Beyond the Standard: Compliance to Commitment

 

The ISO requirements  and Malcolm Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence are capable of enhancing the chances of long-term success for any company in any field, no exceptions. Intelligently applying ISO and the Baldrige models as guidelines can result in the effective design, maintenance and improvement of a strategically sound management system that delivers results.

Simple compliance to ISO and certification, or “doing Baldrige” solely in hopes of winning the Baldrige Award, is often not the smart way to go.

If ISO certification is mandated by external pressure from a customer, compliance is relatively easily attainable compared to committing to doing things the right way. Not surprisingly, those companies that play by-the-compliance-book are typically those companies with employees who grumble about ISO being nothing but non value-adding paperwork.

If the company only wants to become “compliant enough” to achieve ISO certification, you may be able to find a registrar willing to take your money and go the Certs ‘r’ Us route with you.

To Certify, or Not?

Once the company states its intent in writing, the company is held accountable to execute with consistent discipline from that point forward. Certification means accountability to the registrar, who provides an external ‘balance of power’ and can be a valued business partner–IF registrar selection is based on the right criteria.

Here’s the kicker question, though, and it requires a very honest answer…if leadership truly buys into the value in a sound management system, then shouldn’t the company be self-accountable to execute according to plan, without a registrar? Formal certification through a registrar may be needed simply to hold the company’s feet to the fire–sad but true.

System Scope Decisions

The company determines the management system’s scope (what is / isn’t included) to a point. If it’s an element from the ISO standard–a “shall” statement–there is no decision but how. Just Do It! If not an ISO requirement, there is also typically no real decision – Don’t Mess With It. Why would we self- inflict unnecessary pain?

The gap between compliance and commitment to excellence is bridged if the following is considered, rather than taking the path of least pain and resistance:

What standard practices and controls does the company need to manage the business, achieve desired results, pursue excellence? What is the strategically smart thing to do?

For background on the work-in-process Flawless Execution project, go to the FE Home Page. For more information on this topic go to the Flawless Execution Systems page.