Management systems integration: survey results
International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management
ISSN: 0265-671X
Article publication date: 4 September 2017
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to report the results from a survey carried out among Portuguese companies with their management systems (MSs) certified according to, at least two of the following standards: ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001. In addition, the results from a second survey conducted amid a group of experts that pointed out several aspects that impact on the integration level will be dissected.
Design/methodology/approach
The phenomenon of MSs integration is hardly transferable to a contained environment so some of the common research methods traditionally adopted include case studies, surveys, interviews and observation in situ. The findings from two surveys online among Portuguese companies and Portuguese experts are reported in the current paper.
Findings
The results suggest that a set of common characteristics is present on the majority of the surveyed companies. On first hand, there is evidence of an effective integration of the policies and the existence of an integrated system manager on the organizational structure of the companies. On the other hand, results suggest that training was provided to top management concerning integration issues, an integrating concept was taken into account during the implementation process and tools, and methods and objectives of the subsystems are aligned.
Research limitations/implications
This paper addresses the issues raised in the mainstream scientific bibliography through the collection of information amidst Portuguese companies. At this stage, it is not possible to infer at which extent the conclusions may be transferable to other geographic contexts. The small number of companies that completed the survey precludes the statistical generalization of the findings but the analytical generalization is not impaired.
Originality/value
The authors believe that the conclusions of this paper may aid both practioneers and scholars in the understanding of a complex but manageable organizational phenomenon. In addition, through the contents of this paper companies may collect information regarding the pertinent issues to address when developing their IMSs.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors thank to all the companies and experts that completed the survey and to CemPalavras, Edições Empresariais for disseminating it. This work has been funded by the Portuguese Government, namely, FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia in the scope of the project: PEst-OE/EEI/UI0319/2014. The authors also thank and acknowledge the support received from the company CemPalavras Comunicação Empresarial Ltd in the diffusion of the online questionnaire. In addition, the authors would like to thank the companies that kindly answered the questionnaires. Pedro Domingues benefited from financial support through the FCT pos-doc Grant No. SFRH/BPD/103322/2014.
Citation
Domingues, P., Sampaio, P. and Arezes, P.M. (2017), "Management systems integration: survey results", International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, Vol. 34 No. 8, pp. 1252-1294. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJQRM-03-2015-0032
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2017, Emerald Publishing Limited