How do systemic intermediaries obtain legitimate roles for themselves in innovation systems and transition processes? This is still an understudied question in the study of systemic intermediaries. We start from the observation that roles, or positions, are not given, but emerge in interactions as a negotiated set of rights and obligations. Inspired by positioning theory, which has its roots in symbolic interactionism, we analyse how positions are invoked in the actors’ various actions and statements (‘speech acts’) and how they draw from the mutually constructed narratives (‘storylines’) that enable and constrain the range of possible positions. We analyse, over time, the positioning of three Dutch systemic intermediaries in agriculture, energy production, and healthcare. We conclude that systemic intermediaries move together with the promise of the field and, as a consequence, have to reposition themselves. In different phases, they both profit and suffer from the dilemma between initiating and sustaining innovative systemic changes.

系统性中介人如何在创新系统和过渡过程中获得自己的合法角色？在系统中介的研究中，这仍然是一个未被研究的问题。我们从观察中开始，没有给出角色或职位，而是在互动中作为协商的权利和义务出现。受定位理论的启发，定位理论源于象征性互动主义，我们分析了角色在演员的各种动作和陈述（“言语行为”）中是如何被调用的，以及它们如何从相互构造的叙事（“故事情节”）中汲取灵感，从而实现和限制可能的位置范围。随着时间的推移，我们分析了三个荷兰系统中介机构在农业，能源生产和医疗保健领域的定位。我们得出的结论是，系统中介与该领域的承诺一起发展，因此必须重新定位自己。在不同的阶段，它们既会获利，又会遭受发起和维持创新性系统变革之间的困境。