An examination of strategies employed for the integration of management systems

Purpose – This paper is an empirical study of the organisational approaches used for integration of management systems (MSs) and the comparative effectiveness of such approaches. Design/methodology/approach – Research employed four case studies. Results are derived from the analysis of triangulated evidence obtained from in‐depth interviews, observations, internal documents analysis, archives, and short questionnaires. Findings – Results identified two archetypes of integration strategies termed “systems approach” and “techno‐centric approach”. Maximum benefits are achieved by using a systems approach to integration of MSs, while using the techno‐centric approach leads to benefits mainly at the operational level. Research limitations/implications – This research is qualitative and, as such, does not investigate the integration of MSs across a large number of organisations. The research does not investigate the causality between strategies employed for integration and their outcomes. Originality/value – There is little empirical research to date on the strategies employed for integration of MSs and their effectiveness. This research contributes to both literature and practice by demonstrating that a systems approach gives rise to greater integration throughout various organisational levels and greater benefits as compared to other approaches.