change in niches: Auxiliary Power Units and the hydrogen economy

In studies of large scale systems innovations or technological transitions, niches have been given a prominent role as incubators for the seeds of future technological systems. It is often argued that immature technologies rely on niches for their development, before they are able to compete in mainstream markets. This paper combines insights from economic theory and from technology studies to formulate a framework for understanding the dynamics of technological change in niches, and applies this framework to the case of fuel cell Auxiliary Power Units (APUs). We conclude that the choice of technology for APUs will be of critical importance in determining the role this market could have in shaping future developments in hydrogen and fuel cells. However, a number of factors are not strictly dependent on the technology used in fuel cell APUs. These comprise factors influencing external economies of scale, network effects, the behaviour of users and expectations.     

信息技术投入、技术创新动态能力与企业绩效关系研究

基于我国制造业上市公司2012-2017年数据,实证检验了信息技术投入、技术创新动态能力与企业绩效的关系。结果表明：信息技术投入与企业绩效呈显著U型关系,企业信息技术投入需要经历组织变革转型期,才会对企业绩效产生促进作用;信息技术投入与技术创新动态能力呈显著倒U型关系,信息技术投入能促进企业技术创新动态能力提升,但考虑到企业资源的有限性,信息技术投入与企业技术创新动态能力之间存在最佳平衡点;技术创新动态能力在信息技术投入与企业绩效之间起到显著非线性中介作用。     

Measuring emerging categories of innovation: Modularity and business model

The oft-cited dichotomy between incremental and radical innovations is less important when we have to analyze how a new technology and its social institution coevolve. In this context, besides incremental and radical innovations, C. Freeman added two more categories of technical change: one is change in the technology system and the other is change in the technoeconomic paradigm.However, as the information technology (IT) revolution progresses further, we come to need more categories of innovations. In the computer industry, the concept of “module” is becoming a solution to growing complexity. In the new IT environment, we can be proactive in demand creation. It becomes crucial, therefore, whether the creation of new “business models” has followed technical innovations. In this article, we will try to demonstrate how these different categories of innovations, i.e., modularization and new business model creation, can be measured.     

新技术社会学:国外3种主要经验研究模式

新技术社会学于20世纪80年代在欧美诞生。这一理论认为技术是社会型塑(socialshapingoftechnology,简称SST)的。介绍了3种主要研究进路,即技术的社会建构方法、技术系统方法、行为者网络方法及其在案例研究中的具体应用。     

A coevolutionary framework for analysing a transition to a sustainable low carbon economy

This paper proposes a coevolutionary framework for analysing a transition to a sustainable low-carbon economy, based on the coevolution of ecosystems, technologies, institutions, business strategies and user practices, within a multi-level micro-meso-macro perspective. This builds on and develops previous coevolutionary analyses of long-term technological and industrial change, and recent renewed interest within ecological economics on coevolutionary approaches. Previous work has analysed how the coevolution of technologies and institutions has led to the lock-in of current high-carbon energy systems; and how the coevolution of physical and social technologies and business strategies has brought significant material and welfare benefits to the minority of the world's population living in industrialised countries. The coevolutionary framework proposed here may be used to undertake: (1) detailed empirical analyses at a micro-meso level of the challenges relating to the innovation and adoption of particularly low-carbon technologies; (2) as a framework for analysing the multi-level interaction of social and technological elements within potential transition pathways to a low carbon energy system; (3) to assess the implications for economic growth and prosperity of a transition to a low carbon economy; and (4) to assist in the development of more formal, multi-level evolutionary economic models.     

技术董事、股权激励对企业创新效率的影响

随着知识经济时代的到来，创新在企业经营中的地位越来越高，董事、监事及高管团队对企业创新战略的方向、组织和实施具有重要影响，研究他们对企业创新的影响变得必要和迫切。以2012-2017年沪深两市上市公司为研究对象，运用DEA-Tobit两阶段模型，分析企业技术董事比例和股权激励（分为高管股权激励和核心员工股权激励两个维度）对中国上市公司技术创新效率的影响。结果显示，公司技术董事的比例越大，上市公司技术创新效率越高；对核心员工的股权激励授予比例越高，上市公司技术创新效率越高；然而，高管股权激励授予比例与上市公司技术创新效率并无显著联系。     

技术董事、股权激励对企业创新效率的影响

随着知识经济时代的到来，创新在企业经营中的地位越来越高，董事、监事及高管团队对企业创新战略的方向、组织和实施具有重要影响，研究他们对企业创新的影响变得必要和迫切。以2012-2017年沪深两市上市公司为研究对象，运用DEA-Tobit两阶段模型，分析企业技术董事比例和股权激励（分为高管股权激励和核心员工股权激励两个维度）对中国上市公司技术创新效率的影响。结果显示，公司技术董事的比例越大，上市公司技术创新效率越高；对核心员工的股权激励授予比例越高，上市公司技术创新效率越高；然而，高管股权激励授予比例与上市公司技术创新效率并无显著联系。     

高管持股变动、技术创新与公司价值——基于不同产权性质的比较

以2012—2019年A股上市公司数据为样本，对高管持股变动、技术创新与公司价值的关系进行分析。结果表明：技术创新投入与产出对公司价值均具有正向影响，并且高管持股变动对上述影响具有显著正向调节作用。对不同产权性质公司而言，国有上市公司技术创新活动对公司价值的影响和高管持股变动对该影响的调节作用显著低于非国有上市公司。基于上述结论，从政府补贴、公司高管业绩考核和股权激励等方面提出相关建议。     

Past Futures: On the Conceptual History of Eugenics—a Social Technology of the Past

Based on an introduction to the conceptual history of Reinhart Koselleck, this paper traces the historical development of 'eugenics' as a concept. This concept has been immensely influential in shaping the debate on the regulation of human genetic and reproductive technologies. At the beginning of the 20th century eugenics was cast as a social technology associated with strong, almost utopian technological expectations for the future. By the end of the century it was by contrast seen as a dangerous threat, a potential repetition of the past strongly connected to notions of compulsion, ethnic cleansing and crime. In between these two points lies a historical development, traced here through the development of the concept of eugenics as rendered in Scandinavian encyclopaedias throughout the 20th century. In this process a larger and more complex semantic framework emerges illustrating the shifting relationship between experience and expectations.     

The organizational politics of information technology: Studies from the UK financial servies industry

The article critically appraises two recent contributions to studies of organizational change: processual analysis and the firm-in-sector perspective. These studies argue that managerial practice is intensely political. They also attempt to firmly locate that practice in its organizational and environmental or sectoral context. Drawing upon these studies the article examines the management of information technology (IT) in the UK life insurance sector. This examination uses a case study and sectoral research-in-progress. The article argues that organizational IT use and development is a politicla and social process characterized by tension and conflict between managers. This conclusion suggests that organizational studies of IT use need to develop more sophisticated theories of management and managerial practice. By so doing they may then be able to shed a more penetrating light on the relationships between managers, technologies and organizational change.     

Trends and opportunities framing innovation for sustainability in the learning society

Innovation, a broad social and economic activity within emerging societies, transcends any specific technology, even if revolutionary, and is tied to attitudes and behaviours oriented towards the exploitation of change by adding value. In this context, we analyse on-going paths towards innovative societies taking into consideration their sustainable development. The solution-space for innovation for sustainability is characterised by three dimensions: 1) the entire lifespan of a product; 2) the entire socio-technic network of which a particular plant is part of, or from which a particular product emerges; and 3) stakeholders and decision processes, including business organisations and strategies; and public institutions, policy and regulatory frameworks. All theses three dimensions are shown to be critically related with the social appropriation of a broad knowledge base, which calls our special attention to the systems of innovation and competence building shaping our societies.Societies and their organisations differ in their approach to sustainability. Distinguishing between different types of stakeholders helps to elucidate barriers to change, and to exploit the solution-space for innovation. The contributions in this Special Issue illustrate various dimensions of the innovation-space and their related knowledge base. The examples addressed support the conclusion that the framework presented has general applicability to analyse and foster innovation for sustainability.