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RSM ‐ a force for positive change

Henk de Vries

Professor of Standardisation ManagementDepartment of Technology & Operations Management, Section Innovation Management

Education on standards for sustainable development

UNECE Working Party on Regulatory Cooperation and Standardization Policies (WP.6)

29th Annual Session 2019‐11‐21, Geneva

Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University

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Mission Statement:We are a force for positive change in the world

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United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 

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One framework and 

language for

• governments 

• businesses 

• civil society 

up to 2030. 

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?Standardisation

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Education about standardisation at RSM

• Bachelor level: Module Innovation and Interface Management in 

Minor Responsible Innovation of

– Leiden University

– Delft University of technology

– Erasmus University

• Bachelor internships

• Master level: Elective Innovation and Interface Management

• Master thesis projects

• Executive course International Standardisation

• PhD projects

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Master elective Innovation and Interface Management

• Related to Master Management of Innovation

– Covers all aspects of bringing a new product or service to the market

– From idea generation to product launch

– From internal management issues in the R&D process to long‐term 

corporate innovation strategies

• Interdisciplinary

• 6 ECTS (= 168 hours)

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Learning objectives

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Educational approach

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• Disclosing people for standardisation

• Disclosing standardisation for people

• Real-life experiences → Scientific abstractions → Integration → Managerial knowledge

• Herman Dooyeweerd (1953-1958) A new critique of theoreticalthought. Parts 1-4. Amsterdam: Paris / Philadelphia: Presbyterianand Reformed Publishing Company

• Dirk van de Lagemaat (1986) Onderwijzen in ondernemen. Houten: Educaboek

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Course format

• Games

• Teaching cases

• Lectures

• Guest lectures

• Company visits

• Group assignment: strategic advice

• Personal assignments, incl. essay

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Contents curriculum

Challenge: addressing all dimensions of standardisation

• Levels (e.g., company, intra‐company, national, international)

• Business sectors

• Subject matter areas (e.g., quality, safety, interoperability)

• Kinds of standards (e.g., terminology, reference models, compatibility, quality) 

• Processes of standardisation (idea, selection of standards‐setting organisation, 

drafting, decision making, distribution, selection, implementation, use, impact)

• Aspects (e.g., arithmatic, physical, psychologial, economic, esthetical, law, ethical)

• Characterisation of standardisation (e.g. variety reduction)

• Importance per stakeholder

• Actual issues (e.g., IPR, New Approach, Technology roadmaps, One Belt One Road)

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Contents curriculum (2)

Managerial dilemmas

1.Standard versus tailor‐made

2.Cooperation versus competition 

3.Public versus private 

4.Standardisation versus innovation

5.Global versus local 

6.Standard versus authentic 

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Contents curriculum (3)

How to use standardisation management

to achieve company goals?

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Addressing sustainable development goals during the course

SDG 1

• Role of standards in international trade

(General course topic)

• Case: Export of shrimps from Bangladesh to the European

Union: European standards do not allow use of antibiotics

(Example in lecture on the above course topic)

• Research findings on standards and innovation in developing

countries (Lee, Zoo & de Vries, 2017) (Paper to be read)

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SDG 2

• Food safety management (Mentioned in

lecture on management system standards)

• Certification seals related to fair trade and environmental

impact – impacts on product perception and purchase

intention (Mentioned in lecture on impacts of standards)

SDG 3

• Healthy food certification seals – impacts on

consumer behaviour and innovation by

producers (Mentioned in lecture on impacts of standards)

• Human interface (Student assignment)

• Standards for the aging population of Japan (In-class

assignment)

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SDG 4

• Historical example: guilds

• Role of standards and conformity assessment

in educating and training craftsmen

• Impacts on innovation

(Mentioned in lecture on history of standardisation)

SDG 5

• Impacts of male domination on new work

item proposals in international

standardisation: taboos on standards for ‘female products’

(Mentioned in lecture about the start of standardisation

projects)

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SDG 6

• Standards for measuring water quality

in Indonesia to prepare for cheaper and

better cleaning for making drinking water

(Mentioned in lecture on relevance of measurement

standards)

SDGs 7 / 13

• Energy performance standards for

houses• Reduction of energy use

• Several forms of innovation

• Better economic position for the country

• No cost for government

(de Vries & Verhagen, 2016)

(Paper to be read)

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SDG 8

• Economic impacts of standardisation

(General course topic)

SDG 9

• Impact of standardisation on innovation

(Core course topic)

• Standardisation to support the innovation process

(Mentioned in lecture on standardisation and innovation)

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SDG 10

• Understanding ‘winner takes all

mechanisms’ that influence battles

between competing standards

(Van de Kaa et al. 2011) (Paper to be read)

• Alternative organisational forms such as cooperations

(Mentioned in lecture on platforms)

• Anglo-Saxon versus European and Japanese business

excellence models / standards (Mentioned in lecture on

standards for management systems)

SDG 11

• Standards for smart cities

(Mentioned in lecture of standards for

complex systems)

• Standards for vertical greening (Mentioned as an example of

integration of both technologies and markets)

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SDG 12

• Case: Interface European Manufacturing

• Producer of carpet tiles

• Forerunner in sustainability

• Aim: climate-neutral in 2020

• Next strategy: Positive impact on climate

(Company visit, Group assignment: How to use

standardisation for climate-take back?)

SDG 14

• Case: need for standards for measuring

the concentration of plastics particles

in water, including a sampling strategy

(Mentioned in lecture on measurement standards)

• Case: dubious ISO standard for measuring release rate

of biocides in anti-fouling paint (Mentioned in lecture on

stakeholder involvement in standardisation: dominance of

paint industry in committee caused harm for the environment)

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SDG 15

• Case: standard for sustainable tourism

(Mentioned in lecture on the relevance

of the local level of standardisation)

SDG 16

• Six roles of government

in relation to standardisation

(General course topic)

• National quality infrastructure:

standardisation, innovation, metrology, quality

management, certification, accreditation)

(General course topic)

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SDG 17

• Tracing stakeholders, determining core

stakeholders, stakeholder involvement in

standardisation (General course topic)

• Standards for management systems• high level structure

• Integration of management systems

• Impacts of (certified) management systems

(General course topic)

• Systems approach to standardisation

(General course topic)

Contact

Henk J. de Vries

Professor of Standardisation ManagementRotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University(010) 408 20 02hvries@rsm.nlhttps://www.rsm.nl/hdevries

Visiting Professor Delft University of Technology, Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management

President European Academy for Standardisation EURAS