Geerten Van de Kaa

Delft University of Technology | TU · Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management

This paper studies the organizational hiccups that can occur during the development of technological platforms for complex ICT systems and focuses on an important part of the ICT ecosystem; committees that develop common ICT platforms. Given the diverging interests of the parties involved, it is surprising that consensus is usually reached in these...

This paper focuses on standards battles for photovoltaic technological systems. Five photovoltaic technologies are currently commercially available and it is still unclear which of these technologies will emerge as the dominant design. Based on the literature and on expert interviews, we develop and analyze categories and factors for technology dom...

In many markets, battles are fought over technology standards. Often, these battles result in a single standard that achieves dominance. Decision making in standards battles is complex due to the lack of insights about the factors that influence the outcome of such battles. These include the characteristics of the standard, the stakeholders, the st...

The literature has dedicated significant attention to the effects of standard-supporting, interorganizational networks on the content of standards and standard survival. However, minimal attention has been paid to the effects of the standard’s characteristics and dynamics on these networks. This paper contributes to closing this gap. We introduce t...

In this study, we apply a step-by-step approach for the identification of standards for home networking. We develop a classification and we use this classification to categorize sixty-four (sets of) standards. By developing this categorization, we have brought order to the chaos of home networking standards.

This paper investigates the factors influencing innovation adoption in ports by conducting a systematic literature review and proposes a comprehensive framework for understanding the process of innovation adoption. The maritime sector is a typical example of a business-to-business market, whereas the information technology industry is an example of...

Standards are ubiquitous in contemporary society and play a clear role in technological development, organizational functioning, and business success. Standards are very diverse and often boundary crossing in terms of stakeholders and impact, but are such diversity and range reflected by academic studies? We take stock of standardization research o...

In the data economy, data sovereignty is often conceptualized as data providers’ ability to control their shared data. While control is essential, the current literature overlooks how this facet interrelates with other sovereignty facets and contextual conditions. Drawing from social contract theory and insights from 31 expert interviews, we propos...

Responsible Innovation has recently been taken up in public policies and discourses. However, it remains challenging to institutionalise its core dimensions – inclusion, anticipation, responsiveness, reflexivity, and transparency – in practice. De jure standardisation is increasingly seen as an instrument to embed the core principles of Responsible...

This paper focuses on the battle for a dominant design for renewable hydrogen electrolysis in which the designs, alkaline and proton exchange membrane, compete for dominance. First, a literature review is performed to determine the most relevant factors that influence technology dominance. Following that, a Best Worst Method analysis is conducted b...

Mission-oriented innovation policy is currently gaining renewed interest as an approach for addressing societal challenges. One of the promises is that missions can mobilise and align diverse stakeholders around a shared goal. Recent literature underlines the importance of public participation (e.g. municipalities and civil society organisations) i...

Recent theoretical advances hold that platforms comprise a second strategic dimension next to size, called identity, which describes the platform’s techno- logical and market scope. Letting go of platform size as the main criterion for platform value opens the possibil- ity for platforms to pursue differentiation strategies with a distinct market p...

Standardisation is increasingly seen as a means to insert ethics in innovation processes. We examine the institutionalisation of responsible innovation in de jure standardisation as this is an important but unexplored research area. In de jure standardisation, stakeholders collaborate in committees to develop standards. We adopt the anticipation, i...

This paper focuses on the design of the wings used in airborne wind energy systems. At the moment, two different designs are being developed: soft wings and rigid wings. This paper aimed to establish which of the two alternative design choices has the highest chance of dominance and which factors affect that. We treated this problem as a battle for...

Automated vehicles (AVs) aim to dramatically improve traffic safety by reducing or eliminating human error, which remains the leading cause of road crashes. However, commonly accepted standards for the ‘safe driving behaviour of machines’ are pending and urgently needed. Unless a common understanding of safety as a design value is achieved, differe...

As the European Union announced the final rollout of the second-generation satellite for their Galileo Global Navigation Satellite System by 2021, stakeholders from comparable systems contemplate the potentially disrupting effects such rollout could cause. This paper explores the battle for standards that facilitate Global Navigation Satellite Syst...

Standards may be arrived at through various coordination mechanisms, including cooperation, coopetition, or competition. This article explores how technological uncertainty affects the coordination mechanism for standardization. The article is based on the Community Innovation Survey, a sizeable firm-level survey representative of the Luxembourgish...

In recent years, awareness and concern about global warming from fossil fuels have notably grown. This process of global warming can, in part, be circumvented by the usage of renewable energy technology in homes. Two protocols exist that can realize wireless communications between sensors and electrical appliances on the one hand and the smart mete...

This paper investigates the energy service companies (ESCOs) in China from the perspective of technological capability (TC) development. The conventional capability development model of manufacturing in emerging economies has been adapted to examine the four dimensions of TC (investment, production, linkage and innovation) through a qualitative ana...

This paper is about Airborne Wind Energy Systems, a promising new wind power generating system that, although technologically possible to realize, is not available on the market yet. Currently, many different technological options for the systems are being developed. One question for such systems is where to position the generator, on the ground or...

Responsible Research and Innovation and Responsible Innovation, as academic endeavours, have grown substantially since their birth in the previous decades. They have been used as synonyms on a structural basis, and both concepts have been studied from various disciplinary backgrounds. This paper identifies Responsible Research and Innovation's and...

As digital platforms are dominating the digital economy, complex ecologies of platforms are emerging. While the openness of digital platforms is an important theme in platform studies, the openness between platforms has hardly been studied. This paper explores factors that affect decisions by platform owners to open their platforms to other platfor...

This paper focuses on committee–market standards battles for the case of vehicle-to-grid technology in Europe. In this battle, standards such as CHArge de MOve (CHAdeMO) and Combined Charging System (CCS) Combo are competing. The paper identifies relevant factors with the help of a literature review and expert interviews. Furthermore, the importanc...

An important component of sustainable home energy systems is the self-sufficient generation and usage of energy. Although sustainable solutions to both generation and usage of energy in homes have been extensively studied in the past, the storage of energy has only scarcely been studied. This paper focuses specifically on thermal energy storage. Th...

In the past century, the amount of information that is generated has increased at an exponential rate. As a result of this information saturation process or ‘information overload’, people cannot keep pace with the information flowing towards them. Organizations can take steps towards sustainability by improving the health conditions in their organi...

Energy transition is affecting the European maritime sector at an increasing rate. New technologies and regulations are being introduced with increasing speed. The ability to adapt to these changes is crucial for the economic success of the maritime sector. However, the sector is challenged by inertia due to its global nature and long-life assets (...

Purpose This paper addresses the most important factors for the selection of additive manufacturing (AM) technology as a method of production of metal parts. AM creates objects by adding material layer by layer based on 3D models. At present, interest in AM is high as it is hoped that AM contributes to the competitiveness of Western manufacturing i...

This paper analyses how three facets of platform openness explain complementor participation in the video game console industry. Three facets are considered boundary resources, exclusive content, and the breadth of content offerings. This study focusses on the number of complementors rather than complements and makes a first attempt to measure plat...

Road transportation has been the dominant mode for inland freight transportation for decades. Rail and waterways transportation are less frequently used alternatives, but in general more attractive from an environmental perspective. Even though many policies promoting the use of intermodal transportation have been proposed, they have had little imp...

This paper explores capability conflicts in the deployment of decentralised energy systems and identifies the affected population. These systems have positive societal impacts in terms of sustainability and consumer empowerment, but they are not accessible to all and their deployment may increase socio-economic inequalities. The societal impacts of...

In future urban energy systems, smart grid systems will be crucial for the integration of renewable energy. However, their deployment has moral implications, for example regarding data privacy, user autonomy, or distribution of responsibilities. ‘Energy justice’ is one of the most comprehensive frameworks to address these implications, but remains...

Standards competition is a complicated process influenced by a large number of factors and mechanisms. This article develops a simulation model that draws on current theory of standards competition dynamics and represents the interplay of strategic factors that firms can use to gain a competitive advantage. The model is used to reproduce four publish...

Standardization can be achieved in multiple ways; firms may join forces and develop standards in standardization committees, they may compete directly on the market in standards battles, or governmental agencies may impose standards. This paper studies criteria for the selection of standards in a situation in which these three forms of standardizat...

This paper studies the battle between two types of wind turbines, the gearbox wind turbine and the direct drive wind turbine. Applicable determinants that affect technological dominance for the wind turbine drive trains case are identified. By applying the Best-Worst Method, the relative importance to the determinants to understand which of the two...

Proactively including the ethical and societal issues of new technologies could have a positive effect on their acceptance. These issues could be captured in terms of values. In the literature, the values stakeholders deem important for the development of technology have often been identified. However, the relative ranking of these values in relati...

This chapter provides new empirical proof for the relationship between education and research and argues that research can lead to education and the other way around. The two concepts re-enforce each other and can increase the quality of both. This paper adds practical relevance as a concept in this relationship. The paper offers several examples o...

Abstract The current transition towards low-carbon energy systems does not only involve changes in technologies but is also shaped by changes in the rules and regulations (i.e., the institutions) that govern energy systems. Institutional change can be influenced by changes in core values—normative principles such as affordability, security of suppl...

This paper aims to anticipate social acceptance issues related to the deployment of the smart electricity grid by identifying underlying value conflicts. The smart electricity grid is a key enabler of the energy transition. Its successful deployment is however jeopardized by social acceptance issues, such as concerns related to privacy and fairness...

The world is faced with various societal challenges related to e.g. climate change and energy scarcity. To address these issues, complex innovative systems may be developed such as smart grids. When these systems are realized challenges pertaining to renewable energy and sustainability may, in part, be solved. To implement them, generally accepted...

Different scholars have tried to forecast the total cost of ownership (TCO) of electric vehicles (EVs). These studies use different implicit assumptions. This research aims to develop a more comprehensive EV TCO forecasting framework based on a combination of literature review and interviews. The main finding is a framework of 34 factors that influ...

Smart grid systems are considered as key enablers in the transition to more sustainable energy systems. However, debates reflect concerns that they affect social and moral values such as privacy and justice. The energy justice framework has been proposed as a lens to evaluate social and moral aspects of changes in energy systems. This paper seeks t...

Platform market competition has been extensively researched, but the governance of the platform development process prior to market launch has received little attention. We develop a system dynamics simulation model using the avalanche game as a metaphor for platform development. We describe a typical platform development process, and show how this...

Smart grid technologies are considered an important enabler in the transition to more sustainable energy systems because they support the integration of rising shares of volatile renewable energy sources into electricity networks. To implement them in a large scale, broad acceptance in societies is crucial. However, a growing body of research has r...

Businesses are obliged to report all kinds of data to the government. In the past this was paper-based, and over time Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) types of solutions have been implemented. The new eXtensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL) standard seems to have replaced EDI types of solutions. This paper applies the Best Worst Method to id...

This paper proposes an approach to capturing and reviewing scientific literature addressing latent topics across multiple scientific fields. As latent topics like moral values are affected by word polysemy and synonymy, a traditional keyword-based approach is often ineffective and therefore inappropriate. As a result, scientific literature addressi...

This article focuses on the battle for dominance between various battery technologies in the residential grid storage market (< 10 KWh) in the context of residential energy systems and the related home energy management systems. We focus on five major battery technologies that are available in the market (lithium-based batteries, lead-based batteri...

Platform competition shapes and is shaped by a constantly changing socioeconomic context. Three trends provide evidence for this: (i) the number of firm level relevant factors for platform success is steadily increasing, (ii) contemporary cases of platform competition take less time to unfold, and (iii) industries converge. These trends suggest tha...

The transition to a more sustainable personal transportation sector requires the widespread adoption of electric vehicles. However, a dominant design has not yet emerged and a standards battle is being fought between battery and hydrogen fuel cell powered electric vehicles. The aim of this paper is to analyze which factors are most likely to influe...

Innovative systems and infrastructures require generally accepted common compatibility standards to enable components of such systems to interoperate. In some cases, various standards are developed by competing standards organizations, often resulting in standards battles. This paper focuses on factors that affect the outcome of these standards bat...

This paper studies the technology battle for biomass conversion in the Netherlands. Three types of technologies are currently fighting the battle for standard dominance: combustion, pyrolysis, and gasification. Twelve relevant factors for standard dominance were found: ‘financial strength’, ‘operational supremacy’, ‘learning orientation’, ‘technolo...

The process that leads to standardization in the mobile telecommunication industry has changed considerably over time. Where it was first a national process, it has gradually changed into a more global process, and the role of the government in the standardization process has changed from very influential to less influential. The role of the govern...

LED is now becoming the new standard in lighting solutions in developed countries. However, in developing countries, it is not yet used on a large scale. One of the reasons is a lack of established regional standards for LED. An institutional infrastructure for standardization is one of the essential elements for the establishment of common standar...

Standards consortia develop technical standards or specifications and promote these to reach market dominance. Research on competing standards has explored either firm-level or standard-level factors, but the dynamics of standards consortia and their survival have remained largely understudied. The pre- and post-competitive phase of standards conso...

In this chapter a specific aspect of complex systems, the fact that they may consist of established subsystems or components that originate from converging industries, will be described. To realize such complex systems, common standards with which the components of such systems can be interconnected are essential. A specific type of standard will b...

Next to the Journal of ICT Standardisation (JIS), three other scientific journals exist that address ICT standardisation. In previous papers we have analysed two of these, International Journal of IT Standards and Standardization Research and Computer Standards and Interfaces, in the form of a citation analysis. In this analysis the main issue was...

Creating commercial value through open data use in open data ecosystems is a wicked problem. This problem is characterized by a lack of specific formulation, complex interactions amongst a variety of stakeholders, a lack of criteria determining a satisfactory solution, including what constitutes 'value', and uncertain outcomes. Wicked problems cann...

There is considerable research on platform market competition. However, there is significantly less research on governance of the preceding stage of platform development prior to market launch. This paper proposes that the avalanche game is an appropriate metaphor for this. A typical platform development process is outlined and the correspondence...

Platform competition for market share can have broad ranging implications within or across industry sectors. It is subject to the complex and changing socioeconomic context in which it unfolds. Three trends provide evidence for this: (i) the number of relevant factors for platform market dominance is steadily increasing, (ii) industries converge...

In this paper we study the influence of the network of actors on the chances that a start-up will be successful in commercializing a platform. Scholars that study platform wars have conducted multiple studies of factors that influence platform dominance where the focus lies on factors that can be influenced by the firm (firm-level factors) and fact...

This study focuses on factors that affect the outcome of platform wars, and, more specifically, it focuses on (1) the technical characteristics of the platform and (2) the psychological characteristics of individuals affecting the emergence of dominant platforms. Essentially, the outcome of a platform war is determined by whether a large group of p...

We conduct a case study of the battle for market dominance between the industry platforms led by Apple and by IBM in the early personal computer industry (1977–1986). Platform leaders such as Apple or IBM need to consider many technological, strategic, and network factors in managing their industry platforms. We explore how platform leaders deploy...

This paper analyses to which extent research published in the Computer Standards & Interfaces (CSI) has a technical focus. It addresses three questions: (1) To what extent does CSI stay within its aims and scope in terms of research in computer standards and interfaces? (2) Are publications in CSI technical and if so to what extent do they cite res...

Competition between technology standards for market share is a complicated phenomenon where a large number of factors have an impact on the outcome according to the literature. Inevitably studying their influence, for example the timing of market entry, is a challenge. The generic simulation model presented here builds on previous work and is appli...

We increasingly understand technical artefacts as components of complex product systems. These systems are designed, built, maintained, and deprecated by stakeholders with different interests. To maintain interoperability between components, standards are being developed. The standardisation process itself is, however, also influenced by different...

Politicians have high expectations for commercial open data use. Yet, companies appear to challenge the assumption that open data can be used to create competitive advantage, since any company can access open data and since open data use requires scarce resources. In this paper we examine commercial open data use for creating competitive advantage...

This chapter discusses the notion of "responsible innovation" and "value sensitive design". It applies these notions to standardization and more specifically to standard selection. Based on earlier research (Van de Kaa, 2013; Van den Ende, Van de Kaa, Den Uyl, & De Vries, 2012), it is proposed that standards should be flexible to facilitate changes...

This paper focuses on technology battles that are fought in network industries. The literature primarily focuses on battles that have occurred in single industries. With the convergence of industries, products that originate from different industries can be connected in technological systems, and battles are fought over standards for these systems....

Automation systems for buildings interconnect components and technologies from the information technology industry and the telecommunications industry. In these industries, existing platforms and new platforms (that are designed to make building automation systems work) compete for market acceptance and consequently several platform battles among s...

There is considerable literature on format competition with several review articles establishing lists of factors that are thought to apply broadly in such contexts. However, the literature is not unequivocal regarding some factors that apparently can have a reinforcing or balancing effect on format adoption and dominance. This paper attempts to tr...

The outcome of battles between competing interface formats shapes technology fields and implies success or failure for the companies involved. Recently, this journal published a paper, which proposes a new framework of factors that impact the outcome of such battles. We apply this framework to three format battles: for wired connectivity in home ap...

The fifth ITU-T Kaleidoscope event themed on Building Sustainable Communities took place in Kyoto, Japan, on 22 April-25 April 2013. It consisted of seven regular paper sessions, one poster session and two special sessions. This paper provides a summary of the special session on responsible innovation, value sensitive design and standardization for...

This paper examines the impact of interdisciplinary IT standardization research by analyzing the International Journal of IT Standards and Standardization Research JITSR. Three issues will be addressed: 1 What is the scientific impact of IT standardization research published in JITSR? 2 Are JITSR publications on IT standardization interdisciplinary...

In this paper we study the influence of inter-organizational networks on the likelihood that a start-up will be successful in commercializing a new high technology product. Scholars in the area of technology management have conducted multiple studies of factors that influence technology dominance where the focus lies on factors that can be influenc...

Research on standards battles primarily focus on battles that occur in developed economies. In this research we focus on standards battles in China. In particular, we analyse two cases in which, in China, two competing domestic standards were developed in response to international standards but where the domestic standards do not get diffused in th...

In this paper, we develop a working theory for understanding the effect of the business environment in an emerging economy on innovation. We focus on the private sector in China. We propose that technological ‐ and institutional regimes shape the types of innovative capabilities these firms can develop depending on the available internal resources...

In this short communication we provide an overview of research that has been carried out in the areas of technology management and standardization into the topic of factors for winning standards battles. We discuss the specific characteristics and features of these types of battles and, following previous studies, we distinguish between environment...

The literature on selection of interface formats is fragmented and does not provide an overall framework in which all relevant factors are included. Current frameworks are incomplete and focus on a subset of the total set of factors. In this paper we develop a more complete overview of factors based on the available literature. First, we perform an...

In this paper we explore the relationship between business networks and technology standards battles for dominance during the technology life cycle. Based on brief reviews of existing theory and research, we relate (1) standard dominance to the technology life cycle, (2) the business network to standard dominance and (3) the technology life cycle t...

Most literature on standard selection focuses on compatibility standards for single products or large but single systems that are developing, such as the internet or a telecommunications network. In this study, we focus on systems that connect multiple existing subsystems and new subsystems to form a new complex system. We hypothesize that in these...

In this study, we investigate the importance of factors that influence the process and outcome of standards battles in the home networking industry. Ten experts were asked to look back at the process and outcome of three standards battles. The empirical study consists of three parts. In the first part, the importance of factors is analyzed. The rel...

In this article we explore the changes in the structure and composition of networks supporting technologies during the phases of the technology life cycle. We conceptualize the technology life cycle phases by integrating two existing frameworks of Ortt and Schoormans (2004) and Suarez (2004). Based on theory, we argue that networks of actors around...

Most literature on standards selection focuses on compatibility standards for single products or large but single systems that are developing, such as the Internet or a telecommunications network. In this paper we focus on systems that connect multiple already existing subsystems and new subsystems to form a new complex system. We show that in comp...