Conceptual Research Model Regarding the Effects Resulted from the Implementation of Environmental Management System at Organization Level

Nowadays many organizations worldwide have/are implemented/ implementing an environmental management system (EMS) according to ISO 14001, considering the context, the need to minimize negative environmental impacts, and long-term benefits. It has been observed for decades that for successful implementation of EMS are required different changes in the organizational structure, chances that lead to a successful integration and operation of this management system. Studying the literature it was observed the inexistence of relevant investigations conducted at Romanian organizations level, investigations which include different methodologies with models adapted to the particularities of the Romanian context, and relevant results for the current situation (PA). This paper intends to resolve the problem covered through the following general steps: I. identifying the problem (MP); II. goal setting: conceiving a model to analyze the effects produced at organizational structure level as a result of implementing an EMS; III. collecting data / information / knowledge from the literature (focusing on previous studies conducted starting from Mintzberg and others (authors as C. Hunt, E. Auster, M.C. Lopez-Fernandez, A. Zutshi, A. Sohal and so on) and from discussions with various managers of the environment department of several organizations located in the NE Romania; IV. the construction of the model; V. validate the constructs from the proposed model. The proposed research analysis model approaches three general dimensions that should characterize finally the effects resulted from the implementation of environmental management system at organization level; dimensions: I. aspects of organizational structure: I.a. Specialization (S1.horizontal; S2.vertical), I.b. Decentralization (D1.horizontal; D2.vertical), I.c. Formalization, I.d. Environmental trainings (per profile), I.e. Professional competence, I.f. Processes/ systems orientation, I.g. Systems/ process planning and control, I.h. Coordination/ cooperation in environmental issue; II. The effects of EMS implementation/ integration on organizational structure; and III. The quality of the organization's EMS integration