| Integrated environmental, health and safety management systems (IMS) are a new management paradigm of modern organizations. These systems are built mainly from the ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 norms, which are based on risk prevention and the precautionary principles. Our research questions address the mode of implementation, the degree of implementation and the effects of the IMS, as well as the contextual factors whose influence on the implementation help explain the variations in the degree of implementation and the effects of the IMS.;In order to analyze the degree of the IMS implementation, we have taken into consideration two aspects of the process: The effort of structuring the IMS and the scope of utilization of the implemented processes. Our results showed evidence of variation in the degree of IMS implementation; this variation was observed among the plants as well as among the processes implemented at each one of the five IMS steps. The analysis of discourses has allowed the production of five hypotheses that support IMS structuring and utilization.;IMS implementation was influenced by political, structural and organizational factors. These factors have played their influence by catalyzing non-linear interactions, during which their influence could be neutralized, added or reinforced, hence generating variations in the degree of implementation. Facilitating factors have affected the effort of IMS structuring and included: experience working with management system, upper management commitment, implication of union or of health and safety committee representatives, organizational structure, level of education, plant age and plant size. Inhibiting factors have affected mainly the utilization of implemented processes. These factors included: procedural heaviness, lack of time, lack of training, lack of resource, organizational culture, organizational structure, intergeneration gap and lack of union implication.;Three proximal effects anticipated by the organization under study were observed. (i) Increase in the rigor of management is an effect which was associated with the application of IMS requirements. It implied EHS governance, integrated management mechanisms and production processes (ii) Standardization is an effect which was associated rather with the implementation mode. It implied EHS practices, tools, work methods and organization of resources. (iii) Rupture of departmental silo is an effect associated with the mode of implementation. It involved organizational structures, professional boundaries and the working relations and climate. These proximal effects have induced several emerging effects, which were more distal. These were: increased control power of the union; increased legitimacy of recommendations by EHS professionals; creation of inter-organizational network and knowledge transfer.;Our results indicate two implementation modes: the enrichment mode and the fusion mode, both related to the functional structures in place. Despite its aim of continuous improvement, the IMS was unable to reconcile the two traditional approaches of top down and bottom up, which have dominated this implementation which was supported by four strategies: economy of resources, control of influence, low hanging fruits and the small steps strategy.;The implementation of an integrated management system in environment, occupational health and safety has transformed EHS governance and practice in all seven plants. Improvement of EHS risk management was an expected effect but was not observed at the moment of our study. Several contextual factors may have intervened to alter its occurrence. To this regard, knowledge transfer, reinforced by the emergence of intra-organizational networks, seem to offer a very promising and affordable alternative. This is one of the contributions of our study research, which, in addition has (i) proposed a nomenclature to classify the modes of implementation and effects of IMS (ii) proposed a detailed method to appreciate the degree of implementation (iii) stated the roles played by contextual factors in explaining variations in the degree of IMS implementation and in the production of effects (iv) proposed a hypothesis on IMS structuring and utilization (v) through the diversity of our sample, offered a plural and sound perspective on the dynamics of IMS implementation. (Abstract shortened by UMI.). |
