Experts discussed options to integrate management systems and the practical implementation of sustainable leadership quality in companies.

In his opening statement, Konrad Scheiber, CEO of Quality Austria - Training, Certification and Evaluation Ltd., talked about the different dimensions of integration. The more complex an organization is, the higher are the demands on the intelligent integration of the various management systems, such as quality, environmental, safety, risk management, CSR, etc. “If you want to reduce complexity, sustainably enhance processes and use resources more efficiently, integration of the existing management systems is a must. There is a reason why integrated management systems are gaining increasing importance – regardless of the size of the companies. This is also confirmed by studies”, explains Scheiber. The top-down integration of management systems is a basic requirement resulting from the principle of the strategy for designing processes.

Quality starts with leadership

David J. Kelly, President of the Austrian Foundation for Quality Management and former CEO of the gas bottle producer Worthington Cylinders, has received numerous awards for business quality in recent years on behalf of his company. The factors of his success included the continuous exchange with the company’s staff and with all relevant dialogue groups as well as the consistent implementation of the process organization. In his presentation, Kelly treated the central question of the leadership philosophy of successful managers: “The first priority is the continuous orientation towards a business process without any unpleasant experience. Good leadership and a clear leadership approach will make or break successful management. Consistency and transparency, open communication, meeting demands and shaping the basic attitude of the team all play central roles.”

Reducing complexity increases synergy effects

Another speaker talking from experience was qualityaustria expert Johannes Russegger. Within a company, the various competition factors give rise to a multitude of various system demands, which also correlate and must be managed. “These various systems have to be combined in a meaningful manner in order to be able to fully seize all potential advantages”. In the course of implementing these systems in practice, three integration models have become prevalent. However, optimal integration is created primarily by applying the process-oriented model: “This model may actually be referred to as the most uncompromising pattern for the comprehensive integration of management systems which allows all advantages to be put to good use. These include, for instance, synergy effects due to time savings, the reduction of administrative efforts, holistic and coherent thinking or the reduction of complexity”, says Russegger. Examples were also given by Bettina Oestreich-Grau from the food industry. In the course of the practical reports presented in the afternoon, renowned companies gave an insight into their daily business. This included best-practice examples illustrating the actual integration into actions as, ultimately, the success depends on how consistent the model is implemented.

1,000 days without accident

When it comes to accident statistics, Dr. Gerhard Wagner (Director of the OMV Refinery Schwechat) can put forward an impressive record: For more than 1,000 days, there were no off-days caused by accidents among the company’s staff. This achievement is based on the ambitious goal of recording zero accidents among suppliers, partners and staff members. “The slogan goes: All accidents can be prevented. Safety is the basis for our work at OMV and takes absolute priority. Therefore we all are committed to sustainably pursuing this objective as well as the reduction of near-accidents, unsafe measures and situations”, says Wagner. Within OMV, the safety culture is held in high esteem and hence safety performance has been permanently improved for many years now. The basis is an integrated management system that is permanently being further developed. In the meantime, the OMV Refinery Schwechat has obtained certificates in the fields of safety, quality, the environment and energy and takes a pioneering role in this regard as well: Their energy management system was the first in Austria to be evaluated according to the ISO 50001 standard in 2011 and was awarded the first Austrian certification certificate.

Wellness program for staff increases customer satisfaction

At technosert electronics, staff satisfaction is, to a great deal, the result of a comprehensive preventative health care system for the employees. The service provider from the field of electronics meets the customers’ highest standards up to the product maturity phase. A holistic staff health and wellness programme titled “Ich fühl mich wirklich wohl” (I feel truly well) has been implemented to be able to continue meeting these high demands in the future as well. “Thanks to the improved conditions, employees perform their tasks with more awareness and assume a greater deal of self-responsibility. Their own well-being is no longer just dependent on their superiors but in part is in their own hands”, says Johannes Gschwandtner, Managing Director of technosert electronics. The programme is embedded in an integrated management system and has already proven effective: Staff satisfaction and teamwork have been raised, internal communication improved. “Due to these measures we have been able to greatly increase customer satisfaction. The public recognition through awards is another confirmation that the internal measures taken also have an outside effect”, says Gschwandtner.