ICT Standards in Smart Grid Projects – Between a Standard’s Intended and Factual Role in Complex Technological Developments

Abstract

Abstract Digital technologies such as smart grids are associated with new challenges for organizations as both technological and social heterogeneity increase. ICT standards play a crucial role in coping with this growing heterogeneity. However, we have little insight into precisely how ICT standards unfold in innovation projects. Compared to ‘ordinary’ standards, it would be expected that they are more pervasive and binding. However, ICT standards also need to be adopted into formal, corporate rules and be further interpreted and drawn upon in informal routines. This actual implementation, the dealing with inconsistencies and contradictions and if the ICT standard is being conceived as binding, is revealed in day-to-day practices. Conceptually, we differentiate between the formal and informal adoption of the standard and for both cases consider the dimensions decision programs, communication channels and personnel. We empirically investigate the adoption of one ICT standard, the Use Case Methodology (UCM), in a qualitative case study of a smart grid project. Our findings illustrate how the formal implementation of the UCM succeeds while the informal reliance upon this standard is far less pronounced. In this way, ICT standards differ less from ‘ordinary’ standards than might have been expected.