Congestion at the floating road? Negotiation in networked innovation

In this paper we develop a framework for analyzing negotiation processes in networked innovation, and apply it in infrastructure construction. The paper departs from the question: Why do technological innovative concepts sometimes emerge and diffuse while at other times they ‘congest’? An explanation is found in negotiation processes at different levels in networks, as technological innovations increasingly emerge in heterogeneous networks. We contribute to theory by focusing on the process of negotiation in networks (instead of on network structure), and by showing and explaining how negotiations can both contribute to and adjourn networked innovation processes.