Is integration of management systems the best response to sustainable competitiveness in an increasingly regulated global business environment?

by Alain Gaumier and Mariann Zanardo

Sarbanes-Oxley projects have proven to be costly for American companies. There must be a better use of their resources. This is one of the benefits of integrating management systems.

Balanced scorecards and the 2005 Baldrige criteria are tools that already support such integration. However they do not reinforce the United Nations definition of sustainability (Meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs, 1987 Bruntland Report).

Companies are facing compliance requirements to a host of regulations globally. Financial and environmental perspectives are already connected through the SEC disclosure requirements.

ISO standards can bring to SOX proven processes that sustain the required internal controls, such as the experience of a controlled documentation system. The SOX projects can also be used to strengthen the QMS and EMS of an organization, for example the use of the CobiT framework to set up solid IT internal controls.

Some companies have already embarked on the integration of their management systems, and were represented at the conference. One of the various possible approaches is to first integrate the internal audits.

One of the major challenges to integration seems to be the specific languages used by each world: Financial, Quality, Environmental, and so on.

A balance remains to be found between all the different perspectives of the stakeholders of an organization. This is another debate for the future.

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