The London School of Economics and Political Science Rhythms of Information Infrastructure Cultivation: The Case of e-Mobility in Berlin Ayesha Khanna A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy The London School of Economics and Political Science Information Systems and Innovation Group Department of Management 6 May 2018 1 Declaration I certify that the thesis I have presented for examination for the MPhil/PhD degree of the London School of Economics and Political Science is solely my own work other than where I have clearly indicated that it is the work of others (in which case the extent of any work carried out jointly by me and any other person is clearly identified in it). The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. Quotation from it is permitted, provided that full acknowledgement is made. This thesis may not be reproduced without the prior written consent of the author. I warrant that this authorization does not, to the best of my belief, infringe the rights of any third party. I declare that my thesis consists of 68,742 words. 2 This PhD is dedicated to Aba and Ami, my loving parents Javed and Farida Malik … … and to my wonderful husband Parag Khanna and our dear children Zara and Zubin. 3 Abstract This thesis investigates the importance of temporal rhythms in the study of information infrastructures (IIs), responding to the call to address an II’s “biography” by focusing on its evolution over time. It enriches understanding of how socially constructed rhythms, a temporal structure under-examined in the II literature, influence II cultivation. A strategic niche project to develop an e-mobility II in Berlin is used as the case study and reveals the influence of rhythm in disciplining (constraining) and modeling (motivating) II cultivation. It demonstrates how the intermediary may mediate these influences through the interventions of harmonising, riffing and composing. Based on these interventions, the study develops the concept of facilitated II cultivation, which adds to the emergent literature exploring the tension between planned and emergent infrastructure work. In doing so, the study presents a framework that helps combine short-term implementation concerns (strategic interventions by the intermediary) with long-term path dependency and evolutionary concerns (influences of past and future temporal rhythms) for IIs. 4 Acknowledgements I would like to thank my excellent advisor Will Venters for his supervision and encouragement throughout my PhD study at the London School of Economics. I would like to thank the Information Systems and Management Department for providing an invaluable learning environment of critical thinking, debate and insight, and the stakeholders of the BeMobility project for their time. My thanks also to my parents-in-law Manjula and Sushil Khanna and my extended family for their support. 5 Index Declaration .......................................................................................................................... 2 Abstract ................................................................................................................................. 4 Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................... 5 Index ...................................................................................................................................... 6 Table of Contents ............................................................................................................... 6 List of Figures ................................................................................................................... 10 List of Tables .................................................................................................................... 11 Table of Contents 1. Introduction ................................................................................................................. 12 1.1. Motivation and Scope ........................................................................................ 14 1.2. ResearcH ProJect ................................................................................................. 18 1.2.1. Theoretical Framework and Research Questions ......................................... 18 1.2.2. Case Study ....................................................................................................................... 20 1.2.3. Contributions ................................................................................................................. 22 1.3. THesis Outline ...................................................................................................... 24 2. Literature Review ...................................................................................................... 29 2.1 Introduction .......................................................................................................... 29 2.2 Conceptualising Information Infrastructures (IIs) .................................. 30 2.2.1 The Challenge of Complexity in IIs ........................................................................ 31 2.2.2 The Weight and Cultivation of the Installed Base .......................................... 33 2.2.3 Technology Traps and Lock-in ............................................................................... 35 2.2.4 The Bootstrapping Problem ..................................................................................... 37 2.2.5 Tensions Between Managed and Bottom-up Cultivation ............................ 39 2.3 CSCW ResearcH on IIs ......................................................................................... 43 2.3.1 II Cultivation as Emergent and Highly Contextualised ................................. 44 2.3.2 The Role of People ........................................................................................................ 47 2.3.2 The Role of Materiality ............................................................................................... 48 2.3.3 The Role of Temporality ............................................................................................ 50 2.3.4 The Role of the Urban Context ................................................................................ 54 2.4 Strategic NicHe Management ResearcH on Urban IIs ............................... 56 2.4.1 The Concept of the Strategic Niche ....................................................................... 57 2.4.2 Intermediaries and Coordination .......................................................................... 62 6 2.5 Summary and ResearcH Questions ................................................................ 65 3. Theoretical Framework ........................................................................................... 68 3.1 Introduction .......................................................................................................... 68 3.2 Sociomaterial Perspective ................................................................................ 69 3.3 TricHordal Temporal ApproacH to Digital Coordination ....................... 72 3.3.1 The Mangle of Practice ............................................................................................... 73 3.3.2 The Trichordal View of Temporality .................................................................... 76 3.3.4 A Rhythmic View of Time .......................................................................................... 79 3.4 Exploring Temporal RHytHms ......................................................................... 80 3.4.1: Perceptions of Time ................................................................................................... 81 3.4.2: Conceptualising Rhythms ........................................................................................ 84 3.5. An EnricHed Theoretical framework ........................................................... 91 3.5.1 Relationship between Conceptual Concepts ..................................................... 93 3.5.2 Refined Research Questions .................................................................................... 94 3.6 Conclusion .............................................................................................................. 95 4.MetHodology ................................................................................................................. 96 4.1 Introduction .......................................................................................................... 96 4.2 Epistemology: Social Constructionism ......................................................... 97 4.3 THeoretical Perspective .................................................................................... 99 4.3.1 Interpretivism ................................................................................................................ 99 4.3.2 The Processual Approach ....................................................................................... 100 4.4 MetHodology: Case Study ResearcH ............................................................. 103 4.4.1 The Case Study Approach ...................................................................................... 103 4.4.2 Choice of Case Study ................................................................................................. 104 4.4.3 Research Design ........................................................................................................