Beyond Proceduralization's Conventional Logics? The ISO 9000 - SA 8000 Nexus and Organizational Change

The paper focuses on the processes triggered by the integration of different certified management systems within an organizational context. To do this, and drawing in part on the findings of a case study research, the paper explores some organizational dynamics entailed by the insertion of the SA 8000 “ethical” scheme into a corporate setting already conforming to ISO 9000 quality management guidelines and requirements. Attention is paid to an articulated three-level mechanism that appears to be at the basis of ISO 9000/SA 8000 integrability and consisting of linguistic convergence, procedural complementarity, and cultural compatibility. More specifically, the analysis highlights the primary role of cultural dynamics as a carrier of organizational change linked to the combination of different standardization practices. It does so by suggesting that organizational participants’ (re)interpretive acts are key parts of the medium through which change takes place.