A Socio-technical Mapping and Analysis of Dominant Design Materialization

What are the socio-technical processes leading to a dominant design? The processes leading from two competing designs for light personal self-propelled transportation vehicles to one dominant design shortly after the turn of the 19th. century has not before been studied with a socio-technical theory and its associated mapping technique. The social-technical analysis adds to prior research on dominant design by explicitly equally considering both social and technical aspects and provide a method to map and analyze the processes for two competing designs. Prior research has stressed the importance of high market shares for defining a wining dominating design, but despite the electric vehicle’s higher market share in the years 1899-1900 it was surpassed by the internal combustion vehicle. The socio-technical analysis departs from a narrative based on historical accounts on the competition between the electric vehicle and the internal combustion vehicle from late 1890 - until 1909. The analysis shows that the electric vehicle did not successfully attract new allies or overcome resistance from anti-programs to the same degree as the internal combustion vehicle. Findings suggest that some of the issues with few allies and anti-programs that emerged already during the late 1890'ties is still active in today's market and haunts the electric vehicle.