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September 03, 2004
Institution building: a look back at W3C
A long time ago, I wrote an article for a standards-policy seminar at UC Irvine on my experience with the development of the World Wide Web Consortium; I later presented to a cyberpolicy seminar in Georgetown. That was about it, until I started reflecting on the challenges in intiating a new Labs division for CommerceNet. It's a perennial challenge to foster innovation within a multi-party cooperative research & development consortium; the Harvard Business School press even has a book on the topic: Technology Fountainheads: The Management Challenge of R&D Consortia by E. Raymond Corey.
The Evolution of the World Wide Web Consortium
The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) has developed a novel organizational form as it attempts to "lead the evolution of the Web" -- equal parts academic lab, industrial research & development consortium, trade association, and standards body. In this paper, we trace the history of W3C's adaptations in structure and process to accommodate the shifting opportunities of the Web market.
Posted by rohit at September 3, 2004 10:31 AM