Integrated sustainability management for organizations

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to propose the Viable System Model (VSM) as an effective model to base the analysis of organizational sustainability (long-term viability). It is specifically proposed as a model to integrate the various sustainability tools, and as the basis for designing a unified Sustainability Management System. Design/methodology/approach – The VSM is used as an organizational model to examine three prominent sustainability standards: ISO 26000, ISO 14001 and ISO 14044. A generic manufacturing company is used as a template; and its typical business processes are related to each of the VSM’s components. Each clause of the three sustainability standards is then mapped on to the VSM model. These three models are integrated into one, by analysing the differences, similarities and complementarities in the context of each VSM component, and by identifying common invariant functions. Findings – In all, 12 generic sustainability functions are identified. ISO 26000 has the widest scope; ISO 14001 is focused primarily on internal measurement and control (System 3), while ISO 14044 is a complex performance indicator at the System 3 level. There is a general absence of System 2. Each standard can be regarded as a distinct management layer, which needs to be integrated with the Business Management layer. Research limitations/implications – Further research is needed to explore the specifics of integration. Practical implications – This integration should not be based on creating distinct roles for each management layer. Originality/value – The paper uses the insights of organizational cybernetics to examine prominent sustainability standards and advance sustainability management at the business level

Integrating knowledge management with project management for project success

This paper aims to study the improvement of project success in organizations by integrating knowledge management strategies with project management practices in a typical project lifecycle.  According to the Standish Group’s Chaos Report for 2009, only 32% of all surveyed projects are considered to be successful and are delivered on time, on budget, with the required features and functions. This could be an indication that project management practitioners have not fully acquired and transferred knowledge learned from past projects to ensure a higher success rate for current and future projects.  Knowledge management is an emerging discipline and practice in organizations. This paper proposes an integrated model that combines knowledge management with project management to improve project success and thus contribute towards competitiveness and sustainability in organizations. &nbsp

Towards An Integrated Effort For Managing IT Process Standards Implementation

Adopting IT process standards seems to be a trend for IT organizations to meet ad-hoc informational needs and to provide better business value. Due to the changing environments of IT organizations themselves, one key to IT success lies in not only the establishment, but also the sustainability of ad-hoc professional IT functions. As IT organizations face many kinds of process standards to implement for various IT functions and although the implementations may be different due to various IT domains, from the management point of view, these implementations may not exist individually. This article attempts to highlight a possibility of an integrated effort to effectively manage the implementations of IT standards in an IT organization. Such a shared management refers to the integrated institutionalization design, which provides a road map for all IT functions to systematically improve and sustain the implementation results. A case example is provided for demonstrating the proposed attempt

Who are the Crew Members on Implementation of Knowledge Management Strategies to Enhance Innovation and Improve Organizational Performance

The purpose of present study is to determine the role of mid-level managers in implementation of knowledge management strategies toward enhancing innovation and improving organizational performance. To address this issue, an intensive literature review was used. There is only one way to survive, stability, and growth for the contemporary organizations. Successful implementation of knowledge management strategies will enable innovation sustainability and organizational performance improvement. Therefore, the organizations must choose the best way to implement knowledge management strategies. However, there has been a lack of an integrated implementation framework for knowledge management strategies. The present study finds that mid-level managers could play a critical role in insuring the successful implementation of knowledge management strategies. As a result, present study proposed theoretical framework that explained how the mid-level managers influence in the implementation of knowledge management strategies. Additionally, how the successful implementation of knowledge management strategies lead to enhance innovation and improve organizational performance. Keywords Mid-level managers' role, knowledge management strategies, innovation, and organizational performance

Conceptual Design of a Decision Support System for the Economic Sustainability of Nonprofit Organizations

AbstractIn Italy, a continuous growth of nonprofit organizations has occurred in the last years. These organizations have been favoured by the concomitant reduction of direct public intervention (due to spending review) and the effect of the economic crisis on the business system. Despite their growth, nonprofit organizations present usually a critical lack in financial and economic management. In other words, their management does not consider all the factors related to economic balance, social success, reputation and promotion of their projects. The managerial role appears often to be overlooked compared to the actual needs and this results in a real limit for the growth and sustainability of these organizations. The present paper introduces a complete management review for the nonprofit using an Axiomatic Design based on the case study of one “Misericordia” (onlus) located in Florence. The proposed application leads to the definition of the minimum set of assessment tools that have to be considered and used as a Decision Support System (DSS) to support the management in a nonprofit organization. The DSS is developed as an integrated system of tools which allows a systemic approach tailored to meet the specificity of this kind of organization

Sistem pengurusan bersepadu: satu pengenalan

The implementation of management systems such as ISO 9001:2000, ISO 14001:1996 and OHSAS 18001:1999 is a requirement for any organization in order to ensure business sustainability. This is because organizations will enjoy numerous benefits that the systems could offer such as cost reduction, improved corporate image and to stay competitive. Besides these advantages, however, there are several drawbacks if the systems are implemented separately. Among these drawbacks include redundant work, cost incurred, time consuming and additional workload due to the redundancy in the requirements of the three systems. Therefore, organizations have to find alternatives to deal with these situations. The emergence of the Integrated Management System (IMS) is seen to be the best solution for the organizations. This is due to IMS itself has its own advantage mainly by the elimination of the redundancy in the requirements of the system. This paper reveals the problems encountered when the systems are implemented separately, and how IMS could offer solutions to the organization

Sustainability and risk disclosure: An exploratory study on sustainability reports

Recent policy changes in sustainability reporting, such as the ones related to the new European Directive on non-financial disclosure (2014/95/EU), the standards issued by the American Sustainability Accounting Standard Board (SASB), the G4 guidelines issued by the Global Sustainability Standard Board (GSSB), and the framework of the International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC) stress the importance of extending the disclosure of ethical, social, and environmental risks within financial and social-environmental reporting. Institutional pressure has notably increased among organizations, in setting up risk management tools to understand sustainability risks within managerial and reporting practices. Given such institutional pressure, the corporate reaction in providing additional sustainability risk disclosure calls for attention and scrutiny. Therefore, this study aims at addressing such issues from an exploratory perspective. We based our analysis on a sample of large Italian organizations that issued sustainability disclosure in accordance with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), G4 guidelines, and we tested the relationship between their level of risk disclosure and other relevant variables. Consistently with the literature, we found that “experienced” sustainable reporters provide a significant volume of disclosure, and that disclosure quality on risk is positively influenced by their international presence and reporting experience. However, when accounting for specific risk-related areas of disclosure, only a few of them seem to adopt a managerial perspective linking strategy, risk metrics, and disclosure

Effects Of Stakeholder Management on the Sustainability of Small and Medium Scale Business.

Sustainability is imperative; an integral part of any organizational goal. However, there exist little convergence on how organizations become sustainable. Whereas, there are divergence opinions among researchers on ways sustainability is best developed and implemented within organizations. This study achieves its aims of providing insight into how sustainability emerges within small and medize business (SMB) with much focus on the influence of its stakeholder management. Business sustainability in this context explain the level and ability of small and medium scale organization’s continuity. That is, the capacity of an organization to continue operating in a sustainable manner over a long period of time. This research takes a view to such business sustainability to be dependent on the level of its stakeholder management. For this research, an integrated methodology was deployed to examine from a qualitative viewpoint the overall effects of stakeholder management on the sustainability of small and medium-sized organizations. Specifically, business owners/managers from five SMEs who possess exemplary sustainability standings were approached to share their views on stakeholder management contributions to the organization sustainability. The findings of these interactions revealed that different viewpoints toward sustainability existed at the different studied organizations with all focus on people and profit. Question such as what steps has your organization/business taken in the past to be where you are today? Elicited answers like; active engagement with stakeholders, consistent quality services, proper training of staff, meeting customers’ needs when they want it, open communication, affordable price etc

The drivers of intellectual sustainability in a regional agriculture, cattle, and forest farmstead

Intellectual capital drivers emerge in the national and regional economies as a key source of integrated sustainability. The company analyzed in the case study is the largest Portuguese agriculture, cattle, and forest farmstead, covering several marshlands. As the largest agricultural company, its primary mission is the cost effectiveness and efficient management of their agricultural and environmental heritage, in respect for biodiversity and for environmental values. Located in the region of Lisbon and Tagus valley, the diversity of their activities (forest exploration; hunting; agriculture; wines and olive oil production; and tourism) requires an integrated research towards the identification and disclosure of drivers that best contribute for company reputation and turnover. Through a descriptive and interpretive case study approach, a set of intellectual sustainability drivers (e.g. forest’s certification, brands’ certifications, commercial brands, commercial agreements, R&D projects, protected areas classification, etc.) were identified and categorized. All of them were aggregated in five categories, such as Certification, Brands and Trademarks, Awards, Alliances and Networks, and Biodiversity Reputation. As a regional and national source of economic development, that categorization can also provide the basis for a theoretical framework towards the design of an intellectual sustainability scoreboard, applicable to similar organizations worldwide

Who are the crew members on implementation of knowledge management strategies to enhance innovation and improve organizational performance

The purpose of present study is to determine the role of mid-level managers in implementation of knowledge management strategies toward enhancing innovation and improving organizational performance.To address this issue, an intensive literature review was used.There is only one way to survive, stability, and growth for the contemporary organizations.Successful implementation of knowledge management strategies will enable innovation sustainability and organizational performance improvement. Therefore, the organizations must choose the best way to implement knowledge management strategies. However, there has been a lack of an integrated implementation framework for knowledge management strategies. The present study finds that midlevel managers could play a critical role in insuring the successful implementation of knowledge management strategies.As a result, present study proposed theoretical framework that explained how the mid-level managers influence in the implementation of knowledge management strategies. Additionally, how the successful implementation of knowledge management strategies lead to enhance innovation and improve organizational performance