Setting Standards - Simulation Game
On the 25th of March 2009, immediately following the ICES 2009 workshop in Tokyo (23-24 March 2009), Tineke Egyedi organized a one day workshop/ simulation exercise. There were no costs involved thanks to the generocity of professor Shiro Kurihara (Hitotsubashi University), who provided us the meeting room (Hitotsubashi University Maru-building meeting room), the Japanese Standards Association (JSA), which has graciously offered to treat us to lunch and drinks following the excercise, and the Delft University of Technology, which was covering the expenses of the moderators.
Simulation exercises are one of the many means to teach standards education. This exercise aimed to provide insight into the process of standards setting.
'Setting Standards: Learning by Doing in a Simulation Exercise'
The Delft University of Technology has, together with United Knowledge, developed a simulation exercise that provides policy makers, members of industry and students hands-on experience with standards processes. More specifically, the participants will acquire a feeling for the political-economic stakes in standardization, gain insight in standards-related interests and strategies, and experience the importance of standards procedures and the role of individuals in standards processes. Under the guidance of two moderators 12-18 participants will negotiate a standard for a fictional next generation technology. The participants will simulate a real standardization process by role-playing and completing strategic tasks. Afterwards, a three-phased evaluation is used to reflect on their experiences, focusing on lessons for real-life standardization.