Prioritizing and overcoming barriers to integrated management system (IMS) implementation using AHP and G-TOPSIS

The implementation of Integrated Management Systems (IMS) has become a prerequisite for any organization looking to transform itself into a competitive and more sustainable enterprise. However, these efforts are not successful for some organizations, and there is an opportunity to explore what it takes to have an effective IMS implementation. Prior studies attribute several barriers to implementation. Yet, little is known about the degree to which these barriers impede implementation. To fill this gap in the literature, we have developed a systematic framework to prioritize barriers. We first identify and classify barriers using a literature review and modified Delphi method providing twenty-six barriers categorized under six main categories. These included Resources and Management, People, Implementation, Economic, Social & Legal and Cultural. Next, we used Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP) to calculate weights and rankings of barriers and sub-barriers. We then take this process a step further by using a Grey preference by similarity to ideal solution (GTOPSIS) methodology to further prioritize alternatives. The results reveal the implementation and social & legal barrier categories ranked highest among major categories. Overall rankings showed that the economic and implementation sub-barrier is more important than the other twenty-four sub-barriers within different categories. The contributions of this study provide new insights regarding levels of integration and employee motivation as important to overcoming barriers to implementation. Finally, a sensitivity analysis checked the robustness of the proposed research framework that could be implemented to overcome the IMS barriers. This study is the first of its kind to organize barriers of IMS in this way. The outcomes of this study will assist organizations and policymakers in their decision making regarding IMS implementation while simultaneously improving sustainability practices. Researchers will find new IMS implementation insights and constructs for further empirical investigation. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.