Role of standards in innovation .pdf

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ABSTRACT
We review and explore the role of standards in innovation, with particular emphasis on design and
manufacturing processes. We begin by defining and classifying standards and by exploring their role and
infrastructure in society. This is followed by a similar discussion for innovation. By examining the relationships
between innovation and standards, we extract the negative impact and the positive impact each has on the
other. A study of four case histories in different domains—manufacturing, computer hardware, mechanical
component design, and product data exchange—reveals that, as expected, standards are often derived from
innovative technology. Surprisingly, however, innovation is often spurred—directly and indirectly—from standards
as well. We conclude that, in general, the benefits of standards on innovation in design and manufacturing
outweigh the possible limitations on creativity imposed by such standards.