The past decade or so has seen an increasing number of standards being developed. In fact, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) lists over 17,500 published standards in their catalog (approximately 1100 new standards are developed every year). There are standards for manufacturing specifications, quality assurance processes, and even a standard for the treatment of workers in foreign lands. Currently underway are development of two (yes, two) new standards for scuba diving training and one for “more customer-friendly” utility bills.

Formal standards specify the types of activities that must be managed, measured and tracked. For organizations which otherwise would not track or monitor any activities, the introduction of and adherence to standards provides a necessary structure in the organization that absent, would mean chaos.

A large majority of organizations do have written procedures that describe how they will perform a specific business process; however, many organizations do not follow those written procedures on a regular basis. The result? Poor communication, inconsistent quality and other operational “misses” that impact revenue and profit, customer service and impede the ability for the organization to truly compete to its full potential.

In certain industries, primarily for health and safety reasons, companies must meet certain criteria for quality; hence, the need for certification to standards. Certification and follow up auditing ensure these minimum standards are being met. But, are they the most effective means for an organization to operate?

While standards do offer a benchmark or “bar” to which an organization should strive to perform, the problem with standards is that they require the organization only to document 1) what they will do, 2) what they did, and 3) the results (proof) of what they did. They do not require an organization to think about how to perform these tasks better, or integrate learning into the process. In fact, these standards only encourage organizations to continue operating to the status quo.

Truly great organizations know that learning must be incorporated into the business on a regular basis. Additionally, increasing competitive pressures require staff at all levels of the organization to be mindful of wasteful practices and seize opportunities to improve the speed and effectiveness of every function in the organization. Standards provide a useful framework for defining minimally acceptable performance, but do not rest on these standards as benchmarks of “best practice” or, worse yet, the best practices for your own organization.

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