Abstract
Standards exist everywhere in the world around us. Standards play a critical role in industry,
commerce, technology and the world at large. With the anticipated approval of ISO 20121
Events Sustainability Management System, the MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and
Events) industry will have a sector-specific management system to identify critical sustainability
issues like venue selection, operating procedures, supply chain management, procurement,
communications, and transportation for all types of events. All actors (suppliers, planners, trade
associations) have an opportunity to play a role in the adoption and use of the standards.
This paper identifies the enablers and barriers to adopting ISO 20121. Eight main enablers are
identified and ten main barriers are identified. The barriers and enablers are drawn from the
ethnographic experience of the author in the development of ISO 2012. The paper also
captures qualitative information gleaned through interviews with industry
participants involved in the development of ISO 20121. In addition, extant
research the literature including Actor-Network Theory, innovation, diffusion of innovation
(Rogers 2003) and standardization development in other industries (i.e., software
development, information technology, and communications), and systems thinking informed the
development of the enablers and barriers as well as the underlying constructs.
Further, implications are drawn at the meso-level, macro-level and micro-level of analysis for
supporting adoption through social networks, institutions, training and education, and behavior
of actors. These implications may be of interest to practitioners and scholars.
Introduction
This research paper, based on a case study, seeks to identify the barriers and enablers to the
adoption of the ISO 20121 standard in the meetings, incentives, convention and exhibition
(MICE) industry. Standards exist everywhere in the world around us. In the MICE industry,
The Research
Based upon an ethnographic approach where I was embedded in the process, interviews with
other participants and extant theory and literature, this paper identifies the barriers and enablers
to adoption. I utilized an iterative approach of traveling between the pertinent literature, data and
theory to develop the list of barriers and enablers. My interactive-adaptive methodology is
bounded by a case study, an appropriate method of inquiry given the investigation of a
contemporary phenomenon within a real-life context where all boundaries between the
phenomenon and contact are not clearly evident (Yin, 2003. p.13). Designing my research
around one case study affords a relatively holistic understanding of the ISO development process
through detailed contextual analysis of a limited number of events or conditions and
their relationship to one another (Yin, 2003).
Data was collected from multiple sources. Resources on qualitative research (Corbin and Strauss,
2008; Yin, 2003, p.36) suggest that a triangulation approach helps to ensure the reliability of the
findings. The data consisted of field notes; personal observations; emails; personal interviews,
which were recorded; and additional documentation (press releases, social media postings, and
publically available information). The interviews and supporting documents were transcribed and
converted to text documents and coded within Atlas.ti. Axial coding was used to analyze themes
and patterns. The analysis and coding were performed in accordance with Corbin and Strauss
(2008). I worked to insure validity and reliability of results by relying on various validity
procedures (Creswell, 2007, p. 207-209) including (1) prolonged engagement in the field,
Literature Review
The literature review is a critical part of this researchs methodological strategy. The role of the
literature review is to inform the analysis of barriers and enablers. The literature review is
comprised of a review of two types of literature. The focused background information relates to
sustainability, events, standards, and environmental management systems. The second body
of literature conveys scholarly information on Actor-Network Theory and innovation diffusion.
This research seeks to weave disparate ideas into a coherent, multi-threaded analysis that
considers the adoption process as a social and community-dependent activity. The research is
framed by the Actor Network Theory (ANT). The theoretical perspectives of ANT view
innovation as a social process of change that is embedded in everyday practice. An innovation,
like a standard addressing event sustainability, is part of a structure consisting of a network of
actors which dynamically promote or resist change; react and adapt; and shape the innovation.
Part 1: Background
The background literature covers an extensive breadth of areas including: (1) events and event
management, (2) standards, (3) standards organizations, (4) International Organization of
Standardization, (5) historical development of environmental standards, (6) Environmental
1.
2.
1.
2.
3.
4.
VNRI
Global Eco Labeling
Good Environmental Choice
BS 9801:2009 (Specification for a)
Sustainability Management System for
Events
Green Tourism
Industry Green (IG) by Julies Bicycle:
2007(JB) Voluntary Measurement Tool
London Olympics Sustainability Plan
Nordic
Europe
1. EU Eco-label
2. European Eco-Management and Auditing
Scheme (EMAS)
3. Green Hospitality Programme/Green
Hospitality Eco Label or Award (Ireland)
4. The Green Key
North America
ISO 20121
In 2009, interest was expressed in leveraging the work completed by the British Standards
Institute (BSI) on an existing standard BS8901 and developing it into an ISO standard. Mirror
committees or Technical Advisory Groups were formed by interested countries and the
development process was started according to ISO guidelines through a series of face-to-face
meetings and associated commenting periods. ISO 20121 has passed through the following
stages: Working Draft (WD), Committee Draft (CD), Draft International Standard (DIS), and
Final Draft International Standard (FDIS). The vote on the FDIS was cast on May 30, 2012 and
official results are not available as of this date.
Results
From research on ISO 1400 and ISO 9000, many scholars identified various barriers and
enablers for those standards. The nature of a management system, whether assessing quality or
environmental management, involves similar challenges in adoption and implementation. Survey
data (Darnall, 2003; Heras-Saizarbitoria, Landin & Molina-Azorin, 2011) and case study
categories (Yoo et al., 2005; Dasgupta, Hettige & Wheeler, 2000) provided valuable input. I
looked beyond management system standards and technology standards into areas like
construction standards (Quigley & Oster, 1977) or mandated standards (Lafferty & Ruud, 2006)
to fully inform my results.
A secondary source for identifying enablers and barriers were the actors themselves. I relied
primarily on interviews but participant observations were ingrained into my thought process.
Millerand and Baker (2010) discovered in their standards setting process, some of the standards
developers are also users of the standard. This was also true in the ISO 20121 process as the
developers were not solely standards experts but were also planners who intend to use the
standard and planners who have already used the BS 8901 standard. These multi-faceted roles of
these actors increase my confidence that the barriers and enablers identified through interviews
are grounded in reality.
This section reports on the barriers and enablers that might impact adoption of ISO 20121.
Barriers and enablers can often be the flip side of the same coin. Both sources (literature and
data) were inextricably useful to inform the identification of the list. If an enable or barrier was
found in both the data and the literature, it is listed in the literature section.
Spill-over Effect
Events by the nature include a variety of people. This increases the challenges of managing
stakeholder engagement and it also increases the opportunity for the spill-over effect. The
standard will attract actors interested in sustainable events. However, it may also favorably
influence many other stakeholders from suppliers, to exhibitors to participants. Brunsson and
Jacobsson (2000, p. 121) demonstrate how the standard can manifest a spill-over effect, It is
expected that standards will be followed by the people with an interest in doing so. Standards
developers want people to conclude that the standard is good for them. But it adds to the
attractiveness of standards if they can be shown to have good effects on others as well.
Marquee Events/Companies to Serve as Endorsers
Marquee events that realize substantiated sustainability achievements can signal that
using the standard is achievable and valuable. This idea of events as an actor is in keeping
with Nickerson and Muehlens (2006, p. 14) idea of ongoing champions. One interviewee
stated:
Well, one thing I believe, well, it will drive the initial wave is some notable
endorsement from the corporate and from, notable from different types, different
types of events. We've been talking about the business aspect of it. We've been
talking about the exposition. Like, for example, is the CES every year in Las
Vegas, Consumer Electronic Show, if one of those . . . large event, they start, you
know, adopting them, that will enable followers.
Use of a Standard Begets Further Use
The empirical work of Jabour (2010) indicated companies who had instituted one standard were
more likely to institute another standard. Based on these results, if actors within the MICE
industry face standards choices, this will support potential adoption of ISO 20121 or any other
standard.
Industry Fads
The first barrier is industry fads. The event industry, like other industries is prone to the flavor
of the day syndrome. In the past, industry publications saturated the industrys collective ear
with news about one hot topic. I am concerned that sustainability will have its day but then
lose favor to some newer flavor. ISO 20121 has the potential to become a hot topic like ROI or
Meeting Architecture.
Complexity
The second barrier is complexity. All actors spoke about complexity of the standard in one form
or another. One interview involved in the process stated:
The complexity. I was involved in kind of dissecting it and going to the
meetings and contributing my input on it during the meetings and I am
still think[ing].. I look at my events, and I think, Oh yeah, that is a little
too much for me to take on. I have to concentrate on putting on the event.
And I would consider myself to be more knowledgeable than the average
person. That to me is where it breaks down.
Persuasion Difficulties
The third barrier is the challenge of persuasion. Persuasion is contextual and one approach may
not be foolproof. In an industry with a low awareness of the value of standards and a low
awareness of ISO standards, the brand value of ISO or any standard may be diminished. One
interviewee noted when initially presented with the BS 8901 standard, the planners did not
respond favorably:
Scale of Event
A fifth barrier is the events scale. This obstacle denotes the ability or inability to use the
standard for all types and sizes of events. One interviewee commented:
Malmborg & Mark-Herbert (2010) investigated the use of ISO 14001 in small and medium-sized
enterprises (SMEs), and especially those in the developing parts of the world. Smaller events,
like smaller enterprises outnumber the large events. Yet it may be difficult to engage the planners
with those smaller events.
But what [Name - deleted text] noted is very, very important. He spoke about the
danger of having the wrong kind of thing accredited as an international standard,
and the implications of that.
This issue of credibility is addressed in the literature about other normative standards (Ahmad et
al., 2009, p. 18, Kerr et al., 1998). Kerr et al. (1998, p. 28) elaborate, ISO requires continuous
improvement but does not specify particular environmental performance. In the eyes of many
environmentalists and regulators, the lack of externally imposed performance standards, besides
compliance with domestic laws, limits the creditability of ISO 14001.
The requirement of ISO 20121 to set scope and goals as part of the management system does not
negate that greenwashing is a possibility. Actors saw added complexity because of the potential
to greenwash through inappropriate goal setting. For example, users can decide upon the scope
of the standard. The scope is a decision negotiated internally in adopting the standard and if not
done correctly, the planner and organization could be greenwashed into thinking that they created
Structural issues in the MICE industry horizontal and vertical integration will challenge
adoption (Lafferty & Ruud, 2006, p. 457). While some large corporate interests exist within the
events sector (i.e., hotels), by far, most of the organizations represented on the planning side
represent small enterprises which lack horizontal or vertical integration. The supplier networks
represent some large institutional interests (i.e., Aramark). Other large corporate interests may
have a niche interest in events (i.e., FedEx/Kinkos has an events division, some companies focus
on supplying to trade shows and expositions). Even the hotel industry is comprised of corporateowned properties, franchise properties and properties flagged under a certain brand but owned by
an outside interest, and properties managed through management companies. The net impact is
an industry lacking major players across vertical or horizontal integration.
It is important to recognize the impact of legacy interests. No matter how desirable the standard
is, undoubtedly, there will be stakeholders who protect existing interests. I experienced this
firsthand in the development of the ASTM standards. In the process of achieving consensus on
environmentally sustainable events, companies with manufacturing interests in carpeting, PVC
plastics, chemical, etc. all raised their hands when it came time to voice opinions and vote. The
ultimate standards product was shaped by their legacy interests. While ISO 20121 does not face
Perceptions of economic gain or power struggles may undermine acceptance of the standard.
Levy (1997) warns about existing power structures affecting environmental standards. In his
case, in his article written in the early 90s, he warns about the concentration of power resting
with large capitalistic corporations. While the world has evolved since 1997, the presence of
hegemony or perceived vested interests should not be completely dismissed.
Transitory Nature of Events
The transitory nature of events, an inherent characteristic of many events, is also a barrier. This
barrier consists of two sub-barriers:
1. Local capabilities challenge implementation
2. Training and education of temporary staff
A part of system complexity and a challenge in stakeholder management, an ongoing challenge
is that events are dependent upon local capabilities; this is an inherent attribute about events. In
the construction industry, Quigley and Oster noted The bewildering variation in local
regulations may very well mean that potentially profitable innovations are also illegal in many
geographic areas. This reduces both the scale at which an innovation can be marketed and its
profitability, and may further discourage R&D investment (Quigley & Oster, 1977, p. 363).
Local infrastructure is an issue as planners will confront a dazzling array of differences in
capabilities around recycling, composting and other sustainable practices. For example, in the
United States, plastics recycling capabilities vary widely by jurisdiction. Many plastic containers
Discussion
Humans resist change. Changing can be challenging. An innovation like ISO 20121 requires a
rethinking of current practices. As such it represents an innovation. Adoption of such an
Enabler/Barrier
Influence Level
Macro-level
2. Customer mandates
Meso-level
Macro-level
Meso-level
Micro-level
Meso-level
7. Spill-over effect
Meso-level
Meso-level
Meso-level
Macro-level
Meso-level
Meso-level
13. Fear
Micro-level
Meso-level
Micro-level
Micro-level
Macro-level
Meso-level
Meso-level
Meso-level
21. Credibility/usefulness
Meso-level
Meso-level
Micro-level
Micro-level
Micro-level
Micro-level
Micro-level
Having assembled this list of barriers and enablers, I created larger constructs to view them more
systematically. The enablers and barriers fall under larger constructs as indicated in Table 4.
Some overlap exists between a specific enabler/barrier and the larger construct. For example, it
was challenging to classify Education extends beyond event management as part of Systems thinking
or part of Lack of skills and knowledge. Ultimately, I classified it as system thinking because the
barrier represents a broader view of skills and competencies. To some extent the need for education on
issues of supply chain management could be covered under the barrier of Experienced planners must
learn new capabilities.
Strong modeling
Larger Construct
Systems Thinking
Change Management
Perceived Benefits
Finally, I theorized about three contextual influences affecting adoption. These three factors are
whole-systems thinking, heterogeneous actors, and values. These contextual factors influence
and interrelate with the process similar to the precipitating, sensitizing factors introduced by
Langley and Traux (1999). These contextual factors interrelate to each barrier and enabler as
shown below in Table 5.
Heterogeneous Actors
Values
Change Management
Contextual Value
Perceived Benefits
Strong modeling
Sustainability as a norm
Strong modeling
Change Management
Contextual Value
Perceived Benefits
These contextual factors can influence the process either negatively or positively depending on
how they manifest themselves. For example, an organization with a strong culture and strong
values oriented toward sustainability is more likely to adopt sustainability as a norm. An
organization with values supporting change will be able to undertake the implementation of ISO
20121 in an easier fashion than a different organization without those same values.
Professionals must adopt whole systems thinking when adapting ISO 20121. In doing so, they
will view the event as a dynamic and complex piece situated within a larger environment.
Planners must sort through a myriad of complex issues to arrive at the decision to adopt ISO
2012. They will assess whether the event they are considering is appropriate, what are the
switching costs, what resources are necessary, and within the context of all these decisions what
are the incentives (tangible and intangible) to use the standard. The tangible incentives may
Implications
From the research and results, several important implications can be drawn to benefit the
industry, relevant associations, volunteer leadership and businesses. I will describe eleven
implications in this section. These implications are:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Summary
The development of IOS 20121, while time consuming, represents only the tip of the iceberg for
the opportunity and work ahead of the MICE industry on its path to create more sustainable
events. Use of a management system creates further opportunities to demonstrate that meeting
and event planning is a profession. However, in such a large and fragmented industry, vast space
Research Limitations
This research effort, while careful and considered, has limitations. First, the research conducted
was primarily exploratory and descriptive, and was purposefully limited to one case study. As the
research was limited to one case study, I demonstrated great caution when attempting to
generalize the findings. It is important to note that none of my results may be inferred as a
causal relationship. I was not able to rely heavily on the underlying logic of replication which
allows a series of cases to be treated individually and then collectively viewed as a whole to
retain only common relationships found across the cases (Tenkasi & Hay, 2004, p. 194).
Second, my research may be limited further in applicability and generalizability because of a
fleeting interest in sustainability. Current trends indicate consumers show an overall increase in
their interest towards the topic of sustainability. Current trends indicate a strong interest in
sustainable meetings by event planners. However, whether such interest will be sustained
remains to be seen.
Third, interest in sustainability in the event sector may be hampered by other exogenous events.
For example, the rising price of oil will dramatically impact travel and the event industrys
appetite and ability to move large numbers of people through the airspace. This, in turn, may
affect the overall health of the industry. Political unrest in the Middle East affected the oil supply
and oil prices. Even prior to these very recent events, Rubin (2010) predicted that world-wide oil
prices would increase.
Conclusion
In this qualitative study, I identified enablers and barriers to the adoption of ISO 20121. This
research may have practical use in the industry for firms, associations and volunteers involved
with the effort. I used the ANT framework to inform my findings. The prime value of ANT is
found as it sensitized me to the fact that diffusion of the standard is not merely selling the
technical benefits but a social exercise in understanding the social dynamics between users and
the standard and the entire social environment (McBride, 2003).
The identification of these enablers and barriers suggests that adopters will:
Possess a strong orientation toward sustainability or work for organization which holds
that as an organizational value.
Work from a secure power base allowing them to expand the scope of their job or the
event allowing them to secure resources, education and support to implement an event
sustainability management system and implement a sustainable event.
Possess a sense of the whole-system allowing them to work with heterogeneous actors.
Have skills and competencies that allow them to work with a management system.
Similar to implementation of EMSs, the opportunity for events to serve as a change agent is
large. Moutchnik (n.d.) identifies the pivotal role events can play:
The Olympic Games, the Goodwill Games, international exhibitions and fairs,
sport championships , and other large international events, require nowadays
sound environment management not only from the management of the
locations of eventsbut also from the municipalities of the cities and towns
where these events take place. Cities municipalities or regional authorities
may wish to decorate their EMSs with international accepted ISO 14001certicates in order to send a clear message to tourist, investors, and citizens
that the city or region has a strong commitment to environmental
management.
The MICE industry has the opportunity to make our planet a more sustainable
place.
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