The Approach of the Standardization Strategy for Complex Systems

Issues and the outlook toward the solutions to societal challenges

Abstract

Drawing on the surge by ICT (Information Communications Technologies), the article aims at disentangling and streamlining the debates on standardization strategy to elucidate the strategic issues and the outlook on standardization strategy. Centered by EU and US, a variety of firms collaboratively attempts to develop complex systems (e.g., social infrastructures) composed of multiple-technologies in pursuit of social values. In contrast to the standardization strategy bundled with specific firms' businesses and technologies, such standardization hardly allows firms to profit from standardization by bundling their businesses and technologies with standards. Rather, it is critical for firms to precede in the accumulation and exploitation of the knowledge to implement the standard into their products/businesses. Firms are required to manage implementation knowledge along with the time line of standardization process. Standardization strategies for solving societal challenges will be vital for both firm strategies and policies.