Are we sure that companies that decide to innovate and ensure their processes via International Standards (ISO 9001, 14001, OHSAS 18001 or HACCP Systems) know the changes they must face?
First things first: Why do we implement Management Systems ?:
We must be clear that today, with the globalization of the economy and the fall of customs barriers, many companies are exposed to competition from foreign producers who follow the philosophy of continuous improvement, set by the Japanese, this obviously forces us to compete with the same, or better, tools than our competitors, here then arises the first reason for the implementation of Standards:
· Marketing and not being out of the market, (sustainability of our business)
But there is another reason that is often relegated in the drawer of forgetfulness and that, without a doubt, is the objective of the Standards themselves, we talk about what Porter (1990) stated:
"The competitiveness of a nation depends on the ability of its industry to innovate and improve. The company gains competitive advantage through innovations »
Here then is the second and most important reason why companies should implement these Internationally Recognized Standards:
· Continuous Process Improvement and optimization in business management with a clear focus on the client.
If we all agree that every company is born and lives to obtain benefits, then the internationally recognized Regulatory systems aim at optimizing the company's processes and obtaining maximum benefits.
If we all know this, what happens after obtaining the first certification in the chosen regulation?
Undoubtedly, very favorable results and a lot of well-planned work that in a responsible way, has brought many benefits for those certified companies, which through a strong cultural change in all the members of their company have certified and maintained their certification over time.
A less favorable response is found in some companies that have not committed themselves to the second and main objective of implementing the Standards, that is, that the implementation of any Management System is beneficial and points to the continuous improvement of their company.
(Let's not forget that these regulations are born for that)
What happens then? That in most cases entrepreneurs feel that they should have implemented these continuous improvement systems, only due to customer requirements and current market trends.
There are companies that have implemented these standards, have certified and that, for some intrinsic reason, have not achieved the maintenance or the expected effective results, because due to ignorance of the regulations they are not convinced of their benefit within their processes, they see faced with a series of requirements, in terms of personnel, compliance with laws and application of routines that destroy their management and even feel that the system interrupts their productivity.
If the employer perceives the Standard as a parallel activity and not integrated into the production process, what can be left for his staff? It should not be forgotten that once the system has been designed and to carry out the implemented standard to a good end, a minimum permanence of personnel in the company is always required, in addition to their training and motivation.
Could it be our natural resistance to change? Could we face these International Regulations without assuming the changes that this requires of us?
Of one thing we are clear, those companies that implemented and certified International Standards (ISO 9001, 14001, for example) and that did not follow the path of continuous improvement that they require when facing the following external certification, usually have a very difficult time, for two basic reasons:
1. They have partially left the system behind, they have not finished reviewing the objectives of the management system, they remain recurring non-conformities, they have not carried out their internal audits of the management system, etc., in short, they are distant from the ideal goals. This forces them to distract a large part of their capabilities and allocate them to obtain the next external follow-up audit.
2. The auspicious growth scenario forces them to continually adapt the management system. For example, having to adjust the scope if the company grows successfully.
We must emphasize that these optimization systems in the management of companies require changes in business philosophy, where the maturity of the institution is evaluated by the responsibility to take charge of the changes to be implemented, including, obviously, the incorporation of personnel.
