Standards and innovation in emerging fields: Pushing breakthrough innovation or enrolling actors? An analysis of eco-district standards in France and Denmark

Standards and innovation in emerging fields: Pushing breakthrough innovation or enrolling actors? An analysis of eco-district standards in France and Denmark

[SHS:GESTION] Humanities and Social Sciences/Business administration

Standards

innovation

eco-district

design process

Standards and norms are central objects for institutional studies. However, their role in innovation and the creation of novelty remain unclear, in particular in new / emerging fields. Accordingly, this paper investigates the relationship between standard setting and innovation, in the context of emerging organizational fields. We consider standardization in emerging fields as a socio-technical process, which must simultaneously promote a certain degree of innovation and enroll actors in order to succeed. We apply this perspective to compare standardization processes in the field of eco-districts, both in France and Denmark. Our analysis reveals different tensions, tradeoffs and priorities, among standards, between enrolment priorities, and the need to push forward technical innovation. We discuss how the two issues of constraints and enrollment can be articulated and combined.

Acquier, Aurélien

Boxenbaum, Eva

Pinheiro-Croisel, Rebecca

Standards and innovation in emerging fields: Pushing breakthrough innovation or enrolling actors? An analysis of eco-district standards in France and Denmark

Academy of Management Meeting 2011

2011-06

ENG

conference proceeding

http://halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr/halshs-00743376

http://halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr/docs/00/74/33/76/PDF/Standards_and_innovation_in_emerging_fields_Acquier_Boxenbaum_Pinheiro-Croisel.pdf

United States