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Wearing multiple hats—The role of working group chairs’ affiliation in standards development

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  • Baron, Justus
  • Kanevskaia, Olia

Abstract

Standards Development Organizations (SDO) make critical decisions shaping the direction of technological innovation. SDOs are usually considered to offer a neutral venue for the collaborative efforts of different stakeholders, which often pursue competing particular interests. Nevertheless, individuals acting on behalf of the SDO, such as working group chairs, are themselves often employees of individual SDO stakeholders. Recently, there have been concerns that over-representation of the employees of certain powerful stakeholders in SDO leadership positions may undermine the objectivity of SDO decision making. Nevertheless, to date, there exists no empirical evidence to corroborate these concerns. We find that being affiliated with one of the largest SDO stakeholders significantly increases an individual’s likelihood of being appointed to a leadership position at IETF, but not at 3GPP. At the same time, in both SDOs, working groups whose chairs are affiliated with leading stakeholders produce standards that are less cited and less referenced than standards produced by other working groups, in particular those chaired by university affiliates. Our findings suggest that the commercial interests of individuals’ employers may facilitate these individuals’ ascension to SDO leadership positions, but the potential for conflicts between these commercial interests of chairs’ employers and the organizational goals of the SDO may negatively impact the success of the working group’s standards.

Suggested Citation

  • Baron, Justus & Kanevskaia, Olia, 2023. "Wearing multiple hats—The role of working group chairs’ affiliation in standards development," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 52(9).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:respol:v:52:y:2023:i:9:s0048733323001063
    DOI: 10.1016/j.respol.2023.104822
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Blind, Knut & Kenney, Martin & Leiponen, Aija & Simcoe, Timothy, 2023. "Standards and innovation: A review and introduction to the special issue," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 52(8).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Standards Development Organizations (SDO); Governance; Committee chair selection; Collaborative innovation; Social capital;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • L15 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Information and Product Quality
    • L16 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Industrial Organization and Macroeconomics; Macroeconomic Industrial Structure
    • O33 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes

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