This paper investigates the pattern or trajectory of implementing ISO 9000 standards versus TQM in Western Europe from a longitudinal perspective, using empirical data. The research is based on three large‐scale surveys conducted in 1992‐1993, 1996‐1997 and 2001‐2002 respectively, in 13 Western European countries. The results of the surveys show that European companies have put considerable effort into ISO 9000 certification. However, the results also reveal that, around 1996‐1997, European companies had also planned to implement TQM. However, the result of the planned “go beyond ISO to TQM” fell short of the anticipated extent, indicating that the adoption of TQM in Europe was slower than expected. Early in the twenty‐first century, European companies are still very keen on implementing TQM, indicating an obvious intention to shift from ISO 9000 to TQM. To ensure that the shift will occur this time however, the two approaches must be integrated properly. Although both ISO 9000 standards and the TQM/EFQM model have been recently updated or modified, how to best incorporate the two systems remains one of the major tasks of quality management in the future.
Recent interests in total quality management (TQM) and business excellence (BE) had been fuelled with a range of national and regional awards. These awards are being increasingly used by organisations as part of the business improvement process and strategic benchmarking. This paper reviews the concepts and approaches of performance measurement (PM) and discusses the integration of PM with the TQM and BE philosophies. A TQM‐Be‐PM framework with a set of self‐assessment checklists was developed. In order to complement the literature base with empirical evidence, an industry survey was conducted and a trial implementation of the framework was carried out in a leading manufacturing firm in Hong Kong. The self‐assessment performance data of the firm was evaluated and then benchmarked with the industry averages obtained from the survey. This paper presents the empirical findings and discusses the applicability of the framework in measuring and benchmarking organisational performance toward continual improvement.
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