Competition and cooperation in the formation of information technology interoperability standards: A process model of web services core standards

Abstract

Standards formation is a key dimension in the competitive strategy of ICT firms, as a successful strategy would result in the emergence of favorable IT interoperability standards. This paper examines the standardization efforts of core Web services standards and the results indicate that resource dependencies and strategies adopted by dominant firms to extend their platforms influence the standards formation process. Communities of practice and standard-setting bodies are leveraged by dominant firms in the formation and adoption of standards. We propose a process model of standard setting consisting of five intertwined states: resource pooling, linkages, signaling and implementation, institutionalization, and extension.