ISO 9001
and ISO
14001
are
among
the best
known
standards
published
by the
International
Organization
for
standardization.
These
international
management
system
standards
have
been
implemented
by more
than a
million
organizations
in 175
countries.
But many
more
organizations
that
could
benefit
from
implementation
of management
system
standards
have yet
to do
so, even
though
there
are
compelling
reasons
to do
so.
ISO
9001,
ISO
14001,
and
other
management
system
standards
can
provide
a solid
foundation
on which
to build
an
organization
that can
withstand
the test
of time
and
challenges
of the
marketplace.
The
principles
of the
standards
can help
involve
and
unite
employees
in
working
toward a
shared
goal.
And
implementation
of a
certified
management
system
can be a
source
of
employee
pride
and
provide
a
competitive
marketing
and
sales
edge.
For a
low fee,
the
standards
give
organizations
proven
ideas,
techniques,
and
principles
that
most
could
not
afford
to
research
on their
own. And
the
immediate
and long
term
benefits
of
certification
can far
outweigh
the
costs.
In
addition
to
increasing
customer
confidence
in an
organization,
an
accredited
certification
can help
the
organization
operate
more
efficiently.
Recent
Research
Here's
an
overview
of some
recent
research
on the
impact
of
management
system
implementation
and
certification:
In this
the
first
large-scale
study to
examine
the
effects
of ISO
9001 on
employee
outcomes
such as
employment,
earnings,
and
health
and
safety,
David I.
Levine
of the
University
of
California
at
Berkeley
and
Michael
W.
Toffel
of the
Harvard
Business
School
analyzed
a
matched
sample
of
nearly
1,000
companies
in
California.
ISO 9001
adopters
subsequently
had far
lower
organizational
death
rates
than a
matched
control
group of
non-adopters.
Among
surviving
employers,
ISO
adopters
realized
higher
rates of
growth
of
sales,
employment,
payroll,
and
average
annual
earnings.
Injury
rates
also
declined
slightly
at ISO
9001
adopters,
although
total
injury
costs
did not.
The
paper
describes implications
for managers
and
public
policy.
Key
concepts
include:
•
Companies
that
adopt
ISO 9001
subsequently
grow
faster
in
sales,
employment,
payroll,
and
average
annual
earnings
than a
matched
control
group.
ISO 9001
adopters
are also
more
likely
to
remain
in
business.
• ISO
9001
adopters
subsequently
became
more
likely
to
report
zero
injuries
eligible
for
workers'
compensation.
However,
there is
no
evidence
that a
firm's
total or
average
injury
costs
improved
or
worsened
subsequent
to
adoption.
Michael
W.
Toffel
of the
Harvard
Business
School
conducted
one of
the
first
evaluations
to
determine
whether
a
voluntary
management
program
that
features
an
independent
verification
mechanism
is
achieving
its
ultimate
objectives.
Using a
sample
of
thousands
of
manufacturing
facilities
across
the
United
States,
he found
evidence
that ISO
14001
has
attracted
companies
with
superior
environmental
performance,
and that
adopters
subsequently
improve
their
environmental
performance.
These
results
suggest
that
robust
verification
mechanisms
such as
independent
certification
may be
necessary
for
voluntary
management
programs
to
mitigate
information
asymmetries
surrounding
management
practices.
Implications
are
discussed
for the
industry-associations,
government
agencies,
and the
non-governmental
organizations
that
design
these
programs,
the
companies
that are
investing
resources
to adopt
them,
and
those
that are
relying
on them
to infer
the
quality
of
management
practices.
Survey
of ISO
14001
Certified
Companies
Researchers
at the
University
of
Pennsylvania's
Wharton
Risk
Management
and
Decision
Processes
Center
found
that
most of
the ISO
14001
certificate
holders
responding
to a
national
survey
reported
a
relatively
quick
payback
time on
their
investment.
The
survey
data
indicate
that
doing a
thorough
job up
front in
identifying
environmental
aspects
and
testing
them for
improvement
leads to
the
bottom-line
benefits
that
organizations
expect
from
certification.
Many
organizations
experienced
a
two-year
financial
payback,
and some
experienced
a
one-year
return.
The
impact
of
internal
gains in
areas
such as
employee
awareness,
management
awareness,
and
management
involvement
in
environmental
affairs
was even
greater,
indicating
that ISO
certification
streamlines
a
facility's
management
system
to
produce
long-term
benefits.
The
Wharton
survey
was
developed
with
input
from
ANAB and
QSU
Publishing
Company.
Other
Resources
Certification,
registration,
accreditation
- the
jargon
of
conformity
assessment
can be
confusing.
This
white
paper on
the
value of
accredited
certification
covers
the
basics
and then
some.
The Value of
Accredited Certification