Standards and Industry Fora - Why are they never questioned?

No discussion about standards is complete without covering the myriad of "Industry Fora" (Industry specific bodies set up privately. These groups suffer from a different malaise than those of the government bodies.

There is a self-perpetuating circle set up in some of these industry fora, where all industry players get locked in to perpetuating something that should be shut down.

I believe this self-perpetuation can be applied to a number of such industry organizations and have confirmed this with participants in management standards, storage industry fora and other industry groups.

The Organization's own staff, Vendors and Analysts/Press form a circle where no-one can criticize the organization. Vendors must go along with the organization since to criticize would be viewed as being anti-standards. Analysts/Press can't criticize since they are wined/dined and granted interviews with the senior organization staff, who in turn give them quotes and business. Why doesn't the "Board" or elected individuals from of the member companies do something about it? Board members have day jobs so they don't really have time to look in detail at the actions of the organization or its budget and will be constrained by the same concerns as the other players, further they may well be in the pocket of the organisation.

The result is an organization very good at spending member's money and generating hype, sometimes offering little value to the industry other than as a marketing channel, and of great value to its staff.

About a year ago I tried to publish a version of this commentary (but with a lot more detail about specific organisations) but in the end the interested publication backed down. Perhaps they were also victims of the same pressures.

Click to read the article this is in response to.