Management systems: integration or addition?

TLDR

Management system certification, especially ISO 9001, is widespread and increasingly integrated with other subsystems such as environmental, safety, and sector‑specific standards, requiring careful harmonization. This paper explores strategies for integrating multiple management systems at varying levels of intensity, depth, and authenticity, and offers recommendations for effective integration. The study used a case‑study approach, examining three Portuguese companies with integrated quality, environmental, and safety management systems. An integrated approach to multiple management systems prevents the creation of isolated “islands” and promotes a globally optimized, holistic solution, highlighting distinct integration levels and their defining features.

Abstract

Purpose In the past few years, management systems implementation and certification has become a common practice among different types of organizations. In this context, quality management systems certification, according to the ISO 9001 standard is in the spotlight, due to over than 1.000.000 certified organizations by the end of 2009. Quality management systems can be integrated with an increasing variety of other subsystems implemented according to other standards, including environmental systems, health and safety, social responsibility, R&D, risk, or human resources, and subsystems raised from specific standards designed for specific activity sectors (HACCP, automotive or aeronautics, medical devices, pharmaceuticals and software). Due to this evolution, careful attention should be taken on how these different subsystems have been and should be articulated, harmonized and integrated. Thus, this paper intends to approach different strategies to achieve integration, with several levels of intensity, depth and authenticity between the different subsystems, and report some final recommendations related with good practices assuring the efficiency and effectiveness of the integration process. Design/methodology/approach A case study methodology has supported this research. Three case studies were conducted on Portuguese companies that have an integrated quality, environmental and safety management system. Findings If the companies' strategy is to implement more than one management system, there is a clear advantage of doing it supported on an integrated approach, avoiding the development of organizational “islands” related to each subsystem. This organizational “archipelago” structure is completely far way from any global optimized solution, based on a holistic perspective. Originality/value Based on the conclusions that we were able to find out, this paper is an important contribution to the integrated management systems research area, because it states different integration approaches and levels of integration and what are the features that characterize each one of those approaches and levels.