Compare methods

	Strategic Niche Management	Transition Management
Field	Science Technology Studies	Science Technology Studies
Family	Process / pipeline	Process / pipeline
Year of origin	1998	2001
Originator	René Kemp, Johan Schot & Remco Hoogma	Jan Rotmans, René Kemp & Derk Loorbach
Type	Conceptual framework and analytic method for managing innovation niches	Prescriptive, complexity-based governance framework
Seminal source	Kemp, R., Schot, J., & Hoogma, R. (1998). Regime shifts to sustainability through processes of niche formation: the approach of strategic niche management. Technology Analysis & Strategic Management, 10(2), 175-198.	Loorbach, D. (2010). Transition management for sustainable development: a prescriptive, complexity-based governance framework. Governance, 23(1), 161-183.
Aliases	SNM, Niche management approach, Protective space analysis	TM, Transition governance framework, Transition arena approach
Related	4	4
Summary	Strategic Niche Management (SNM) is a framework for understanding and supporting the early development of radical, sustainable innovations by nurturing them in protected spaces—niches—shielded from the full selection pressure of the prevailing market and regime. It zooms into the niche level of transition theory and identifies three internal processes that determine whether an innovation gathers momentum: the articulation of expectations and visions, the building of broad social networks, and learning across multiple dimensions through real-world experiments.	Transition Management (TM) is a prescriptive, complexity-based governance framework for deliberately steering long-term, structural change in sociotechnical systems toward sustainability. Rather than predicting or controlling outcomes, it organises a cyclical, participatory process—strategic, tactical, operational, and reflexive activities—through which a small group of frontrunners develops shared long-term visions, translates them into agendas and coalitions, mobilises experiments, and continuously monitors and learns. It applies insights from transitions research to the question of how societies might govern their own transformations.