Towards sustainable mobility--digital eco-systems as drivers of disruptive change.
Hanelt, Andre ; Hildebrandt, Bjorn ; Brauer, Benjamin 等
Introduction
Environmental degradation is becoming an increasingly important
challenge for today's societies (Nykvist & Whitmarsh, 2008).
The quest for sustainability has become a global struggle, essential for
the survival of humankind on planet Earth. Governments worldwide fight
against air or water pollution by supporting the diffusion of
sustainable technologies or prohibiting practices that are harmful for
the environment. Thus far, these initiatives have produced mixed
results, and substantial progress towards environmental sustainability
is still lacking (e.g., Steinhilber, Wells, & Thankappan, 2013). To
achieve significant improvements in the realm of sustainability,
discontinuous change is needed (Carrillo-Hermosilla, Del Rio, &
Konnola, 2010).
Recently, such fundamental changes have been described using a
multi-level perspective on sociotechnical transitions (e.g., Geels,
2012). According to the theory, transitional changes--such as the change
towards sustainable mobility--arise through a complex, non-linear
process. General developments (e.g., societal trends), called landscape
developments, place a previously dominant socio-technical system, called
a regime (e.g., automobility), under pressure. The resulting instability
of the system gives niche developments (e.g., alternative technologies)
the chance to rise and become part of a new sociotechnical regime
(Geels, 2012).
Besides the increasing desire for environmental sustainability,
there is another macro trend affecting societies worldwide: The
diffusion of digital technologies throughout more and more aspects of
everyday life (Yoo, 2010). Broadband Internet enables the real-time
transmission of data and information, making it accessible via mobile
devices to almost everyone, almost everywhere. This development changes
the way we work, communicate, and live our lives as a whole. Due to
their innate properties, digital technologies bring along affordances
that allow for a greater variety in various contexts, e.g., adding
digital features to physical products (Selander, Henfridsson, &
Svahn, 2013). Moreover, their diffusion drives the emergence of digital
eco-systems, i.e., coopetitive digital "technology environments] in
which symbiotic relationships are formed to create mutual value for
[their] members" (Selander, Henfridsson, & Svahn, 2010, p. 2),
in an increasing variety of fields. These ecosystems enable connectivity
across regional distances and allow for real-time communication among
actors (Vodanovich, Sundaram, & Myers, 2010). By doing so, new and
fundamentally different procedures such as the shared use of resources
become more certain and reliable, in turn possibly mitigating barriers
to adoption of alternative behaviors and thus driving resilience.
Initial research has hinted at the potential of digital
technologies for achieving increased sustainability in multiple
contexts. However, the mobility sector is particularly relevant because
it is among the main contributors to environmental degradation (Nykvist
& Whitmarsh, 2008). Consequently, enormous regulatory efforts have
been made to foster sustainable mobility by, e.g., supporting electric
mobility (Steinhilber et al., 2013). Within the field of mobility, the
diffusion of digital technologies is clearly on the rise. The increased
connectivity through broadband Internet and thus global communication
possibilities not only allows for reduced travel needs (Nykvist &
Whitmarsh, 2008), but also more profoundly--drives the transition of the
physical mobility system. With the increased dissemination of digital
mobile devices (e.g., smartphones), information about physical mobility
options becomes widely available and the communication and coordination
of alternative and sustainable modes of mobility (e.g., ride sharing)
become enhanced (Banister, 2008). Through these phenomena, a digital
layer is added to the physical mobility infrastructure (Hanelt,
Piccinini, Gregory, Hildebrandt, & Kolbe, 2015a), allowing for
information, interaction, coordination, and communication. For instance,
access to information about mobility services, as well as localization
and booking, is made much more convenient, thus fostering the resilience
of individual sustainable behavior.
In this paper, we aim to explore the role of emerging digital
eco-systems in the transition towards sustainable mobility. To do so, we
draw on the established theory of socio-technical transitions and relate
it to the phenomenon driven by the diffusion of digital technologies.
Using this approach, we aim to shed light on the following research
question: What is the role of digital eco-systems in the socio-technical
transition towards sustainable mobility?
Related Work
Sustainable Mobility Developments
The reduction of C[O.sub.2] emissions constitutes a global matter
and is addressed within multiple domains. Considerable attention is
placed on the mobility sector, where there exists significant potential
not only for the reduction of C[O.sub.2] emissions (Shaheen &
Lipman, 2007) but also in the prevention of noise emissions (d'Orey
& Ferreira, 2014) by different means. The transition towards more
sustainable means of transportation can be achieved by changing
individual mobility behavior, sustainably improving transportation
modes, or providing sustainable modes of transportation.
The change towards sustainable mobility includes the minimization
of motorized personal transport and the shift towards different forms of
shared mobility. These mobility alternatives are characterized by their
joint utilization resulting in lower emissions rates and ease the
overall traffic situation. The classic means of transportation, such as
bus, train, metro, and taxi in the public transportation domain as well
as carpooling for work commuting, are gradually being extended by
car-sharing and bike-sharing concepts as shared mobility solutions.
Baptista, Melo, & Rolim (2014) demonstrated that a switch from
private car ownership to membership in a car-sharing company can lead to
a decrease of up to 50% in total mileage and promotes biking or walking.
Moreover, studies have shown that many car owners sell their old,
environmentally harmful cars after subscribing to a car-sharing service
(Baptista et al., 2014).
Besides the development of new mobility concepts, business model
innovations within the mobility sector and technological advances in the
automotive industry also act as substantial drivers for sustainable
mobility. The advent of electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrid electric
vehicles (HEVs) contributes to a more sustainable mobility landscape by
avoiding the production of C[O.sub.2] emissions altogether. This applies
just as well in the private sector, where EVs substitute for
conventional combustion-based vehicles (CVs), as it does for the
integration of EVs and HEVs in car-sharing initiatives on a larger scale
(Lue, Colorni, Nocerino, & Paruscio, 2012).
In most cases, a single mobility alternative cannot compensate as a
replacement for the private car. For example, there might not be a bus
or car-sharing station near to the commuter's home, workplace, or
other points of interest. To overcome such drawbacks within the public
transportation infrastructure, the trend is moving towards the full
integration of all municipal, urban, and inter-city mobility forms
within an intermodal transportation concept. The goal of this approach
is to offer seamless transportation affecting different dimensions
(Feng, 2014). The concept aims to connect various mobility forms into
one collective commute, allowing for door-to-door mobility. This
includes aggregating all information relevant to the travel endeavor and
the integrating various services involved in the travel process, such as
ticketing, billing, and payment (Spickermann, Grienitz, & Heiko
2014), to reduce travel time and increase comfort.
Urban mobility planning thus constitutes a complex field in which
the integration of feedback from citizens and stakeholders during the
design process is necessary to develop an improved transportation
infrastructure (Nasrudin, Rostam, & Noor, 2014). This also applies
to the implementation of information systems (IS) for supporting
transitions in mobility behavior (Gabrielli et al., 2014). However, from
a socio-technical perspective, new technologies cannot easily be
introduced and established in the prevailing regime because the
respective components, e.g., infrastructure, technologies, and user
practices, are strongly linked and difficult to break (Hodson &
Marvin, 2010).
Despite the variety of technological innovations, individual
factors influence the transition towards transportation alternatives.
Personal mobility habits, attitudes, and expectations concerning the
different modes of mobility play a major role in the decision process
for a change of the prevailing mobility behavior (Nasrudin et al.,
2014). Sole awareness of the negative implications of one's
individual mobility behavior is not sufficient to overcome the
individual barriers that lead people to decide against using public
transportation, the most predominant of which are the additional effort
required and loss of flexibility (Nasrudin et al., 2014). Therefore,
measures must be taken to influence and support the user in the
transition towards the use of transportation alternatives by improving
crucial factors such as comfort, reliability, and timeliness, thus
reducing the obstruction of mobility behavior changes (Heath and
Gifford, 2002). In this context, IS can provide fundamental supportive
contributions to address such aspects and trigger mobility behavior
transitions (Ben-Elia, Di Pace, Bifulco, & Shiftan,, 2013).
Digital Technologies and Digital Eco-Systems
Digital technologies, "viewed as combinations of information,
computing, communication, and connectivity technologies"
(Bharadwaj, El Sawy, Pavlou, & Venkatraman, 2013, p. 471), have an
increasing influence on our daily lives (Yoo, 2010). Entire industries
are becoming radically transformed; industrial-aged products such as
cameras (e.g., Lucas & Goh, 2009), phones (e.g., Selander et al.,
2010), and cars (e.g., King & Lyytinen, 2005) are equipped with
digital capabilities, thus enabling the adaptation of existing as well
as the creation of completely new business models (Hanelt, Hildebrandt,
& Polier, 2015b; Yoo, Boland, Lyytinen, & Majchrzak, 2012; Yoo,
Henfridsson, & Lyytinen, 2010).
These digital technologies are not just transforming entire
industries, but also our society as a whole. Junglas and Watson (2006)
identified four main drives pushing the transformation of the physical
world into a digitalized world. First, there is ubiquity: Massive
expansions of broadband networks and the appearance of mobile devices
such as smartphones enable people to gain "access to information
unconstrained by time and space" (Junglas & Watson, 2006, p.
578). Second, uniqueness means that persons or entities can be
identified precisely and unambiguously as they have their own unique
addresses (e.g., phone number) (Junglas & Watson, 2006). Third,
universality refers to the universal usability and multi-functionality
of digital technologies in order to "overcome the friction of
information systems' incompatibilities" (Junglas & Watson,
2006, p. 580). Fourth, unison deals with the integration of data and its
consistency across various applications and devices--not just on an
individual level (i.e., synchronizing emails between different devices)
but also to embrace cooperating groups or institutions (Junglas &
Watson, 2006).
Digital technologies differ inherently from previous technologies
and exhibit three essential properties. First, they demonstrate
reprogrammability, meaning that the physical embodiment (i.e., hardware)
is separate from the semiotic function logic (i.e., software), the
latter of which is modifiable throughout its lifecycle (Yoo et al.,
2010). Second, data homogenization implies that they use the same
infrastructure (i.e., devices and networks) for storing, transmitting,
processing, and displaying digital contents. The third property is
self-reference: digital technologies are the prerequisite for digital
innovation (Yoo et al., 2010).
Traditional, physical products rely on a modular architecture with
components derived from a single functional design hierarchy separated
by standardized interfaces and having fixed product boundaries (Ulrich,
1995; Lusch & Nambisan, 2015). In contrast, digital technologies
build upon a layered architecture with the various components not
bounded by a single product, as each layer relates to a different design
hierarchy (Lusch & Nambisan, 2015; Yoo et al., 2010). The layered
architecture consists of four layers: devices, networks, services, and
contents (Yoo et al., 2010). The device layer comprises the physical
components along with their logical capabilities (e.g., a smartphone
including hardware and operating system). The network layer encompasses
the physical transport (e.g., transmitters and broadband networks) as
well as the logical transmission (e.g., communication protocols) and
processes the data to the service layer (Hylving & Schultze, 2013).
Within the service layer, application functionality is provided to
directly serve the user (e.g., a camera app), whereas the contents layer
includes the relevant outputs (e.g., media such as images or videos) as
well as corresponding metadata (e.g., information on date and picture
settings).
Due to these distinct characteristics, the traditional innovation
logic is transformed when digital technologies are involved, as
cross-boundary interrelations emerge and result in novel and complex
eco-systems (Yoo et al., 2010; Selander et al., 2013). Eco-systems can
be described as contexts "in which the success of a value
proposition depends on creating an alignment of partners who must work
together in order to transform a winning idea to a market success"
(Adner, 2012, p. 4). Yoo et al. (2012) maintained that the formation of
a digital technology platform is one of the most fundamental elements
for developing a new digital eco-system. Such a platform can be
described as "a building block, providing an essential function to
a technological system--which acts as a foundation upon which other
firms can develop complementary products, technologies or services"
(Gawer, 2009, p. 2). Therefore, a digital eco-system relies on loose and
partially temporary couplings across the layers and an increased
dependence on open innovation and third-party developers (Selander et
al., 2010). Due to the layered architecture of digital technologies,
actors and technologies within this eco-system are distributed over the
different layers of devices, networks, services, and contents (Yoo et
al., 2010). Thus, innovation in these eco-systems implies openness
towards diverse actors and the integration of heterogeneous knowledge
(Yoo et al. 2012). Due to their reprogrammability, functions can be
changed or added to already existing products, thus digital innovations
become generative (Yoo et al., 2012; Zittrain, 2006). Convergence can be
achieved in various ways, with digital technologies bringing together
previously separated products, i.e., embedding digital technologies into
physical products, industries, and users (Yoo et al., 2012). The latter
reveals another anomaly of digital technologies, particularly mobile
devices. Due to their small size and weight, they are a constant
companion and not only change the actions of users but also serve as
communication gateways by allowing people to communicate and interact
with others, thus becoming part of the digital eco-system.
Socio-Technical Transitions Theory
A socio-technical system is composed of various elements, such as
technologies, actors, infrastructures, and networks, as well as the
business models connecting the different elements (Bidmon & Knab,
2014) and the relationships among them necessary to fulfill societal
functions (Geels, 2005). They are created and sustained by underlying
rules followed by the different societal groups, thus contributing to a
relatively stable construct and dominant mindset. Accordingly,
substantial changes to these established regimes happen rarely. Instead,
actors within the existing socio-technical systems are more interested
in further optimizing the given system and therefore mainly engage in
incremental innovations, which do not change the underlying core logic
(Geels, 2005). This can be described as reproduction of the current
system (Geels & Kemp, 2006).
[FIGURE 1 OMITTED]
More profound changes to the established systems can be categorized
into two different types: transformation and transition (Geels &
Kemp, 2006). These changes rely on interactions of the sociotechnical
regime (a sector comprises multiple regimes, e.g., bus, train, and
automobility in the mobility sector) with two other conceptual levels,
between which the regime is nested on a meso level (Nykvist &
Whitmarsh, 2008). Above all regimes, on the macro level, reside
landscape developments, which can be described as broad societal trends,
general assumptions, political directions, etc. On the micro level,
there are niches, which include "new technologies, institutions,
markets, lifestyles and al elements and consists of networks of actors
and organisations" (Nykvist & Whitmarsh, 2008, p. 1374) and
where fundamentally different innovations emerge (Geels, 2005).
Together, the three concepts--landscape, regime, and niches form a
multi-level system that can explain fundamental changes, depicted in
Figure 1.
When landscape developments, such as changed political directions,
place the previously dominant regimes under pressure, established actors
realize that profound changes are necessary. They therefore react by
driving changes and adapting the established systems in order to stay
relevant under the new circumstances as new actors from outside the
system threaten their legitimacy. As a result, the regime changes
radically, but the actors and elements remain largely the same (Geels
& Kemp, 2006).
However, when adaptation and reorientation are difficult to reach,
tensions and instability in the given system increase. As a result, the
incumbent actors may fail to adapt to the new circumstances. This
instability can be advantageous for outsiders who develop discontinuous
innovations that may fit the changed realities and solve the existing
systems. With such developments, a new regime with new technologies,
actors, and structures can evolve and achieve dominance. This process is
called transition (Geels & Kemp, 2006).
Prior research has applied the multi-level perspective on
socio-technical transitions to various contexts. A first set of studies
has used it to predict and assess future developments. For instance,
Verbong and Geels (2010) employed the perspective to analyze
sustainability transitions in the electricity system and derive several
possible future pathways, while Hodson and Marvin (2010) used the
multi-level perspective to examine the ongoing and future transformation
of cities. Furthermore, Steinhilber et al. (2013) applied it to
investigate barriers to the diffusion of EVs. In contrast, another
stream of studies has focused on using the theory to explain
technological transitions in the past. Geels and Kemp (2006) described
the transition from cesspools to integrated sewer systems and the
transformation in waste management.
Moreover, the concept was also applied substantially to the
mobility and transport sector. Kohler et al. (2009) use the transition
perspective to guide their empirical investigation and simulation of the
future development of different propulsion technologies. While doing so,
they account for the current regimes and possible landscape
developments. They conclude that "technological transitions are
most likely. Lifestyle change transitions require sustained pressure
from the environment on society and behavioural change from
consumers" (Kohler et al., 2009, p. 2994). Geels (2012) employed
the socio-technical approach as a framework for a profound analysis of
the transition towards lowcarbon transport systems and determines that
although the automobile regime is still dominant, it is becoming
increasingly unstable because of such developments as regulation
initiatives. Several niches, e.g., green propulsion technology, are on
the rise but not yet ready to take over. Finally, drawing on concepts
from the transitions literature, Nykvist and Whitmarsh (2008)
conceptualized and empirically investigate possible transitions towards
sustainable mobility through technological change, modal shift, and
reduced travel demand for the cases of Sweden and the UK. The authors
describe "information technology as a driver in all three areas of
innovation" (Nykvist & Whitmarsh, 2008, p. 1373).
Towards a Theory of Socio-Technical Transitions Through Emerging
Digital Eco-Systems
In the following section, we will relate the phenomenon of emerging
digital eco-systems to the multi-level theoretical perspective of
socio-technical transitions and derive theoretical propositions.
Proposition I: The increased diffusion of digital technologies can
be viewed as a landscape development affecting various established
socio-technical regimes. The macro level of the multi-level perspective
on sociotechnical transition is the landscape level and describes
"the broader 'conditions', 'environment' and
'pressures' for transitions" (Hodson & Marvin, 2010,
p. 479). Landscape developments "refer to aspects of the exogenous
environment that [are] beyond the direct influence of actors"
(Geels & Kemp, p. 4). Geels and Kemp (2006) explicitly mentioned
pervasive technologies that affect societies as a whole as an instance
of landscape developments. This characterization is representative of
digital technologies, as prior research has described how digital
technologies are entering more and more aspects of daily life. Yoo
(2010) provided several examples from diverse contexts (e.g.,
entertainment, personal mobility) to illustrate how digital technologies
increasingly become part of everyday experiences: "Every way we
turn, we see information technology. Everywhere we go, we are constantly
surrounded by computers. We use them when we talk, listen to music,
drive our cars, and take pictures. T-shirts and jeans that come with
radio frequency identification (RFID) tags remind us that our everyday
life is fully saturated with advanced information technology" (Yoo,
2010, p. 214). This phenomenon has been examined in the IS research
community under the theme of ubiquitous IS, enabling a continuous use of
applications that "impact all facets and phases of human
living" (Vodanovich et al., 2010, p. 713). As humans are part of
every socio-technical system, the increased diffusion of digital
consumer technologies in the private lives of these individuals also
drives their relevance in the respective socio-technical regimes in
which they are involved (Gregory, Ruch, Kaganer, & Henfridsson,
2014). To sum up, the emergence of digital technologies is a sound
phenomenon that is independent from single firms, institutions, or
sectors. Even if it were desirable, single actors could not stop or
control the development of digital technology, due to their diversity
and ubiquity.
Proposition II: The increased diffusion of digital technologies
transforms existing socio-technical regimes through the formation of
digital eco-systems. The transformational change of established
sociotechnical systems involves a reorientation of the development path
(Geels & Kemp, 2006). Geels and Kemp (2006) explained that
"[t]his happens through a change in the regime rules that
coordinate actions of regime actors, e.g. changes in technical problem
agendas, visions, goals and guiding principles, relative costs and
incentive structures, regulations and perceptions of opportunities"
(p. 7). These effects can arise through digital technology diffusion
via, e.g., a transfer of expectations stemming from experiences with
digital consumer technologies made in the private sphere (e.g., in
personal communication) to other (business) contexts (Gregory et al.,
2014).
As described above, digital technologies follow a different
architecture than most prior products, such as industrial ones. They
comprise a layered architecture involving device, network, service, and
content layers (Yoo et al., 2010). By entangling digital technologies
with existing products or infrastructures (Yoo et al., 2012), this
interwoven setup leads to the creation of digital eco-systems composed
of different technologies and networks that are used in combination by
different actors for various purposes and thus indeed bring along new
rules for the participant actors (El Sawy & Perreira, 2013). While
in the past there was a clear distinction between cooperation and
competition, in the digital space there emerges an increased
interdependence of a variety of actors, such as device manufacturers,
service providers, and content providers, who may at the same time be
viewed as rivals. Furthermore, changing rules manifest themselves in the
relationships between actors and are transformed in such a way that
results in customers being more informed, feeling more empowered, and
wanting to be treated as partners and value co-creators instead of
buyers (Lucas, Agarwal, Clemons, El Sawy, & Weber, 2013; Piccinini,
Gregory, & Kolbe, 2015). Moreover, communication is synchronized
more and more, making interaction and information much faster and
available almost everywhere (Vodanovich et al., 2010).
Another indicator for the transformation is the advent of outside
players trying to enter the existing regime, although at this point it
is not about the total displacement of established actors and
technologies. This aspect also comes along with digital technologies as
players from the digital space, such as Google or Apple, invade more and
more contexts, including retail, mobility, and music. Incumbents
typically react to these developments by adapting to the new
circumstances, as the core logic and thus their dominant positions are
not endangered. To reproduce the system, they must make adaptations, as
exhibited by the growing number of industrial players cooperating with
digital entrants or enriching their products with additional digital
features.
Proposition III: Digital eco-systems give rise to fundamentally
different niche developments. According to socio-technical transitions
theory, when the pressure from the landscape level is strong enough, it
destabilizes the regime level. The incumbents within the regime might
not be able to adapt the system beyond a certain degree due to, e.g.,
path dependencies or organizational inertia. This creates windows of
opportunity for niche developments to break through (Geels & Kemp,
2006). Due to the emergence of digital technologies and the resulting
eco-systems, business models (drawing on alternative technologies or
solutions) that have the potential to replace previously dominant ones
can be promoted. El Sawy and Perreira (2013) pointed out that in digital
eco-systems "technologies and services rapidly become
obsolete" (p. 2). As described by Lucas et al. (2013), media,
entertainment, and telecommunications industries have undergone severe
shifts driven by digital eco-systems. For instance, the spread of the
Internet has led to phenomena such as file sharing, which endangered the
existing regimes and their established mechanisms. Into this phase of
uncertainty came players such as Apple that introduced an entirely new
way of distributing music with their portable devices and the respective
associated platforms that disrupted prior existing structures and
supported entirely new use patterns (Yoo, 2010).
What becomes apparent is that niche developments that eventually
change the previously dominant system are not necessarily an entirely
new technology and do not necessarily include the best possible
technological features. Instead, the fit with the emerged digital
ecosystem and the resulting possibilities of combinatorial innovations
(Yoo et al., 2012), incorporated in a viable business model (Bidmon
& Knab, 2014) determine the rise and fall of new solutions. Another
instance, described by Lucas and Goh (2009), is the fundamental
transition in the photography industry stemming from the "digital
camera combined with information and communications technologies (ICT),
specifically the capabilities of the computer to store and display
photographs, and the Internet to transmit them" (Lucas & Goh,
2009, p. 46).
Proposition IV: New socio-technical regimes driven by digital
eco-systems are open, turbulent, and coopetitive. At the end of the
socio-technical transition as described by prior research, new
socio-technical regimes are reached and "a new period of dynamic
stability and reproduction sets in" (Geels & Kemp, 2006, p. 7).
However, if the transition was driven by digital eco-systems, it must be
doubted that this is really the case, as these digital eco-systems
create regimes that have distinct characteristics making them
fundamentally different from most previously existing systems. Due to
their nature, digital technologies "provide an environment of open
and flexible affordances that are used in creating innovations
characterized by convergence and generativity" (Yoo et al., 2012,
p. 1398). The layered architecture of digital technologies results in
products and solutions that remain open for adjustments, variations, and
reconfigurations even after their implementation. Moreover, several new
developments may start on the basis of the implemented digital
technologies (Yoo et al., 2010). The same applies to the set of actors,
as the digital eco-systems are open for new participants from previously
distant areas.
In contrast to the cases that have been described in the literature
on socio-technical transitions, the new dominant socio-technical regimes
that build upon digital technologies follow a different logic: They do
not account for a given and defined set of actors and technologies and
do not form a closed system but are rather designed as open. Thus, prior
dominant solutions must not necessarily disappear completely but are
being surrounded by more and more alternatives that use the
possibilities to create and capture value afforded by digital
technologies and thus follow different rules. Hence, actors from
previously dominant regimes need to understand contradictory logics at
once. Furthermore, the new regimes are not stable or dynamically stable
but are in constant fluidity and "can never be expected to revert
to any kind of 'equilibrium' after disruptions change things;
turbulence implies that cause-and-effect may cascade in unpredictable
ways to alter the structure or health of the eco-system, or end it
entirely" (El Sawy & Perreira, 2013, p. 2). Moreover, the
stereotype roles that have been formulated in socio-technical
transitions theory (concerning incumbents and outsiders) do not hold
true, as new participants enter the open systems and cooperation with
competitors and vice versa is a regular phenomenon (Selander et al.,
2010).
[FIGURE 2 OMITTED]
Because of the openness of emerging systems and the properties of
digital technologies, the direction and logic of innovation is
non-linear and rather unpredictable. As a result, a differentiation and
diversification of regimes as well as a convergence of prior unconnected
ones is likely to occur (Selander et al., 2013). Yoo et al. (2012)
describe that this convergence comprises three aspects: the combination
of previously unconnected user experiences, the embedding of digital
technologies in smart physical products, and the convergence of
previously separate industries. Altogether, these developments lead to
an approximating and convergence of regimes and sectors that have been
regarded as closed and separated in prior theory on socio-technical
transitions. They are increasingly connected by digital eco-systems,
which, e.g., include increasingly global communication infrastructures
such as the Internet. Figure 2 depicts our line of reasoning.
Illustrative Case: Mobile Applications for Sustainable Mobility
In the following section, we illustrate our theoretical
propositions from the prior section for the case of the socio-technical
transition of physical mobility towards sustainability via mobile
applications. We selected this case because mobile devices and the
respective applications enable information, communication, and
interaction on the go and thus have a logical connection to the topic of
physical mobility.
To illustrate our propositions in this context, we performed an
analysis of mobile applications for sustainable mobility. The database
for the analysis was collected through an explorative research of the
Google Play Store by using the search string "sustainable
mobility" to find suitable applications. There are various terms
describing the concept of physical movement, e.g., mobility, transport,
or transportation; although according to Gudmunsson (2003) they can be
regarded as equivalents, "mobility is a broader concept than
transport" (p. 199). Since the aim of this analysis is the
demonstration of solutions in a representative manner, we did not
perform an exhaustive search of mobile applications using multiple
terms. Instead, we decided to use the established term "sustainable
mobility" (Gudmunsson, 2003). The search was conducted by querying
the Google Web search engine instead of the Google Play Store, because
the Play Store only returns a limited number of results. The search
string "sustainable mobility" was entered in the search field
with the extension "inurl:play.google.com". Furthermore, the
parameter "filter=0" was added to the address bar of the
results to retrieve the full list of results. Applications that were
listed as similar applications were also considered, in the style of a
forward search within literature analysis. The whole process of
identifying suitable mobile applications was carried out by three
authors separately. Afterwards, the resulting lists were merged by the
application id, and in the case of different assignments, the specific
application was discussed in detail by all authors until a consensus was
reached. The final list comprises 186 relevant applications contributing
to sustainable mobility. In the following sections, we match these
application fields to the theoretical propositions.
Mobile applications as part of a landscape development. Mobile
devices as well as their respective applications are an instance of the
diffusion of digital technologies affecting various established
sociotechnical regimes. Countless mobile applications have been
developed, and the respective use cases cover nearly every aspect of
life. Players such as Google have set up open platforms (i.e., Google
Play Store) that allow almost anyone to obtain applications for nearly
every purpose and area of life. Following the characteristics of the
layered architecture of digital technology, various players--including
device manufacturers such as Samsung, LG, or HTC and mobile service and
content providers--work together, implicitly or explicitly, to create
generative and convergent innovations, affecting a myriad of fields of
applications. Thus, the phenomenon is beyond the control of single
regime actors.
Our analysis of existing apps for sustainable mobility revealed an
enormous quantity and variety of instances, affecting various different
modes of transportation and thus different regimes, e.g., car-, train-,
or bus-related mobility. Moreover, we found that the mobile applications
were developed by a very heterogeneous set of actors stemming from both
inside and outside of the existing systems.
After having identified relevant applications, they were
categorized according to the following procedure: The final list of 186
applications was analyzed by two authors, who categorized the
applications based on their functionality. Again, the results of the two
researchers were merged and compared. The third author acted as a judge
when a classification of one of the authors was unclear. The results of
the classification are illustrated in Table 1 with the identified
categories and the respective number of applications that were assigned
to the particular category. Furthermore, the table includes the weighted
average rating as well as the number of ratings and downloads. Because
the Google Play Store provides only ranges for the number of downloads,
we used the arithmetic mean for each application and computed a weighted
average value for each category. The resulting categorization relies on
a broader, abstract level and helps us assess how physical mobility is
changed by digital technologies in general. Although both the average
ratings as well as the number of ratings and downloads do not provide
detailed information on actual use, these numbers can be seen as
indicators for the frequency of use and the application's
performance from a user's perspective.
* The entertainment category primarily includes applications that
playfully enable the user to simulate sustainable mobility behavior with
an educational character. They provide feedback about the consequences
of their behavior and promote sustainable mobility concepts such as
carpooling or taxi sharing.
* Informative applications encompass applications that contain
articles or news about sustainable mobility initiatives. Moreover, this
category contains travel IS that inform users about public
transportation, such as buses, metros, or taxis. Although some of these
applications offer additional services such as billing and booking, here
we focus on the informative character of these applications (e.g.,
location of stations, departure times, costs).
* Shared-use services comprise applications that allow users to
locate, book, and access shared services (commercial carsharing, private
carsharing, bikesharing, carpooling, etc.). In the context of private
sharing options (e.g., carpooling), the core functionality is the
opportunity to establish an ad hoc communication link to other users and
utilize the benefits of common origins and destinations. We deliberately
separate these services from public transportation (as a part of
informative applications) due to the individuality of the
characteristics compared to mass transportation.
* The eco-friendly technology category contains all forms of
applications that support or promote alternative technologies. This
includes pure information about e-mobility (environmental impacts,
benefits, and even a simulation of EVs for CV owners) as well as
information and services regarding charging infrastructure.
* Human-based applications aim to influence user mobility behavior
by monitoring their mobility habits and providing feedback based on the
recorded data. These applications mainly calculate CO2 emissions caused
by certain trips and display the negative environmental impacts. The
goal is to raise awareness in the context of mobility in an educational
manner.
Transformation of established mobility regimes by emerging digital
eco-systems. The formation of digital eco-systems becomes obvious when
looking at the applications for sustainable mobility. These eco-systems
include actors such as mobile device manufacturers, network operators,
and service or content providers, who bring along new rules, e.g.,
real-time information and communication, which are already known from
other areas, such as the field of social media (Vodanovich et al.,
2010). Incumbent actors react to these new rules and start to transform
the system towards the digital eco-systems. For instance, automobile
manufacturers design their in-car infotainment systems such that they
can communicate with consumer devices: a Bluetooth interface enables
wireless linkage with a smartphone to, e.g., use the hands-free car kit.
Furthermore, car manufacturers offer functionality to display e-mails or
text messages from smartphones on the in-vehicle control display. Thus,
the trend is towards the integration of consumer devices into the
vehicle, which supports Proposition II. Moreover, automotive
manufacturers offer mobile applications themselves, such as
Volkswagen's BlueMotion CHECK that tracks real-time driving
profiles, calculates usage-based potential CO2 savings and the economic
advantages of sustainable drive trains, and informs the user about these
technologies. There are also a variety of apps that measure driving
habits, provide informative analyses, and offer advice for enhancing
fuel efficiency and thus driving more sustainably by cutting down CO2
emissions, e.g., KIA ECO-DRIVE TUMBLE, EcoDrive for NISSAN, and VW Think
Blue Trainer.
By doing so, the incumbents use the platforms, rules, and standards
that digital players have introduced. Moreover, they integrate them into
their core offering, such as by transmitting vehicle data (e.g., driving
data or vehicles status) or remote control functionalities (e.g.,
wireless door and light control) into an app or displaying apps on the
vehicle's digital display. However, these kinds of developments do
not question the key principles of the automobile industry.
In this context, apps belonging to the categories
"entertainment," "informative," and
"human-based" play a key role.
Digital eco-systems give rise to alternative mobility technologies
and modes. Digital eco-systems promote a fundamentally different
mobility behavior. The most obvious form is the increased communication
possibilities among geographically dispersed persons--enabled by
widespread broadband Internet; mobile devices; and such applications as
Skype, Facetime or WhatsApp--which reduce the need to travel. However,
the impact of digital eco-systems on actual physical mobility is more
significant than just mobility avoidance (Nykvist & Whitmarsh,
2008). There are numerous apps focusing on making alternative modes of
mobility more convenient by providing sound information on available
possibilities and offering reservation, booking, and payment; these
belong to the categories "shared-use services" and
"eco-friendly technologies." By doing so, apps such as
BlaBlaCar drive the attractiveness of shared forms of mobility.
Carsharing is a sustainable form of transportation that has been around
for decades; various offerings arose and disappeared during the
'70s and '80s (Shaheen, Sperling, & Wagner, 1998).
However, only progress in digital technologies and the appearance of
associated mobile applications (e.g., SOCAR, Bat Sharing, Zipcar,
Catch-Car) made these business models competitive by enabling a
connection between vehicles, service providers, and users (Hildebrandt,
Hanelt, Piccinini, Kolbe, & Nierobisch, 2015). Digital technologies
can greatly enhance the attractiveness of such service-oriented business
models by guaranteeing safety and offering flexible and convenient
access to the service (Hildebrandt et al., 2015).
Furthermore, the use of alternative technologies such as EVs is
supported. There are various apps, including LemNet, EV Stations Hawaii,
ChargeJuice, and ChargeMap, that provide information concerning charging
stations. Other apps, such as EV Range Calculator, help to reduce
uncertainties and thus account for potential disadvantages such as range
restrictions or concerns about new infrastructure. Further, mobile
applications offer interaction functionalities with charging stations,
allowing convenient access and automated accounting of kWh charged;
these include FullCharger, intercharge, and e-kWh.
Radically different regimes for future mobility emerge. Finally,
the new type of regimes emerging through digital eco-systems is becoming
visible. Apps such as MOLECULES and moovel, for instance, represent
platforms that collect the offerings of several forms of transportation,
such as train, bus, taxi, and bike-/carsharing, and then recommend the
respective alternatives and combinations of them in a dynamic way
according to user preferences, traffic, etc. While MOLECULES was
developed in the context of a European research project in cooperation
with the city administration and the transportation authority of Berlin
as well as a manufacturer from the automobile industry, the developer of
moovels (moovel GmbH) is a full subsidiary of an automobile manufacturer
and cooperates with several mobility service providers of different
transportation alternatives. In such a case, the previously separate
regimes of, e.g., automobile, train, and bus become increasingly
connected through the facilitation of their combined use. However, the
diversification of the regimes requires incumbent actors to play
different games at once, each with its own rules, e.g., concerning
cooperation. The case of moovel in particular illustrates the
coopetitive and differentiated nature of the emerging regime, as a car
manufacturer whose business objective is car sales--cooperates with
different transportation providers who are competitors in the mobility
sector by providing alternatives for motorized individual transport.
Moreover, these apps are generally accessible to all existing and future
suppliers of mobility to provide their services, highlighting the
openness of these intermodal solutions.
Discussion and Implications
The increasing pervasiveness of digital technologies is a worldwide
phenomenon affecting almost every aspect of human life. When digital
technologies emerge, they do not occur in isolation but rather, due to
their innate properties, lead to the emergence of digital eco-systems,
comprising diverse IS, platforms, actors, and the relationships among
them. These eco-systems change how value is created and captured, i.e.
business models, by altering the rules of the game, including
communication, cooperation, and competition, in the respective
socio-technical regimes in which they are nested. With our approach, we
have highlighted the importance of globally increasing the connectivity
of more and more people in the sense that the enhanced communication
possibilities reduce the need to travel and lead to new systems, which
make individual sustainable behavior more reliable, comfortable, and
resilient.
In parallel, environmental degradation is another global
phenomenon. Substantial efforts have been made by policy makers, among
others, to foster sustainable alternatives in multiple fields. One of
the most prominent sectors in the realm of sustainability transitions is
mobility. In this context, research has often described how
socio-technical transitions lead to fundamentally new dominant and more
sustainable systems, such as those involving green propulsion
technologies.
In this conceptual paper, we have related both important global
phenomena to each other and focus on how the emerging digital
eco-systems drive sociotechnical transitions towards increased
sustainability. Drawing from insights of international high-quality
literature from the fields of IS, we included the specific effects that
arise from the increasingly widespread dissemination of digital
technologies and the resulting digital eco-systems to the multi-level
perspective of socio-technical transitions theory. We propose that the
diffusion of digital technologies is a landscape development that places
existing regimes under pressure. To reproduce the existing
socio-technical regime, participants of the regime react and adapt to
the emerging digital trends. However, when the pressure from the macro
level continues to grow and the digital aspects gain in importance, this
creates windows of opportunity for new technologies or concepts that fit
with the emerged digital eco-system to take over and constitute new
socio-technical regimes. These new digitally driven systems differ not
only in the specific technologies and actors they involve but also in
their characteristics, as they are more open, turbulent, and diverse
than previously existing ones.
By interlinking the two major phenomena, we contribute to related
literature in the following ways. First, we contribute to the literature
on socio-technical transitions theory by adding the specifics of
digitalization to the multi-level perspective in a general way. As this
phenomenon is taking place globally and in almost every sector, the
proposed effects can be of explanatory value for socio-technical
transitions in various contexts. In particular, we have highlighted the
role of the fit of new technologies with digital ecosystems for their
diffusion, thus refining existing theory. Moreover, we extend the
transition theory in the sense that the regimes after the transition are
not of the same type as the initial ones. Through digital technologies,
regimes are becoming more open, turbulent, and differentiated. There is
not one monolithic new regime, as suggested by prior works, but rather
an interlocked network of new regimes, thus driving the need for
decision makers to understand and react to different logics and
requirements at once.
Second, we contribute to the literature on sustainable mobility
developments as we add to the ongoing discussions and investigations on,
e.g., new propulsion technologies, the facet of IS enhancing the
attractiveness and thus diffusion of sustainable alternatives. As
physical and digital elements form new hybrid solutions, a phenomenon
called digital innovation (Yoo et al., 2010), that can account for the
respective purposes, a focus on single technologies is not sufficient;
it must be widened to include the relation of a technology to digital
eco-systems and a joint consideration of physical and digital to
integrate the best out of both worlds for new solutions.
Third, we contribute to the literature on digital technologies and
transformations in the IS research community by introducing a
socio-technical perspective that allows for explaining transitions
resulting from the diffusion of digital technologies. Thus, a sound
theoretical foundation for the phenomenon is proposed, explaining the
different impacts of digital technologies. The multi-level perspective
is of special interest for this research community as there are, as we
propose, effects on every single level that change existing systems,
particularly when they interact with each other. Moreover, it presents a
new perspective on how IS, via multi-level effects, can contribute to
achieving more sustainable practices, such as by giving rise to
alternative technologies that fit the digital eco-systems.
In sum, by relating an established theoretical framework (the
multi-level perspective on sociotechnical transitions) to an
increasingly important development (the diffusion of digital
technologies) and applying it to an urgent global phenomenon
(environmental sustainability), we provide ample opportunity for future
research. However, it must be noted that our work is explorative,
qualitative, and conceptual in nature. We call for future research to
challenge and test our assumptions and propositions, further
differentiate our propositions through deeper empirical investigations,
and apply them to other contexts. Furthermore, we want to motivate both
future research as well as business practice to specifically account for
and make use of the opportunities that are provided by emerging digital
eco-systems for creating new sustainable systems for various societal
tasks. The affordances of digital technologies allow for creative and
transformative developments. This potential must also be used for the
benefit of the environment and thus for human life on planet Earth.
However, the degree to which these opportunities exist and thus
allow for transitional developments differs among countries worldwide.
Thus, the mechanisms described above are sensitive to regional
circumstances. For digital eco-systems for sustainable mobility to
emerge, there must be, e.g., a sufficient availability of the internet,
modern vehicles that are equipped with sensors and a big share of the
population that can afford owning a smart mobile device. Research under
the theme of digital divide has shown and investigated the international
inequalities concerning the diffusion of IS in general and mobile IS in
specific due to e.g., differences in wealth (see Stump et al., 2008).
Moreover, regardless of these economic or infrastructural
circumstances, cultural differences play a major role. Prior research
has pointed at the fact that nations significantly differ with respect
to mobility culture (Nykvist and Whitmarsh, 2008). Here, cultural
preferences for, e.g., ownership, freedom, flexibility, speed or privacy
might inhibit the adoption of alternative mobility concepts like
carsharing or intermodal solutions and, instead, reinforce individual
automobility. Besides, culture also matters regarding a regions'
ambition concerning achieving environmental sustainability leading to
variances in the "cultural sense of urgency about climate change or
higher fuel prices" (Geels 2012, p. 477).
However, as our model shows, emerging digital eco-systems provide
another way to sustainable mobility by promoting the reliability and
comfort of alternative mobility concepts, thus driving the
attractiveness for potential users. By mobile IS, the convenience and
resilience of sustainable mobility can be increased and thus lead to
behavior changes. However, not only might digital eco-systems help to
mitigate adoption barriers, but they also contribute change in the
underlying cultural preferences since culture is an inherent element of
a socio-technical regime. The latter, according to our model, can be
completely revised by digital eco-systems. For instance, among others,
Nykvist and Whitmarsh (2008) report a shift concerning the iconic status
of the car "with urban lifestyles less dependent on individual
transport, and in particular more closely aligned with ICT than with car
ownership" (p. 1377). Although to an internationally varying
degree, digital technologies might thus support the transition towards
sustainable mobility.
Furthermore, the described effects of digital ecosystems might also
be a chance for developing countries. Even though advanced
infrastructure might still be missing in these areas, the progress in IS
affords possibilities for an accelerated development. For instance,
"mobile holds the potential for developing nations to leapfrog
technologically since they are able to bypass the development of
landline telephone systems" (Stump et al. 2008, p. 398). The
potential of transferring advanced technologies and concepts from
developed countries to developing ones in order to foster a more
sustainable development path was described by Krup et al. (2013) with
reference to sustainable energy generation and consumption. By the
mechanism described above, the combination of digital technologies with
sustainable mobility alternatives, developing countries might also
leapfrog in the sense that they skip the unsustainable transportation
development that developed countries experienced and thus avoid the
negative environmental consequences for the benefit of digitally
supported sustainable mobility.
Correspondence to:
Andre Hanelt
Chair of Information Management
University of Goettingen
Germany
E-Mail:
[email protected]
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Table 1. Results of the Analysis of Mobile Applications
Number of Average
Categories applications ratings
Entertainment 6 3.92
Informative 18 3.89
Shared-use services 71 4.19
Eco-friendly 49 4.27
technologies
Human-based 42 3.84
Number of Number of
Categories ratings downloads
Entertainment 2,299 55,800
Informative 2,575 26,249
Shared-use services 74,233 82,436
Eco-friendly 1,773 3,593
technologies
Human-based 5,360 32,670