Faten MAAZOUN and Karima BOUZGUENDA
University of Sfax, Faculty of Economics and Management, Sfax, Tunisia
In view of the very rapid evolution of the cognitive and intangible resources of the pharmaceutical industry, as well as its environment and by mobilizing the neo-institutional theory, the present article aims to shed some light on the question of the relationship between Integrated Management Systems (IMS) and Knowledge Management (KM), supported by the organizational change strategy.
A conceptual model is proposed by focusing on, on the one hand, the proposition relating to the contribution of KM to the effectiveness of the established pharmaceutical IMS and on the other hand, that relating to the influence of the organizational change strategy on the aforementioned relation. Such a proposition is based on the central idea that the IMS is more likely to succeed through the integration of structures and behaviors carried out by the KM mechanisms oriented towards continuous improvement of the Quality Management System (QMS), the Environmental Management System (EMS) and the Occupational Health and Safety Management System (OHSMS).
Such a model is tested by adopting an abductive approach based on a back-and-forth between theoretical data and practical investigations. The methodological framework considered could lead to significant and specified results about the phenomenon investigated.
The findings provide support for the empirical evidence of neo-institutional theory. It is then appropriate to deal with KM as a managerial challenge which is part of a dynamic of change to contribute to the effectiveness of pharmaceutical IMS.