Training and employee engagement in Integrated Management Systems

An Integrated Management System (IMS) allows an organization to manage aspects such as quality, the environment, occupational health and safety, and other strategic objectives in a coordinated manner. However, integrating procedures, indicators, and requirements is not enough to ensure that the system works effectively. Real change begins when people understand their role and commit to achieving results.

Training: The starting point

In an IMS, this means that every employee should understand how their activities contribute to achieving the organization’s objectives and which requirements they need to consider in their daily work. For example, a person involved in production can simultaneously influence product quality, resource consumption, waste generation, and the safety of their colleagues. Understanding these connections enables employees to stop viewing management systems as separate requirements and start recognizing them as part of a unified way of working. To achieve this, training must go beyond explaining the standards. It is important to relate concepts to real-life situations, analyze risks, practice procedures, and solve problems that may arise in the workplace.

Considering the above, organizations have different training needs, so combining learning methods can facilitate employee development.

• In-person training allows participants to carry out practical exercises, exchange experiences, and resolve questions directly with the instructor. It is particularly useful for activities that require demonstrations, teamwork, or the application of procedures.
• Live virtual courses offer interaction and guidance, even when participants are in different places.
• On the other hand, online training (self-paced) allows each person to progress at their own pace, consult learning materials, and reinforce their knowledge according to their needs.

The choice of learning method will depend on the competencies the organization wants employees to develop.

How can training and employee engagement be strengthened?

To move toward an integrated system that works in practice, organizations can consider the following steps:

• Identify the required competencies. Analyze the knowledge, skills, and behaviors each position requires to contribute to the IMS.
• Relate training with processes. Select training courses that explain how quality, environmental, occupational health and safety, and other applicable management system requirements can be addressed together.
• Practical exercises. Look for courses that incorporate case studies, simulations, and activities that allow participants to apply what they have learned in real-life situations.
• Evaluate effectiveness. Verify not only whether participants have completed or passed a course, but also whether they can apply their knowledge and contribute to improving IMS performance.

Training and engagement are mutually reinforcing elements. Appropriate training provides the tools needed to take action, while organizational participation and leadership create the conditions for those tools to be put into practice.

Therefore, developing competencies in Integrated Management Systems should not be viewed as an isolated activity or one limited to audit preparation. It is an investment in the organization’s ability to work in a coordinated manner, prevent problems, and continually improve. When employees understand how their activities contribute to the integrated system, management ceases to be the responsibility of only a few people and becomes a shared practice.

Author: D. Peña.

References:

Parra-Penagos, C. & Rodríguez-Fonseca, F. Training and its effect in quality management in organizations. Rev. Investig. Desarro. Innov., 6(2), 131-143.