First ISO 10018 Certification for Quality People Management Launched by ICEE
ISO 9000 Stands for Quality Processes…ISO 10018 Stands for Quality People Management
Organizations committed to performance through people now have ISO certification to help ensure they are following best practices and to market that commitment to customers, employees, vendors and communities.
Dr. Ron McKinley, Co-Founder of the International Center for Enterprise Engagement (ICEE) notes that “ISO 9000 certification stands for quality processes and is a badge proudly worn the world over by more than 1.3 million companies. It has created a large and thriving marketplace to support best practices with tremendous positive impact for businesses and consumers. ISO 10018 standards and certification stand for quality people management, a badge that should be equally honored by customers, employees, investors and communities.”
Companies can learn about the 10018 standards and certification at the ICEE’s “Engagement in Action” conference in Galveston, TX, Dec. 7-8, on the campus of the University of Texas Medical Branch. Click here to register.
Why ISO 10018 Matters as Much as ISO 9000
“Ask yourself,” says McKinley, “is your organization great to do business with? Is it a terrific employer equally focused on the needs of customers, distribution partners, employees, investors, or anyone who is part of its community? Do you believe the research and data proving the link between high levels of enterprise engagement and financial performance and that engaged companies have an easier time attracting and retaining customers or recruiting talent? More companies are answering yes to these questions. ISO 10018 certification provides a roadmap as well as an authoritative way of demonstrating and marketing this commitment to customers, employees and anyone who might help the organization.”
McKinley recounts that in the early 2000s, the engineers who oversee the worldwide-respected ISO 9000 quality standards recognized that the creators had overlooked a critical component: the role of people. “In 2012, they published quality management principles and then ISO 10018 standards that, while focused specifically on quality management, provide a framework any organization can apply today to profit from an organizational approach to engagement.”
The International Center for Enterprise Engagement has created the first ISO 10018 certification program designed for any organization dedicated to baking engagement strategies into its culture and daily operations in a way that achieves a clear return-on-investment, McKinley says. The ISO 10018 certification can also can benefit a wide array of solution providers seeking to help their clients profit from engagement. “Because ISO 9000 considers people management critical to sustainable success, ISO 10018 is almost a must for ISO 9000-compliant companies,” he explains. “But the process and designation offers benefits to any organization seeking to maximize performance through people by providing a framework for creating a sustainable customer-oriented, innovative culture continuously focused on improvement, satisfaction and results.”
What this means, McKinley goes on to say, is that “We don’t have to wait for ISO to develop the engagement standards that are under consideration, which could take years; we have what we need to get started today. It only helps that these standards come from the same people who created the widely respected ISO 9000 standards.”
For more details on the potential impact of ISO 10018, see: ESM: News Analysis—Why ISO 10018 is a Potential Gamechanger
Types of Certifications
According to McKinley, there are two types of ISO 10018 certifications, one for any organization seeking to apply best practices to organization-wide people management to gain a competitive edge, and a second for solution providers. The latter can gain ISO 10018 certification, as can any other, or they can also gain certification as auditors, certifiers and developers to develop new profit centers as engagement solution providers. There is also a related Enterprise Engagement Alliance certification program for individual professionals who perform these services for companies that serve as auditors, certifiers, or developers.
Organizations seeking ISO 10018 certification will have to demonstrate a strategic, ongoing and measurable commitment to maximizing organizational results across the enterprise, says McKinley, via an audit process like ISO 9000. Solution providers seeking ISO 10018 certification as auditors, certifiers, or developers need to demonstrate during on-premises or face-to-face meetings the capability to provide those services. “In most cases, organizations can demonstrate compliance through disclosure of written business plans and demonstration of ongoing practices related to those plans and the measurement systems applied – based both on an onsite visit and subsequent analysis. Depending on the type of certification, solution providers demonstrate in face-to-face meetings their ability to provide an objective audit or certification or, as developers, to offer a comprehensive, measurable result.”
Certifications usually are broken into a two-step process involving an evaluation and a completion phase. The evaluation phase benchmarks the organization against best practices and provides it with a gap analysis. Depending on the situation, the organization might turn to an ISO-certified developer to help it bring is practices up to date, which can require some period of time, McKinley notes. Therefore, the completion phase might not occur for months or even up to a year or more if an organization is starting from scratch.
Certifications are good for three years and then must be renewed through an abbreviated process. Certifications in the initial phases are performed by senior consultants employed by the International Center for Enterprise Engagement, including its co-founders Ron McKinley and Bruce Bolger; Lee S. Webster (ICEE Director of Standards) and Allan Schweyer, Enterprise Engagement Alliance Curriculum Director.
“Being part of a university with educational resources, and having the Enterprise Engagement Alliance’s professional certification program already in place, we have the means to scale 10018 certifications in an orderly manner, McKinley notes. “Between our organization and the EEA, we have built up communities of experienced professionals committed to establishing engagement as a formal business process who will be vital in the rapid expansion of this critical new business discipline.”
For more information, contact:
Nick Gazivoda
The Enterprise Engagement Alliance
914-591-7600, ext. 238
