Adoption of XML Specifications: An Exploratory Study of Industry Practices

Despite intense coverage of the rapid growth of XML technologies, little is known about the forces shaping their adoption by organizations. This paper provides insight into these processes via unstructured interviews with four global organizations. Despite the small number of study participants, some interesting cross-industry patterns worthy of further study emerge. Among them are indications that a lack of recognized industry standards slows market adoption of XML technologies, and that organizations are building internal expertise in anticipation of future standards-based work. Balance of power in customer/supplier relationships also emerges as a significant factor. Of the three types of standards-setting efforts acknowledged in the literature (free market forces, industry alliances, and government intervention), only the first two can be represented in this study. There have not been any significant efforts by governments to declare standard XML specifications. Thus, the organizations interviewed for this study represent only free market efforts and initiatives by industry alliances. Further study is recommended in order to ascertain the presence of these effects and their extent across industries.