The fit between organisational structure, management orientation, knowledge orientation, and the values of ISO 9000 standard

Abstract

Purpose -The purpose of this conceptual paper is to examine the fit between values underpinning the ISO 9000 standard and selected managerial and organisational factors. Design/methodology/approach -The study is a conceptual one relying on the literature on the selected strategic factors and also the standard. The values of institutionalisation, explicitation, systematisation, delineation and Taylorisation underpinning ISO 9000 standards were distilled from the origin and the principles of ISO 9000 and the ISO 9000 certification practices. The values are juxtapositioned with the imperatives of control and creativity, knowledge management and organisational structure to understand the consequent synergism or tension. Findings -It is postulated that the more mechanistic and explicit knowledge based organisations will enjoy ISO 9000 certification while the more organic and tacit knowledge based organisations will experience tensions arising from lack of fit. Hence, conceptually, the standard will work best in a more mechanistic and routine knowledge based settings. Creativity oriented strategies will find the standard quite dysfunctional while control and operation-based strategies are likely to benefit most from the certification. Originality/value -Most ISO 9000 related studies are weak on conceptualisation of the relationships examined. Despite the growing volume of studies on ISO 9000, the values of the standard have not been explicitly outlined. Consequently, discussion of the efficacy of the standard has focused on the explicit requirements of the standard rather than the instrumental values it promotes. Based on the explication of the standard's values, the article examines the possible synergies and contradictions between the standard and, management orientation (control vs creativity), knowledge orientation (explicit vs tacit) and structure (organic vs mechanistic).

The effects of different aspects of ISO 9000 implementation on key supply chain management practices and operational performance

“…Furthermore, the importance of advanced and supportive implementations contributes to a better understanding of the RBV, which states that the culture and the supporting system of the organization could become important and inimitable resources for companies. This contradicts Abdullah and Ahmad's (2009) findings that, conceptually, ISO 9000 standards work best in a more mechanistic and routine knowledge‐based setting, in which tangible assets dominate.…”

The Knowledge Management Process for Implementing Quality Improvement Programs

“…this type of knowledge can be easily acquired and transferred. As the role of knowledge and the learning organization has grown, the tacitness and explicitness of knowledge in an organization will become a key strategic consideration in shaping the competitive strategy (Abdullah and Ahmad, 2009). For quality management programs and quality models, more useful and more popular is the explicit knowledge.…”

“…the impact of the standard on organizational performance is greatest in the organizations that mainly utilize explicit knowledge, and it is weakest in organizations which mainly utilize tacit knowledge (Abdullah and Ahmad, (2009…”

Impact of Different Quality Management System Implementation Patterns on Performance Outcomes

“…The impact of the standard on organisational performance is greatest in organisations that mainly utilise explicit knowledge and is weakest in organisations that mainly utilise tacit knowledge (Abdullah and Ahmad, 2009). …”

“…Teaching processes have been structured and standardised much to the chagrin of the educationists and pedagogies in universities. The universities slowly suffer the growing incompatibility of the standard and the tacit knowledge of this sector (Abdullah and Ahmad, 2009;Hazman and Sarina, 2008).…”