Dr. Geerten van de Kaa

Profile

Geerten van de Kaa is Associate Professor of Standardization and Business Strategy at Delft University of Technology, and Editor-in-chief of the Journal of Standardisation. In the past years, he has worked on various EU and NWO funded research projects. His research has appeared in high-ranking international journals, including Organization Studies, IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, Technovation, and Technological Forecasting and Social Change. At TU Delft he teaches courses on strategic management, technology and strategy, and on ‘standards battles’. He holds a PhD from Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University.

Research
My research focuses on a better understanding of the process of developing standards, with the goal of enabling complex innovations and solving societal and business challenges. Standards are, one could say, the invisible glue that make worldwide economic cooperation in value chains possible. They make products and parts compatible, clarify mutual expectations that partners may have of each other, guarantee a minimum level of quality and safety, and in the best cases even ensure that products meet ethical and societal values.

In some cases, standards come about in a collaborative process between all stakeholders, in which national and international standards institutes may play a key role. However, more often than not standards emerge as a result of a complex interplay between market mechanisms, policies, and strategies of individual firms. And sometimes they are the outcome of a fierce battle between companies trying to gain dominance in the market by dictating the standard.

Which factors determine if and how standards come about? What can companies and governments do to positively influence this process? Those are two central questions in my research

TBM004A: Strategic Management (Business Game)
MOT1435: Technology, Strategy and Entrepreneurship
MOT9591: Standards Battles
MOT1004: MOT integration moment
MOT2910: MOT M.Sc. Thesis supervision
Strategic Leadership for Responsible Innovation
Emerging Technology-based Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Recent publications:

Van de Kaa, G., Stoccuto, S., Valladolid Calderón, C., 2021. “A battle over smart standards: Compatibility, governance, and innovation in home energy management systems and smart meters in the Netherlands” Energy Research and Social Science.
Van de Kaa, G. and L. M. Kamp, 2021. "Exploring design dominance in early stages of the dominance process: The case of airborne wind energy." Journal of Cleaner Production.
Mosterd, L., Sobota, V.M., Van de Kaa, G., Ding, A., De Reuver. M. 2021. Context dependent trade-offs around platform-to-platform openness: The case of the Internet of Things, Technovation
Wiarda, M., Van de Kaa, G., Yaghmaei, E., Doorn, N. 2021. "A comprehensive appraisal of responsible research and innovation: From roots to leaves." Technological Forecasting and Social Change 172
Van de Kaa, G. 2021, Strategies for the emergence of a dominant design for heat storage systems, Technology Analysis & Strategic Management, 1-13
Fulari, S.C., Van de Kaa, G., 2021. Overcoming Bottlenecks for Realizing a Vehicle-to-Grid Infrastructure in Europe through Standardization, Electronics, 10, 5, 1-15
Bergsma, J.M., Pruyn, J., van de Kaa, G. 2021. A Literature Evaluation of Systemic Challenges Affecting the European Maritime Energy Transition, Sustainability 13, 715.

More publications

2020-2024: European Union - Horizon2020 “Co-Create Change in Research Funding and Performing (Co-Change)”
2019-2021: European Union – Grow: Functions and Effects of European Standards and Standardisation in the EU and EFTA Member States
2018-2021: European Union - Horizon2020 “webs of Innovation and value chains of Additive Manufacturing under consideration of Responsible Research and Innovation (I AM RRI)
2015-2019: NWO: Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research “Capturing the societal value of smart energy systems”

2021-present Editor-in-Chief (Journal of Standardisation), TUD Open
2009-present: Ad Hoc Reviewer for Research Policy, Elsevier; IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, IEEE; Technovation, Elsevier; R&D Management, Wiley; Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier; Technology Analysis & Strategic Management, Taylor & Francis; Journal of Engineering and Technology Management, Elsevier; Innovation: Organization & Management, Taylor & Francis; Computer Standards & Interfaces, Elsevier; AOM conference, AOM; EURAM conference, EURAM; EURAS conference, EURAS; SIIT conference, SIIT; IAMOT conference, IAMOT
2021-present: Policy committee member, NEN
2021-present: Delegate (education standardization expert), United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (START-Ed)
2021-2022: Special issue editor (Electronic Markets), Springer
2021-2022: Special issue editor (Energies), MDPI
2019-present: Program committee member (TUD representative), NEN SOONS (Stichting onderzoek en onderwijs normalisatie en standaardisatie)
2019-present: Board member, IAMOT
2011-2021: Editorial review board member International Journal of IT Standards and Standardization Research, IGI
2011-present: (Technical Programme Committee) member, EURAS / ITU Kaleidoscope / SIIT.
2017-present: Guest scholar, Technical University Berlin, School of Economics and Management.
2017-present: Scientific expert standardization education, European Commission; GROW B.3
2020: Scientific expert, NEN
2020: Member assistant professor evaluation committee, Aarhus University, faculty of Business and Social Sciences, Department of Business Development and Technology
2019-2021: Editor-in-Chief International Journal of Standardization Research, IGI
2020-2021: Subcontractor, EY (EU DG Grow)
2018-2021: Workpackage leader (scientific coordinator) and task leader, H2020-SWAFS-IAMRRI
2019-present: Reviewer, EU H2020 (COFUND Fellowship Programme)
2019: Invited speaker, NEN
2019: Scientific expert for the Dutch climate agreement (klimaat akkoord), NERA/NWO
2018-present: Editorial Advisory Board member, IGI
2018-2019: Associate editor, International Journal of Standardization Research, IGI
2018 – present: Associate member, International Federation of Standards Users (IFAN).
2017: Teacher/trainer/coach, NEN
2017 – present: Representative on Standardisation, European Commission, directorate-general for internal market, industry, entrepreneurship and SMEs.
2016: Scientific contributor, IEEE Standards University
2016-2021: Teacher/trainer/coach, Erasmus University Rotterdam
2014-2016: Standardisation and Innovation Track chair, EURAM.
2013-2016: Member, Dutch Academy for Quality.
2015: Innovation marketing officer, EURAM
2015-2016: Editorial Review Board member, EURAS
2015: Editorial Review Board member, IGI publishers
2014-2016: Advisor/consultant, Japan External Trade Organization.
2012: Teacher/trainer/coach, Schouten University
2011: Visiting scholar, Technical University Berlin, School of Economics and Management.
2004-2008: Scientific member, Freeband/B@Home