Compliance or Adherence

“Excellence in Compliance” – This is what we as Skyvines stand for and aim with our clients. Daily we engage with clients, customers, agriculture value chain role players on the topic of compliance. During these conversations we here all sort of comments and remarks – all whom contain the word ‘compliance’. We are often reminded of the number of non-compliances that clients have – our KPI’s is based on the non-compliances. Even risk is qualified through counting non-compliances.

In my experience in most cases ‘compliance’ has some sort of negativity or burden feel to it. Just another thing that we must do to please someone. Another market request. Another auditor that highlighted shortcomings. Not many people or businesses enjoy being told what to do or how to manage risks – or worse; being told they have a risk.

Recently I have been requested to support a business with improving the safety culture in their organization. It made me do some research on culture in business as well as effective management systems – both of which we covered in a previous article. This research and previous experiences made me discover a very interesting comparison between the using of the word compliance versus adherence.

Adherence is being described as an active choice for a person or business to follow through with a requirement, specification, or request. Compliance on the other hand is a much more passive behaviour, a reactive approach in which a person or business is following a list of instructions or requirements.

Adherence is a more positive, proactive behaviour, which results in a lifestyle or culture change by the employees, management, or businesses at large. In contrast, compliance is a behaviour exhibited by an employee or business who is simply “doing as (he / she or they are) told”.

My summary after research and putting some of the principles to test is that adherence in much more of an internal decision. An active engagement to what we as an organization, me as a person or my employees want to do. The business sees it as my rule, and I want to comply with my own rules. Compliance is reactive and the organization or person must comply to someone else’s rule. Most of the time it is at the cost of something. After an incident, after an audit, after an identification of risk the business is required to comply – because the had a breach.

How can we manage or change business culture to one where employees change thoughts to a culture of adherence instead of compliance?  Three is three things we need for this

1. Belief

As the agriculture business or farm, we need to trust ourselves. Belief in what you do. There must be a clear set of values that guide us in our quest to be excellent businesses. Be focussed and dedicated, work hard. But not without a 100% belief that in what we are doing and why we are doing it.

2. Involvement

If we make sure the whole business is involved in setting of goals, establishing culture, and managing risks, there will be a natural shift in wanting to do the right thing versus must do the right thing. When people feel the belong and is part of a solution – the generally do not mind adhering to the subsequent rules

3. Trust

We as an agricultural industry should work extremely hard in building trust between the management en employees of our businesses. When an employee trust you, your process, and your motives – generally rules and processes as easy to follow. Trust leads to adherence

My challenge to each of you is to look at requirements, specifications and general rules as included in the business processes and adopted in the culture. This will get to a point of adherence to your own business rules and requirements. The nett result will be compliance to legislation, compliance to standards or specifications and better market access.

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