Changing Lanes to Overtake: An Organizational-Institutional Analysis of Intelligent and Connected Vehicle Standardization

Résumé:

Introduction:
China's ambitious national standardization strategy has drawn widespread international attention, particularly from Western countries, which perceive it with increasing vigilance. The National Standardization Development Outline, issued in October 2021, set forth strategic standardization goals extending to 2035. In the 14th Five-Year Plan (March 2021), the term “standard” appeared 58 times, second only to “technology” and “digital,” underscoring the central role of standardization in China's national development strategy. This emphasis is particularly evident in emerging technologies, such as the New Industry Standardization Pilot Project Implementation Plan (2023–2035), released in August 2023, which reinforces the role of standardization in fostering technological innovation and industrial upgrading.
Existing academic research on China's standardization efforts primarily focuses on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and Electric Vehicles (EVs)—two sectors where China holds significant technological advantages and which simultaneously constitute focal points of Western scrutiny. However, research on the standardization process of Intelligent and Connected Vehicles (ICVs)—a fusion of ICT and EV technologies—remains relatively underdeveloped. The extant literature predominantly examines ICV standardization through the lenses of S&T policy, technology management, and geopolitical dynamics. In contrast, perspectives from social sciences, particularly those grounded in organizational-institutional theory, remain underexplored. Drawing inspiration from Nils Brunsson's works (2000, 2012), this study adopts an organizational-institutional analytical framework to investigate the dynamic process of ICV standardization.

Research Question:
Existing studies (Weithmann, 2018, 2023; Yang et al., 2023) suggest that China's standardization on ICT and EV, follows a three-stage model:
(1) The diffusion of international standards, though without direct adoption;
(2) The deviation from international standards to develop national standards;
(3)The internationalization of national standards, either through proposals within international SDOs or via the BRI Initiative to establish regional standardization networks.
This study applies the three-stage model to analyze the specific trajectory of ICV standardization and examines its contributions to and potential refinements of the ICT and EV standardization paradigm.

Theoretical Framework:
Given space constraints, this paper focuses primarily on the first stage—the diffusion of standard knowledge between China and incumbent standard-setters. Drawing upon new institutional theory, this study examines how institutional isomorphism shapes the diffusion of standard know-how within institutional environments. According to the foundational contributions of Meyer and Rowan (1977) and DiMaggio and Powell (1983), institutional isomorphism operates through three mechanisms:
(1)Coercive isomorphism, driven by political influence and legitimacy concerns;
(2)Mimetic isomorphism, arising from uncertainty;
(3)Normative isomorphism, rooted in professionalization trends.
Additionally, this study integrates complementary theoretical perspectives, including:
(1)“Weaponized Interdependence” (Farrell & Newman, 2019), which explores how interdependencies in global economic hierarchy to be weaponized;
(2)Neo-Schumpeterian theories of innovation uncertainty, emphasizing the role of uncertainty in shaping technological pathways;
(3)The concept of “epistemic communities” (Adler & Haas, 1992), which highlights the influence of transnational expert networks in standardization.

Research Methodology:
This study employs a cross-case comparative approach based on Mill's methods of agreement and difference to examine the causal relationship between standard know-how diffusion and institutional isomorphic pressures. The selected cases illustrate different mechanisms of isomorphism in ICV standardization:
(1)Coercive isomorphism: The case of UN R155 cybersecurity technical regulation;
(2)Mimetic isomorphism: comparative analysis of China-Germany’s ICV standardization roadmaps;
(3)Normative isomorphism: The role of Sino-German Standardization Cooperation Commission’s ICV sub-working group.
By conducting small-N comparative case analysis, this study identifies the key drivers and characteristics of ICV standard know-how diffusion, as well as the causal relationship between institutional isomorphism and standard diffusion.

Findings and Discussion:
The study reveals that standard diffusion does not necessarily lead to convergence. Furthermore, in addition to external isomorphic pressures (independent variable), China's domestic policy choices (another independent variable) significantly shape its standardization trajectory.
China's engagement with international standards is not a simple process of adaptation or localization (Acharya, 2004), nor does it conform to institutional bricolage as conceptualized in existing theories (Nils Röper, 2021). Instead, China's standard know-how diffusion is characterized by policy collaging (Leutert, 2021, 2022). This process involves actively sourcing, selecting, and creatively integrating standardization concepts and practices from multiple international sources. Unlike conventional standard adoption, policy collaging entails multi-source engagement, operating within a flexible time frame, and leveraging transnational interactions in a non-linear manner. Standard-setting actors select, interpret, and reconfigure international standards in novel ways, either embracing or discarding elements based on strategic objectives.

Theoretical and Practical Contributions:
This study makes three key contributions:
(1)Theoretical Innovation: By introducing an organizational-institutional analytical framework, this study enhances the explanatory power of social science approaches in standardization research.
(2)Empirical Contribution: By applying the ICV standardization case, this study expands the empirical foundation of the three-stage model originally formulated for ICT and EV standardization, offering modifications to the existing theoretical framework.
(3)Practical Implications: This study provides concrete insights into the diffusion of standardization knowledge in China's emerging technology sectors, offering implications for China's national standard-setting practices, policy formulation, and future research directions.