When working with innovation in complex systems, there is often a feeling that everything is connected but that it is difficult to know where to start. The technology is there. The actors are there. The need is there. But still, what you hope for does not happen. This is where the TIS method, Technology Innovation Systems, becomes a powerful tool.
It helps us understand why some innovations emerge and others do not. And even more importantly, it helps us see what is missing in the system for change to occur.
What are Technology Innovation Systems
TIS is a framework developed within innovation research to analyze how new technologies develop, spread and become established in society.
Instead of just looking at the technology itself, TIS focuses on the entire system around the technology. It is about actors, institutions, networks, markets and processes that together determine whether an innovation succeeds or not. You could say that TIS shifts the focus from the invention to the ecosystem.
A new technology is not enough. It must be supported by a functioning system.
The central parts of TIS
TIS consists of a number of functions that describe what needs to be in place for an innovation to develop.
- These functions are used to analyze the system’s strengths and weaknesses.
- Knowledge development is about research, learning and technological development.
- Entrepreneurial experimentation is about testing ideas in practice.
- Direction and vision are about creating a common picture of where the system is headed.
- Market formation is about creating demand and business opportunities.
- Resource mobilization is about gaining access to capital, expertise and infrastructure.
- Legitimization is about creating acceptance and trust in the technology.
- Network building is about connecting actors and creating collaboration.
Together, these functions describe how an innovation system works or does not work.
How to work with the method
Working with TIS is basically about analyzing a system based on these functions.
You start by defining which technology or which area you want to understand.
This could be the electrification of transport, circular material flows or digital care.
Then each function is analysed.
Is there sufficient knowledge development? Are solutions tested in reality? Is there a clear direction? Is there a market? Are there resources? Is the technology accepted? Are the actors cooperating?
This analysis gives you a picture of the state of the system. What often becomes clear is that some parts work well while others are missing. And it is often precisely the missing parts that explain why change does not happen.
Ranking that creates insight
A particularly useful part of the TIS method is to rank the different functions.
By assessing how strong each function is, you get a clearer picture of the system’s balance.
If knowledge development is strong but market formation is weak, you know that the technology exists but that it is not reaching the market.
If there is a clear vision but a lack of resources, you know that the ambition is high but the conditions are lacking.
Ranking makes the analysis more concrete.
It also creates a common picture between actors who may otherwise have different perceptions. Suddenly it becomes clear where the system is failing.
The greenhouse metaphor
You can liken TIS to a greenhouse.
The technology is the seed. But for the seed to grow, light, water, nutrition and the right temperature are needed. If one of these factors is missing, the plant will not grow as it should.
TIS helps us see which factors are missing in the greenhouse. And what needs to be adjusted for growth to occur.
TIS in system innovation
System innovation is about changing entire systems, not just individual solutions. This makes TIS particularly relevant. In system innovation, you often work with complex challenges where many actors are involved.
TIS then provides a structured way to understand the system.
It helps to identify levers for change. Instead of just developing a new solution, you can work on strengthening the functions that are missing. This can be about creating new markets, building legitimacy or mobilizing resources.
Link to five system dimensions
TIS can also be linked to the system dimensions that are often used in Swedish innovation policy.
- Actors and relationships correspond to TIS’s focus on networks and collaboration.
- Regulations and institutions link to legitimization and direction.
- Resources link to the mobilization of capital and expertise.
- Markets directly link to market formation.
- Knowledge and learning link to knowledge development and experimentation.
By combining these perspectives, an even richer picture of the system is obtained.
TIS then becomes a way of operationalizing systems thinking.
Examples of use
TIS has been used in many contexts, especially in the energy transition.
Analyses of renewable energy have shown that the technology has often existed for a long time but that a lack of legitimacy and market has slowed down development. When policy, investments and societal acceptance have changed, the development has accelerated.
Another example is the electrification of transport, where technology is developing rapidly but where charging infrastructure, business models and behaviours are still crucial. TIS helps to understand these connections.
From analysis to action
The great strength of TIS is that it not only describes the system but also points to what needs to be done.
- If legitimacy is low, you need to work on communication and policy.
- If resources are lacking, you need to mobilize investments.
- If networks are lacking, you need to create collaboration platforms.
It becomes a way to move from understanding to action.
A language for complexity
TIS provides a common language for talking about innovation in complex systems. It makes it easier for different actors to understand each other. It also makes it easier to see why change sometimes goes slowly. Not because the ideas are bad, but because the system is not ready.
And that is perhaps the most important insight.
Innovation is not just about creating new solutions. It is about creating systems where the solutions can grow.
