It seems straightforward enough, yet IIP can work miracles for organisations of all shapes and sizes. John McKinlay speaks to a true believer.

Persuading Joseph O'Neil of the advantages of the Investors in People programme was like preaching to the converted. But even this willing disciple found it more helpful than he had believed it could be.

''I would recommend this for any small business. By formalising our people strategy, it has helped us immensely,'' said O'Neil.

So, it was appropriate that Electrical Mechanical Instrument Services (UK) Ltd was the 100th Glasgow firm to achieve recognition as an Investor in People.

The company employs sophisticated electronics to provide vital calibration and equipment management services to a range of sectors - from oil and gas production and heavy engineering to electronics and healthcare.

O'Neil emphasises, however, that it is the skill and application of the workforce which makes the difference in delivering solutions to the customer and success to the company.

Under IIP training has become much more structured and focused to ensure each individual has the opportunity for personal development which will benefit the individual and the company.

Full IIP recognition was achieved only weeks ago, but EMIS has no doubt about the advantages of its new programmes focused on people at a time when it is looking to continue its healthy expansion and move into overseas markets.

It was at a workshop organised by Glasgow Development Agency, which is responsible for the IIP programme in the city, that O'Neil became interested in IIP.

''I was listening to the other companies detail what IIP involved and I remember thinking 'That's a good idea'. I am a great believer in the maxim that the success of a business is dependent on the quality of its people. On that basis I felt any programme which aimed to get all our people involved in the business almost at every turn had to be very worth while,'' says O'Neil.

''It isn't machines that do things in this business, it is the people. We cannot achieve our objectives without good staff. While the management approach in this company has always recognised this, what we now have is a more structured and formalised approach to people development. No employee was ever refused training or further education if he or she requested it, but it was on a kind of ad hoc basis. Now every employee has a personal development plan, which is discussed and agreed with them.

''That involves more than just training. It considers how the person will fit into the company's culture and future direction. That is going to be very important for the future.

''We are predicting 15% growth this year and, if we are to fulfil that ambition, it is vital we have the right people in the right positions doing their job as part of a properly focused strategy, and knowing exactly what their role in the overall plan is. Our business plan for this year is called Focused Growth.''

EMIS employs 45 people, and its many customers include some of the best known names in the world - IBM, NSUK, Shell UK Exploration and Production, BP, Amerada Hess and Glasgow based McGavigans and Kvaerner Energy.

It was launched as a management buy-out six years ago with financial assistance from Scottish Enterprise, British Steel Industry and the GDA. The company has also benefited from advice and support delivered by other parts of the SE network, including GDA's Targeting Technology, and now from the Investors Team.

From the beginning, the company emphasised staff communication and involvement - a monthly report prepared by O'Neil to keep financial backers informed about the firm's progress developed into a newsletter for all the staff. Staff are informed about progress, about who is visiting their laboratories and offices, who EMIS is submitting tenders to.

A profit related pay scheme was introduced so that ''everybody gets a slice of the action''. In the last financial year, 7% of profits was shared among staff. Some people received more than #1000.

IIP has an induction and development scheme for new employees, although staff turnover is generally low. Good staff involvement means fewer people want to leave, which saves money on training as well as maintaining team harmony.

''We encourage feedback from people. If someone has a good idea we want to hear about it,'' said O'Neil.

''That has always been the case, but IIP has helped us focus on our employees in a planned strategy, probably something we should have been doing. The ethos of employee enhancement was 60% to 70% in place already, so it wasn't difficult for us to go the rest of the way. But it was important that we did.''

Good people practices can also extend to changes in the working week - but only if alterations meet or improve high standards of customer service. After the successful introduction of the four-and-a-half day week last year, staff considered a four-day week with a new rota system involving longer working days. The new flexible rota is being trialled by EMIS.

The company's ambitions for the future include exporting its expertise. Around 70% of its business is in the oil and gas industry and the firm has identified opportunities to establish bases in some overseas countries. A joint venture with a company in Qatar has led to the opening of a calibration laboratory there, and EMIS is establishing a three-way joint venture with organisations in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

Joe O'Neil is himself an example of the benefits of lifelong learning and self improvement. Originally a toolmaker to trade, he worked in the car plant at Linwood before moving to South Africa. When he returned to Scotland in 1983, much of the heavy industry he had known had gone.

He decided to reskill and over 10 years took a series of part-time courses in electronics and business studies. So he knows better than anyone what a difference the right training can make to his staff and his company.