Industry 4.0 policy from a sociotechnical perspective: the case of German competence centers

A growing body of literature suggests that Industry 4.0 is the result of complex interactions and coordination between technical and social aspects in pursuit of the digital transformation of production processes. Policy solutions and instruments adopted by governments at various levels of the system contribute to catalyze the sociotechnical changes underpinning Industry 4.0. However, the role of intermediary organizations in changing sociotechnical system and overcoming ecosystem limitations remain largely unexplored. This paper aims at addressing this research gap. Through extensive fieldwork, we explore the case of German competence centers, created by the national government for supporting the digitalization of SMEs, to provide a greater understanding on how intermediary organizations operate in the context of a sociotechnical transition. Specifically, we characterize the role of intermediary organizations in supporting innovation ecosystems’ participants in engaging with the sociotechnical changes underpinning Industry 4.0 production system. We suggest the term systemic meta-intermediary for describing a network of intermediary organizations incorporating multiple and heterogeneous competences, with the ultimate goal of facilitating and shaping the transition of a complex sociotechnical system. Actionable insights on how intermediaries can accelerate sociotechnical transitions and extend the benefits generated within Industry 4.0 innovation ecosystems are offered.