An empirical study in China noted that implementing a quality management system (QMS) and EMS in parallel is not the most effective solution for handling multiple management systems. This approach leads to several problems, including more complex internal management, less management efficiency, an increase in cultural incompatibility, more employee hostility, and increased management costs. The authors describe a synergetic model that they believe is necessary for implementing integrated management systems. The model is composed of a strategic synergy, an organizational structural-resource-cultural synergy, and a documentation synergy, which operates at several levels in the organization.
(Zeng, S. X., et al., “A Synergetic Model for Implementing an Integrated Management System: An Empirical Study in China,” Journal of Cleaner Production, Vol. 15, No. 18, 2007, pp. 1,760-1,767)
A survey of a range of organizations in Italy showed considerable evidence of management system integration, with the most found in organizations that had adopted environmental, quality, and occupational safety and health (OSH) management systems. The survey also found that the company’s size had the most significant effect on likelihood of integration, with larger companies predominating. Other factors, such as industrial sector and geographical location, were less important.
(Salomone, R., “Integrated Management Systems: Experiences in Italian Organizations,” Journal of Cleaner Production , Vol. 16, No. 16, 2008, pp. 1,786-1,806)
The integrated management systems for two small companies in Austria identified three dimensions of sustainable development: social, ecological, and economic (commonly referred to as the “triple bottom line”). The account of these companies’ experiences states that an integrated management system will increasingly involve the social dimension. This social aspect would include participation from a range of stakeholders. For employees, an integration of quality, environmental, and safety requirements was generally quite natural, arising from the workplace processes.
(Fresner, J. and Engelhardt, G., “Experiences With Integrated Management Systems for Two Small Companies in Austria,” Journal of Cleaner Production, Vol. 12, No. 6, 2004, pp. 623-631)
In a survey of Australian construction companies, many respondents cited EMS and OSH standards, both for themselves and suppliers, as being of significant importance within their overall corporate social responsibility framework.
(Petrovic-Lazarevic, S., “The Development of Corporate Social Responsibility in the Australian Construction Industry,” Construction Management and Economics, Vol. 26, No. 2, 2008, pp. 93-101)
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