Strategic Standardization Management and Competitive Advantage

Date of Submission

1998

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Science in Management Systems (Sc.D.)

Department

Management

Advisor

Ben B. Judd

Committee Member

William S. Pan

Committee Member

Ali Montazer

LC Subject Headings

Standardization--United States, Strategic planning--United States, Competition

Call No. at the Univ. of New Haven Library

AS 36 N290 Mgmt. Syst. 1998 no.1

Abstract

Strategic standardization management™ (SSM™) is presented as a management discipline which organizes an entity’s standardization resources. Either due to manufacturing necessity, industry agreement or national or international policy, the need to operate according to standards is essential to organizations in a wide array of industries.

A theoretical model of competitive advantage based on organizational recognition of standardization issues was developed. This model was tested to assess an organization’s strategies toward standardization and standards issues and the market leadership position of the organization’s principal products. Organizations were further analyzed relative to industry classifications and whether the nature of their products could be classified as being high technology.

Corporate executives were contacted both with written questionnaires and by telephone follow-up. Questionnaires were mailed to 443 U.S. companies. Of these, 74 were returned by American National Standards Institute (ANSI) members, and 6 from non-ANSI members. A subsequent telephone survey of additional 41 firms (20 ANSI and 21 non-ANSI) was accomplished. Overall, 121 organizations provided data, including 94 ANSI member companies, and 27 non-ANSI members.

Those organizations who responded tended to be leaders in their fields, thus a contrast between successful and unsuccessful organizations was impossible to measure (or determine). A proxy variable for organizations having a high degree of technology was created. A very high level of integration of standardization issues included in strategic plans and ISO 9000 Quality Management System Standards into the business practice of these organizations was found.

This paper is one of the first studies to determine what, if any, differences exist in organizations that actively promote SSM™ in a strategic sense and those who do not. The intention of this study is to demonstrate that standardization is a key business competitiveness strategy that should command the attention of a wide array of United States business people. To the knowledge of this researcher no studies specifically have related standardization quantitatively to competitiveness.

Therefore, this paper, and its associated research, is of significant importance to U.S. business and U.S. national competitiveness interests. It is an original work which will be followed by additional scholarly study and business-interest support.

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