Saturday 5 May 2012

Socio-technical systems dynamics

The following discussion items were noted from Geels and Kemp (2007) on socio-technical systems dynamics:

  1. Systems at the sectoral level are socio-technical systems, comprising a cluster of elements, e,g, technology, science, regulation, user practices, markets, cultural meaning, infrastructure, production and supply networks. These elements are managed by supply-side actors and demand-side actors.
  2. The socio-technical systems can be examined with three inter-related analytic dimensions:
    • Socio-technical systemss
    • Socio-technical regime (rules):  the cognitive routines that  are shared in a community of engineers, which guide their R&D activities
    • Actors and social groups embedded  in networks
  3. Niches are important as the locus of radical innovations around which new systems may develop. Niches may be viewed as a micro-level phenomenon, interacting with the established regimes at the meso-level, within a macro-landscape.
  4. The macro-level is formed by the sociotechnical landscape, which refers to aspects  of the exogenous environment beyond actors' direct influence.
  5. System innovations, from the multi-level perspective, come about through the interplay between processes at different levels in different phases.
A simplified diagram on the key concepts in a dynamic mult-level perspective on system innovation:



You need to study Geels and Kemp (2007) for a detailed exposition of their ideas. This conceptual model is relevant to the subject of Research in IT (NCC).


References
  1. Geels, F.W. and Kemp, R. (2007) "Dynamics in socio-technical systems: Typology of change processes and contrasting case studies" Technolog in Society 29, pp. 441-455.
  2. Related article (pdf) on socio-technical systems: article 1: http://www2.sa.unibo.it/summer/testi/17_verganti/Geels2004.pdf; article 2: http://www.azc.uam.mx/socialesyhumanidades/06/departamentos/relaciones/Pdf.%20De%20curso%20de%20MESO/Malerba2002-Sistemas%20sectoriales.pdf

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