A musical metaphor is appropriate when it comes to the work ACORD does in developing and implementing standards. In essence, the insurance industry is an orchestra, and ACORD's job is to create harmony amid the cacophony. In that scenario, the conductor for the past 30 years has been Greg Maciag, who keeps faithfully waving his baton in hopes of convincing everyone to stay in tune. I don't envy him his job.
I've always thought of ACORD as a sort of United Nations of the insurance industry, bringing together many disparate elements under one roof, asking everyone to put aside short-term competitive advantages for the long-term good of the business. Their goals are laudable–to lower costs, improve efficiency, boost productivity and ultimately make it easier for clients to do business with carriers, producers and vendors.
ACORD has taken its share of abuse, as everyone, myself included, is impatient for faster progress. Perhaps part of the problem is that people expect ACORD's efforts to have an absolute end-game–that someday standards will be established across the board, and the organization literally won't be needed anymore.
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