An Investigation of W3C Standardization Processes using Rational Discourse

Standards, in particular Web standards, have become critical and complex information technologies as they influence our everyday activities. Standards making is a social practice where in experts engage in discussions to develop standards by weighing various alternative design solutions. Processes followed to develop these standards and how decisions for core features are made are not well understood. In this paper, we have drawn on concepts of rational discourse described by Habermas to examine whether processes followed at W3C meets requirements of rational discourse. Our investigation shows that processes followed at W3C do exhibit an approximation of rational discourse, while some concerns exist

Strategic standardisation of smart systems: A roadmapping process in support of innovation

With increasing awareness among policymakers and other stakeholders of the importance of standards in supporting innovation, many national governments and standards organisations are taking strategic foresight approaches to standardisation . This is especially the case for ICT-based ‘smart systems’, where an increasing number of different technologies and systems are interconnected to each other, involving a complex variety of actors. Roadmapping is a widely used tool to support such strategic policy processes, yet there remain significant challenges in terms of structuring and managing roadmapping exercises. This paper proposes a systematic process of managing roadmapping practices to develop effective strategies for standardisation in support of innovation. Based on literature regarding public-level strategy roadmaps and reviews of existing standardisation roadmapping exercises, a more systematic process has been developed, incorporating activities and tools to address increased challenges associated with standardisation of such complex areas. Findings of the research not only provide guidance on how roadmapping processes can be structured and organised to more effectively address standardisation issues in innovation strategies for smart systems, but also highlight policy implications, including potential roles for government in supporting standardisation efforts.The authors would like to thank Gatsby Charitable Foundation and Samsung Scholarship Foundation for their financial support, and all interviewees for sharing their knowledge and experiences, which provided invaluable insight for the research. Thanks are also due to two anonymous reviewers who provided constructive feedback and suggestions, which made the paper much stronger than before.This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Elsevier via https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2016.04.01

Theories of ICT Design: Where Social Studies of Technology Meet the Distributed Cognitive Perspective

In this paper we examine the possibility to bridge theory of Distributed Cognition with popular theories of Social Studies of Technology (in particular, Actor-Network Theory and Social Construction of Technology). Responding to a recent call for revisiting the design metaphor, in this paper we aim to obtain more precise terminology for describing the phenomena of ICT design in theoretical terms. We argue that establishing correlations between the two bodies of literature adds new knowledge to a community of scholars caters for betterment of managerial practice in complex design tasks

A Systems Perspective on Standardisation in Technological Innovation: A Conceptual Framework and a Process Model Supporting Strategic Policy Foresight

This thesis addresses conceptual and practical challenges in anticipating potential standardisation needs and developing relevant strategies throughout various stages of technological innovation. With increasing awareness of critical roles played by standardisation in supporting a variety of innovation activities, strategic foresight for timely and appropriate standardisation is becoming a crucial innovation policy interest in many countries. However, there are currently limited and fragmented studies on this issue, because of the complexity and variety involved in dynamic interplays between standardisation and other aspects of innovation. There are also increased challenges to develop coherent and long-term strategies for standardisation, due to modern technologies that are becoming more complex, interdisciplinary, and fast-evolving at the same time. Standards organisations and policymakers thus face significant challenges in developing standardisation strategies (in terms of what, why, when, how, and who) to support technological innovation more effectively. In this regard, the current research develops a systematic conceptual framework for more comprehensive understanding of standardisation – particularly highlighting its technological complexities – in the context of innovation, and a structured process model for using it to support strategic policy foresight. Building on the innovation systems perspective, preliminary framework and process model are first developed by adopting the holistic approach of strategic roadmapping as method, and incorporating a priori constructs drawn from existing literature relevant to standardisation. Then, multiple exploratory case studies covering various technology domains have been conducted to identify first order elements for their development. They are followed by an in-depth longitudinal case study on standardisation of photovoltaic technology, testing and refining the framework and process model by exploring complex dynamics between standardisation and innovation in greater detail. Interviews with experts across a broader range of domains and regions have then been carried out, to verify the framework and process model, including their utility and practicality. This thesis makes contributions to both theory and practice. With a systems perspective on standardisation, it provides a more holistic and comprehensive understanding of how standardisation supports innovation, highlighting its mediating roles between critical innovation activities and functions. It also presents a unified framework integrating various dimensions of standardisation with particular emphasis on technological elements, addressing challenges due to complex technological systems. Such new insights are expected to help standards organisations and policymakers with strategic foresight for standardisation in support of innovation, using the proposed framework and process model as practical tools for anticipating future standardisation needs and developing relevant strategies. In addition, the current research contributes to the roadmapping literature and practice, by presenting more structured and advanced frameworks and processes, and providing insights for using the roadmap-based approach as methods for data collection and analyses.Samsung Scholarship, Gatsby Foundatio

Exploring the Factors Promoting Team Effectiveness in the Process of Creating International Technology Standards A Case Study of ISO/SAE-joint Standard (21434) for Road Vehicle Cybersecurity

International Technology Standards play an essential role in supporting technology adoption and implementation. Emerging technologies are reshaping global commerce. New technologies have been shown to be an essential factor in boosting the economy as they offer great prospects for growth. It is a complicated journey from promising emerging technology to full industrialization and commercialization. However, the process of creating International Technology Standards itself is dynamic and complicated, consists of many underlying dimensions, and is influenced by political, economic, socio-demographic, and technological changes during the development process. Few theoretical frameworks exist to help in understanding the process of creating technology standards as well as to provide practical guidelines. This dissertation bridges this gap by conducting an in-depth case study analysis that aims to extend our knowledge and gain a deeper understanding of the process of creating International Technology Standards. The case I selected is the first ever joint International Technology Standard by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO, a Europe-based standards development organization), and SAE International (SAE, a U.S.-based standards development organization). The purpose of the standard in question is to setup global policies and guidelines for automotive 4 cybersecurity, in the era during which cars will become fully connected and will soon be autonomous. In this case study, data were collected through documents, observations, interviews, and questionnaires. A total of 18 semi-structured individual and group interviews, including 24 participants, were conducted within four months, and 25 completed questionnaires were collected. Coding was adopted as the data analysis method. The results reveal a set of Input-Process- Outcome (IPO) factors and components that impact team effectiveness in the process of creating International Technology Standards. To be specific, team structure is the most critical IPO factor that influences the team effectiveness. Additionally, an Input-Choice-Outcome (ICO) conceptual framework and several lessons-learned are offered for future International Technology Standards creation projects. The study contributes to literature and practice by providing theoretical and practitioner insights into the process of International Technology Standards creation

A Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment among Small Farmers: A Case Study in Western Honduras

Climate change is now affecting every known society. Small farmers in Low Income Countries (LICs) are especially vulnerable to climate change patterns because they depend heavily on rain, seasonality patterns, and known temperature ranges. To help build climate change resilient communities among rural farmers, the first step is to understand the impact of climate change on the population. This dissertation aims to use information and communication technology (ICT) to assess climate change vulnerabilities among rural farmers. To achieve this overall goal, this dissertation first proposes a comprehensive Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment Framework (CCVAF) that integrates both community level and individual household level indicators. The CCVAF was instantiated into a GIS-based web application named THRIVE for different decision makers to better assess how climate change is affecting rural farmers in Western Honduras. Qualitative evaluation of the THRIVE showed that it is an innovative and useful tool. The CCVAF and its instantiation provides an important initial step towards building climate change resilience among rural farmers. It is the first attempt to provide a comprehensive set of the indicators with related measurements and data sources for climate change vulnerability assessment. The framework thus contributes to the knowledge base of the climate change vulnerability assessment. It also contributes to the design science literature by providing guidelines to design a class of climate change vulnerability assessment solutions. To the best of our knowledge, the CCVAF is the first generalizable artifact that can be used to build a group of ICT-based climate change vulnerability assessment solutions. Another knowledge contribution of this dissertation is its reproducibility by making the input and output data available to the research and practitioner community through a GeoHub. For practical contributions, the framework can be easily used by researchers and practitioners to consistently design a vulnerability assessment tool, starting with the set of indicators organized by the three-level determinants, and following specific spatial data analysis and models. Such an ICT-based tool adds practical values to tackle climate change challenges

Information Technology Standards in eResearch: A Conceptual Model of the Primary Adoption Process in Higher Education Organizations

Current research on IT standards tends to focus on their lifecycle: from the development and selection, to their implementation and use. This work proposed an interdisciplinary perspective to analyze primary adoption process in the eResearch domain. As organizations are the core entities in the innovation process, the analysis of IT standards adoption was applied to eResearch infrastructures within higher education organizations. The core argument was built on the adopter s viewpoint as it provides the most explanatory process about adoption. Two international case studies probed the suitability of a model to identify the determinant role of factors like external and internal networks, top management support and organization structure. This dissertation delivers new insights that contribute to bring certainty about one relevant context of standards adoption