Based on a case study of the development of an innovative technology in the central heating industry, Dr Wiegmann’s dissertation shows how standards contribute to the foundations on which innovation can be built. The same case study shows how developers of a new technology can effectively manage standards and technical regulation when developing a new technology. It highlights how standards and innovation can be addressed on three levels – firm, industry, and the wider context – to ensure that a new technology is fit for the market. This part of the dissertation was published as a separate book: Managing innovation and standards: a case in the European heating industry (Palgrave Macmillan Ltd., 2019).
Shaping standards in innovation
Wondering why existing theory could not explain the emergence of standards for e-mobility charging plugs, Wiegmann revisited the theoretical foundations of standards. He identified how committees, markets, and governments all contribute to the emergence of standards. He also explains how innovators can strategically use these modes of standardisation to shape the standards that underly their innovations. This part was published in a scientific journal on innovation management, Research Policy, and can be watched on RSM Discovery.
The third study is a choice experiment with standardisation professionals from several countries in the Internet of Things field. Paul Wiegmann found which characteristics of standardisation organisations they prefer – innovative in terms of topic and research approach.
Dr Paul Wiegmann
Paul Wiegmann is now assistant professor at Eindhoven University of Technology, in the Department of Industrial Engineering & Innovation Sciences, Innovation Technology Entrepreneurship & Marketing Group. He is a member of the board of the European Academy for Standardisation EURAS. The business relevance of his work has led to several presentations for business people and other practitioners. CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis incorporated Wiegmann’s findings into innovation policy advice to the Dutch government.
Wiegmann’s first promoter was Prof. Henk de Vries, professor of standardisation management at RSM. Wiegmann’s second promoter was De Vries’ predecessor, Prof. Knut Blind, currently professor of innovation economics at the Technical University Berlin.