A template for assessing corporate performance: Benchmarking EHS organizations

corporate environmental, health, and safety (EHS) organizations has been the subject of intense scrutiny during the last few years. Specifically, business executives have challenged EHS departments to demonstrate that they are both performing optimally and adding value. There are, however, no standardized methods and procedures for assessing the performance of EHS organizations. Among the difficulties impeding such standardized approaches are issues relating to data quantification and validity, as well as information collection and “mining.” As a result, there is no absolute benchmark measurement of EHS performance. Indeed, there is not even common agreement over the definition of “superior EHS performance,” as outlined in a prior article by Richard MacLean published in the winter 2003 issue of this journal.1 For researchers attempting to benchmark the “EHS leaders,” the absence of a clear selection method presents the first hurdle. CEI’s “Organizations in Transition” Research Project The study discussed in this article grew out of the need to identify corporations that utilize best practices for organizing and staffing their EHS departments. The study is the first phase of a benchmarking program in support of a research project called “Organizations in Transition: Guidelines and Best Practices for Structuring EH&S Organizations for Superior Performance.” The project is now underway at the Center for Environmental Innovation (CEI), with support from the Boston University School of Management and the Arizona State University College of Business. The key objectives of this phase of the benchmarking research are to: