The early Kwans were founded by men of varying backgrounds. They taught their respective arts, which were not all based on Japanese Karate-do. So they each had something to offer separate from the others.
When there was a push to unify the Kwans into a standardized, unified art, this was accomplished through the efforts of the senior students of the Kwan founders. The Kwans gave up the revenue generated through the tests (shimsa). The "Modern History of Taekwondo" speaks to the founding of the KTA and later the Kukkiwon. I think this shows remarkable foresight and humility on the part of the Kwan leaders. They gave up individual prestige in order to better the art.
Miles