9 November 2010 The dynamics of new social spaces

Networking beyond national boundaries has resulted in a shift from a hierarchical state power toward networks of decentralised interacting bodies. One of the platforms used to manage this new environment is standardisation, described by scholars as a new institutional form of standard setting that involves multiple players who are often dispersed globally.

The International Standards Organization (ISO) is an international standard setting body that creates globally adopted technical standards to assist trade.

When Standards New Zealand nominated four experts from New Zealand to meet with 350 other experts from 72 countries to contribute to the development of guidance standards on social responsibility, their choices included Lincoln University Senior Lecturer Dr Michaela Balzarova, and Associate Professor, Pavel Castka, from the University of Canterbury.

Following the meetings, Dr Balzarova and Associate Professor Castka reviewed more than 1,500 participant comments to consider how stakeholders influence and contribute to the standards development process.

“Our findings show there has been a shift towards delegation of power and the creation of rules enforced on nongovernmental regimes,” says Dr Balzarova. “The dynamics of standardisation are quite complex and cover standards development, adoption and enforcement. Our study to date has focused on adoption and enforcement; there is little existing research on standardisation development.

“Our intention is to determine how multiple stakeholders influence and contribute to the standardisation development process. We specifically address the notion of the opening up of new social spaces and looking at the dynamics of collaboration when multiple parties, with different requirements, enter a new social space,” she says.

Dr Balzarova and Associate Professor Castka's research identified several facets of takeholder involvement in standardisation. These included eliminating issues that are controversial, linking the standard to other developed standards, making sure stakeholder opinions are heard and, thus, consensus seeking, reinforcing their positions to promote tighter control of the standard enforcement and, finally, contributing to standards improving by highlighting the need for clarity and usefulness for the user.

Dr Balzarova and Associate Professor Castka have jointly published their initial findings in prominent academic journals including the Journal of Production Economics and Human Systems Management.

Project: Dynamics of new social spaces

Researchers: Dr Michaela Balzarova, Associate Professor Pavel Castka 

Funders: Lincoln University Research Fund, College of Business and Economics Research Fund, University of Canterbury