The need for multi-disciplinary education about standardization

In the modern world of rapid and continuous industrial development, standardization plays a considerable role in shaping the global economy. Standards establish quality benchmarks, resolve connectivity problems, fuel innovation and by this means, enable technological advancement and facilitate international commerce. Standards come in a bewildering variety of forms and types and affect various areas of activities, often causing misunderstandings between, inter alia, engineers, economists and lawyers. Although currently ignored, such cross-sectoral misapprehensions may negatively impact standardization in the long run. In this regard, a relevant point to consider is the intertwining of different sectors and activities in the wake of growing digitalization. To grapple with the technical and regulatory challenges arising from this industry shift, an increased understanding of different standardization areas is required. Taking a legal perspective, this contribution describes experiences of incomprehension and misunderstanding when discussing various standardization issues with economists, software developers and mechanical engineers. It emphasizes the importance of cross-sectoral education on standardization for generating a constructive dialogue between different experts. The contribution concludes that increased awareness of various standardization domains enables experts to learn from each other and facilitates their cooperation within different sectors, pacing standardization to the needs of industry and society.