Architectural theory of digital innovation contends that, to enhance physical products with digital capabilities, a layered modular architecture is required. This architecture hybridizes hierarchically arranged components of physical products with modules of digital functionality configured into layers. Despite considerable research adopting this architectural perspective on digital innovation, questions of how this hybrid architecture is accomplished organizationally and technologically lack both conceptual clarity and empirical illustration. Noting pervasive tensions that characterize digital innovation efforts and the contradictions between hierarchical and layered modular configurations, this paper seeks to answer the following research question: Given that the layered modular architecture needs to hybridize modular arrangements with opposing logics, how is it accomplished?

Employing the concepts of digitalization, physical product hierarchy and digital control system to better theorize a product architecture’s movement from a modular to a layered modular architecture accompanied by organizational structures that enable this change, we abductively analyze the increasing digitization of a car’s Driver Information Module (DIM) over a 10 year period. We conclude by proposing three transformations through which the layered modular architecture is accomplished.

数字创新的体系结构理论认为，为了增强具有数字功能的物理产品，分层的模块化体系结构是必须的。这种体系结构将物理产品的按层次排列的组件与配置为各层的数字功能模块进行了混合。尽管有大量研究采用这种架构观点来研究数字创新，但是关于如何在组织和技术上实现这种混合架构的问题既缺乏概念上的清晰，也缺乏经验性的说明。注意到表征数字创新工作的普遍张力以及分层和分层模块化配置之间的矛盾，本文力求回答以下研究问题：鉴于分层模块化体系结构需要将模块化安排与相反的逻辑进行混合，它是如何实现的？

利用数字化，物理产品层次结构和数字控制系统的概念来更好地理论化产品体系结构从模块化到分层模块化体系结构以及支持此更改的组织结构的理论，我们归纳分析了汽车驾驶员信息模块日益数字化的趋势（ DIM）在10年的时间内。我们通过提出三种转换来结束分层的模块化体系结构。