Becoming world-class

Getting accredited by the International Standard Organization is not as hard as people think it is.

"The Philippines must learn how to compete in the international arena," said Joseph Server, president of Joseph Server & Associates, a Filipino consultancy firm. "If the ISO accreditation is meant to promote world trade so that there is an easier flow of goods, then we should be in the same ballgame as other countries. In effect, the ISO accreditation can be used by Filipino companies to their own advantage."

Many Filipino companies, especially those which are not that big yet, are, however, not confident that they can get ISO accreditation. For small companies, getting an ISO means an additional expense. There are at least five reasons why a company, no matter its size, needs accreditation:

• it makes the company more attractive to new customers;

• it increases the company’s ability to maintain the current customer base;

• it improves company productivity resulting from planning and teamwork;

• it improves communication, both internally and externally , which, in turn, improves quality, efficiency, on-time delivery and customer/supplier relations; and

• it provides recognition of compliance of the company’s quality system by an unbiased organization.

Roots

Although it is an acronym, ISO is also the ancient Greek word for equal.

As a system, ISO was developed in 1947 to standardize the processes of defense institutions and technical organizations. Over time, it was improved by the International Organization for Standardization not only to standardize industries and management operations but also to help make companies more responsive and efficient.

"There are a lot of consultancies which help companies get ISO accreditation. Our approach to helping companies is very different," said Server.

"Our training involves everybody from the highest rank to the rank-and-file and even up to those helping in the canteen or messengers. It is important for a company to recognize that success is only possible if everybody knows what his role is in the company. Even if he is just a dishwasher, taking pride in his work, making sure that he gives spanking clean glasses, adds to the company’s efficiencies," he said.

JSA strongly recommends that written tests for the employees are conducted in both English and Pilipino. Results of the training and interaction should also be written down in layman’s language, a far cry from the usual technical parlance used to write down reports for ISO accreditation.

"Quality work begins at the individual level. With this, quality and efficiencies are guaranteed so you go higher in the work chain," said Server.

JSA has helped companies get their ISO 9000 accreditation for quality management systems and ISO 14000 accreditation for environment compliance. ISO 14000 certifies that the company’s operation does not cause damage to the air, land or water surrounding it.

"The companies that we’ve helped not only improved their sales and business but their internal processes and communications likewise improved," said Server. At the end of the day, being ISO accredited makes the Filipino more competitive in the markets of the world.