Difficulties and benefits of integrated management systems

Purpose - In recent years, the number of management systems (MSs) has sharply increased. These MSs can be certified with, for example, the quality standard ISO 9001 or the environmental standard ISO 14001 and they can subsequently be integrated into one single, jointly managed system. The main purpose of this research is to study the relationships between the level of system integration, on one hand, and the difficulties encountered in the integration process, as well as the related benefits, on the other. Design/methodology/approach - Data for this study derive from a survey carried out in 76 organizations registered to, at a minimum, both ISO 14001:2004 and ISO 9001:2008 standards for quality and environmental MSs. A descriptive and an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) are provided. Additionally, structural equation modelling (SEM) is applied to the responses of these organizations to a mailed survey. Findings - From the results, the paper proposes a model of the difficulties related to systems integration that have an effect on the level of integration of several specific items of the MSs involved. A model related to the effect of the integration level on the benefits is also provided. Originality/value - The study provides an original contribution to the understanding of how difficulties and benefits of MSs integration relate to the level of integration achieved in the participating companies.