The ultimate key to success
In this era of active and persistent transition, success can only be assured by following international standards and flowing with the positive change incorporated by them. Standards pave way for win-win situation for all stakeholders including the organization, internal as well as the external customers. They are the guide lines and bench mark that keep the organization progressive and on track regarding extension of services, production, workflow and efficient processes etc with minimal loss and greater productivity and efficiency.
Indeed, international standards have made life easy for all. The organizations adhering to international standards are not only able to sustain in the wake of stringent completion but they also find themselves well placed to going for market penetration and market development. It is by the virtue of conformity to international standards that businesses have become international brands. They are appreciated and endorsed for the persistent and uniform quality of their products or services everywhere on the globe. The comprehensiveness of international standards is worth noticing. The major organizations working for international standards are ISO, ITU and IEC. The mother organization ISO covers almost every aspect related to businesses. Management and processes are the two main subjects that are encompassed by standards. It empowers the organizations to cover and stream line a broad range of portfolios. From Operational management to HRM, Corporate responsibility to Quality management, and Risk management to energy management etc, almost all the pivotal aspects fall in its preview. Some of the main standards of ISO include IS0-9000 Quality Management, ISO-26000 Social Responsibility, ISO 5000 Energy Management, and ISO 31000 Risk Management etc.
It is a tested and verified reality that these standards are at par with the demand and imperatives of the era we live in. In addition they are relevant and applicable anywhere. This relevance and flexible application of these standards has been attained by taking all the member states and signatories of ISO on board. Before introduction of a new standard, the representatives of all the states are called and the decision made is consensus based and approved by all the representatives. Moreover, in order to support the developing countries, funds are research scholarships are also extended to empower the new entrants with technical support and expertise. The national entities working in liaison with ISO also are there to serve the very purpose.
The spirit of ISO reflects the desire to extend equal opportunity to all including the organization and the customer. Globalization and free trade are living and vibrant realities of the time. They are the driving forces behind the world trade. They have altered the global market dynamics towards being customer centered and quality oriented. In the future, they are well staged to playing a mammoth role in the global business activities. If we analyses today’s market dynamics we find international brands showing their presence with their spread wings and diversified product line. The local businesses are facing huge competition owing to the very phenomenon backed by the power of globalization and impetus of free trade.
The very competition is the challenging reality that calls for pro-activeness on part of businesses and organizations. Only the products and services with better or at least same quality as the competitors would sustain. Alongside this reality, the resources are also diminishing and getting expensive. Same is the case with the human resource. Besides being expensive it stays constantly in shift mode, moving from one organization to another even across border in search of better prospects and opportunities. All these factors combine to pose a challenge for the successful and the productive operations. This challenge can be countered and met with effectiveness by inculcating international standards for better resource management, efficient work flow error proof processes. Hence the standards keep organizations erect and proactive in terms of coping up with change and challenge by inducing positive change.
There is yet another healthy and promising dimension of embracing international standards. They add on to the branding of products and services. The ISO certified products and services hit the customer perception and tilt it towards establishing a long term positive relationship with the producer. They also enhance the confidence of both the producer and the consumer regarding the products or services quality and reliability.
The human resource working in the organization with standards also benefits a lot. On one hand, it is polished and trained under the canopy of well established, verified and time tested standards and at the same time the employees are also branded. This human resource is embraced anywhere around the world because it can adjust itself quickly in other organization following standards. It can also be a beacon light and motivation for those organizations that are yet to embrace international standards. It is an ultimate reality that all businesses be they are dealing in products or services or both, are profit oriented. The very end is met through attracting and retaining customer. The business cliché ‘customer is the king’ is uniformly applicable worldwide. It is the customer that makes and breaks businesses. The modern customer is powerful and has plethora of choices. He is endowed with the IT technology and keeps the power to make a choice just at a click. Standards have changed the status of modern customer. He has got the right to get the best product at the best price and in the desired time. The customer empowerment and his demand fulfillment and satisfaction have been met by the international standards.
The advantages of international and national standards are manifolds, but if we analyze the developing world and their commitment towards following standards, we will find them way behind as compared to the developed countries. One of the reasons behind this is the ignorance that looms large on the developing world regarding their productiveness and application. In this era of flowing knowledge, another misconception regarding standards also resides deep in developing countries. Standards are taken as a foreign concept and framework that is alien to apply in local scenarios. Another excuse reflected is the lack of technical expertise and legal and political differences. Owing to this international standards are taken as a burden and liability. The tentative businesses seem ignorant to the fact that international standards are comprehensive, flexible and universally applicable. ISO and its sister organizations readily extend technical and fiscal support to support the new comers embrace standards easily. The developing world has to respond to the call of this era towards standards for they can make life easy and would be fruitful not for the imminent success and for the strategic progress.
Standards bring positive and fruitful change. Energy, resources and time spent for their placement should be taken as a wise investment. Robert W Lane widely pointed out that the efficient use of money is more assured when there are known standards to operate in. Standards are the back bone of better resource management and output and they push the management, the processes and the work force towards efficiency.
Boiling it down there is one thing constant that is change. If change is inevitable, why should positive change not be brought about with conformity to standards? Since the inception of technology, globalization and the free trade, the business world has been experiencing a paradigm shift. Innovation, quality and diversity complemented by quality, efficiency, productive systems and processes and erect management are the key to success. The world trade has also become export oriented. Today’s world as a panoramic market palace presents huge opportunities to flourish. The companies following standards definitely have an advantage for through their quality and reliability they have already attained the competitive edge and sound market share. The ones apathetic to standards must have to learn or be ready to perish in the whirl pool of escalating competition and heightened costumer expectation.