Rejuvenating technical consortia

s In the high-technology markets, con-sortia seem to come and go with the seasons. This phenomenon is not unusual when you consider that the life cycles of some technologies only last from nine months to two years. Technological con-sortia are established by interested and materially affected parties to accomplish a collective strategic goal that no single member can accomplish alone: market development. Having accomplished this goal, the membership moves on to the next threat or opportunity, and the consortium, most times, fades from view. How, then, can a consortium rejuvenate itself and continue to provide value to its members? The answer lies in how the members and the market perceive the value of the consortium. usiness schools and psychologists have taught us that corporations and individuals have two basic motivations: the avoidance of failure or pain and the pursuit of success or pleasure. Successful consortia are typically established to fight a commercial threat in the marketplace and to create an environment for their membership to capitalize on business opportunities for growth and profitability. If a consortium is languishing, it is because it has defeated the commercial threat and there is no longer a common enemy, or it has failed to stem the threat, and opportunities for growth and profitability are diminished. For consortia to continue to prosper , there must always be a perceived commercial threat and there must always be a perceived stream of new business opportunities. With either of these imperatives missing, the perceived value of a consortium , to both its membership and the market, will decline rapidly. The common threat to a consortium's interest is the convergence point that bonds the membership to the organization. The target marketplace defined by a consortium becomes the divergence point for the membership to pursue their commercial interests. The primary role of consortia is to set strategic plans and goals for the membership that allow them to pursue this economic benefit. In most instances, the membership must create and execute the tactics. One, usually fatal, mistake of consortia is to undertake tactical activities in the marketplace in support of the strategic goals; in most instances, this is contrary to the interests of consortia members. However, one common tactic that can be developed by a consortium and accepted and used by its membership is the development and adoption of certain enabling standards. A consortium is always created around a technology element …