Standards and innovation in technological dynamics

Abstract

· I f the wor ld of industry h a d only one s ingle system, wi th one s e t of standards, d imensions, ru les , and techniques, i t w o u l d be eas ie r , cheaper , and faster to handle the progress of any project. However, if that w e r e the case, any shortcoming in this system would h i n d e r the progress of projects made in response to the evolving wor ld of industry. In short, var ie ty i s not only the spice of l ife but also the immunity that any system, not only industrial, should have to ensure survival. But var ie ty i s e x p e n s i v e to maintain and track. I s there a trade-off? Definitely. What is the trade-off that w i l l guarantee maximal performance both spatially and temporal ly? e know that standardization--i.e., unification, simplification and consistency of technique--always accompanies the installation of a new technical system. It was tree during the start of the "American system of manufacture," which was based on the design of standardized machines; it was true during the installation of the modern technical system based on the availability of electricity; and, it is still true today with the intense standardization that accompanies the production and diffusion of new information technologies. Powerful standardization almost certainly represents a change of technological system. It is interesting to reflect on this paradox, generated today by coincidence between the increasingly standardized nature of production, exchange, and consumption and the advent of an economy within which innovation, learning, and change are becoming predominant. How to explain this concomitance between two apparently contradictory logics: that of freedom, creativity, and dynamics related to innovation and that of stability, order, and routine associated with standardization? In this paper, w e will explain first of all that the coincidence of standardization and innovation is not at all paradoxical. In fact, fast-changing economies have a greater need for standards and norms. We will then very quickly develop the concept of "fast change," to explain the new economic mode, and finally, describe some components of the complementarity of standardization and innovation.