In a world where the concept sustainability increasingly is becoming more relevant, stakeholders require companies to take greater responsibility. As a result, the strategic importance of sustainable development increases in the corporate world. Management systems is a strategical tool that can be used for sustainable development. A management system describes how an organization conducts its business and is a tool for the management to manage the business. A well-functioning management system can contribute to increased competitiveness, reduced costs and efficient working methods. It also exists several common challenges for management systems, for example that they do not always generate continuous improvement, that it can require a lot of resources, and that it is not used actively after implementation. For a management system to be effective and efficient, an important prerequisite is that the management system is actively used. An active management system is defined in the report as a management system that is purposefully introduced and used to contribute benefits and continuous improvements to the business and the surrounding world. This study examines how a management system can become active and how successful sustainability management can be achieved in a technical sales company. This is accomplished through a qualitative study consisting of a literature study and a case study. The literature study resulted in ten key factors that are important for an active management system for sustainability management; favorable culture, management commitment, involved employees, understanding and well-functioning communication, clearness, resources, defined areas of responsibility, business adaptation, consensus on sustainability and integration. The case study that was carried out consisted of an analysis of the current situation based on a questionnaire, a document study, interviews, and a participatory observation as well as a gap analysis that identified proposed actions. The case study was conducted at a technical sales company, Xylem Water Solution Sweden AB (Xylem WSS), that is a part of the corporate group Xylem Inc. The company works with water technology solutions and has a certified quality and environmental management system according to ISO 9001 and ISO 14001. Xylem WSS’s management system is not active according to the definition in this report. The company's management system model has sustainability as a foundation for all activities. This is not being realized since the sustainability work is not well coordinated or prioritized. Based on this, there is a great potential for improvement. For the company to achieve an active management system for sustainability management, the company should work towards the identified key factors, for instance by implementing the proposed actions presented in this report. It is of great importance to have a committed management to create a culture of accountability where the management system and sustainability are prioritized. By improving the communication, it is possible to increase understanding, clarity, consensus, and commitment. Furthermore, increased business adaptation and integration in daily operations, as well as coordination of sustainability work, can improve the outcome of the management system. By adapting strategies and goals that exist on the corporate level to the operation of Xylem WSS, the company can achieve a structured sustainability management. In this situation, sustainability aspects that are specific to Xylem WSS should be identified and influence the outcome.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:liu-176107 |
| Date | January 2021 |
| Creators | Beijbom, Elin, Lindqvist, Emma |
| Publisher | Linköpings universitet, Industriell miljöteknik, Linköpings universitet, Industriell miljöteknik |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | Swedish |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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