Increasing ISO 9000 certification benefits: a continuous improvement approach

Purpose – To test the strength of the relationship between motivation for seeking ISO 9000 certification, quality culture, management responsibility, and the perceived benefits derived from ISO 9000 certification.Design/methodology/approach – The research involved the development and application of a survey instrument applied to a sample of 1500 ISO 9000 certified organisations. The response rate was 27 per cent (400 responses). The data was analysed using SPSS for Windows, multivariate functions.Findings – Amongst the major findings is organisations that seek ISO 9000 certification with a proactive approach driven by a continuous improvement strategy are more likely to derive significant business benefits as a result. We also found that organisations can effectively use ISO certification as a means of promoting and facilitating a quality culture, where the quality auditor is an important player in the process.Originality/value – The paper reinforces the long held anecdotal view that the development of a ...

[1]  Roger Williams,et al.  Perceptions about the ISO 9000 (2000) quality system standard revision and its value: the Dutch experience , 2004 .

[2]  M. Terziovski,et al.  The Business Value of Quality Management Systems Certification , 1997 .

[3]  Alan Brown,et al.  A Typology of Approaches to ISO Certification and TQM , 1996 .

[4]  P. Collins,et al.  UK quality management-policy options , 1994 .

[5]  Conformance Infrastructure,et al.  Linking industry globally : report of the Committee of Inquiry into Australia's Standards and Conformance Infrastructure , 1995 .

[6]  J. P. Russell,et al.  After the Quality Audit: Closing the Loop on the Audit Process , 1996 .

[7]  Hesan A. Quazi,et al.  A journey towards total quality management through ISO 9000 certification ‐ a Singapore experience , 1997 .

[8]  D. C. Bettes.  TRAINING OF INTERNAL QUALITY AUDITORS , 1993 .

[9]  Amrik S. Sohal,et al.  The longitudinal effects of the ISO 9000 certification process on business performance , 2003, Eur. J. Oper. Res..

[10]  Barrie Dale,et al.  From ISO 9000 Series Registration to Total Quality Management: An Examination , 1994 .

[11]  J. Hair.  Multivariate data analysis , 1972 .

[12]  Gionata Carmignani.  Process-based management: A structured approach to provide the best answers to the ISO 9001 requirements , 2008, Bus. Process. Manag. J..

[13]  T. S. Ragu-Nathan,et al.  Does ISO 9000 have an effect on quality management practices? An international empirical study , 1997 .

[14]  George Binney,et al.  Making quality work: Lessons from Europe's leading companies , 1992 .

[15]  Brett Whitford and Roger Andrew.  The Pursuit of Quality , 1994 .