The heterogeneous implementation of ISO 9001 in service-oriented organizations

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the heterogeneity in the implementation of the ISO 9001 quality management system in service-oriented organizations, and to identify patterns (i.e. relationships, dependencies and exceptions) among critical implementation factors, possible implementation determinants and desired post-implementation outcomes. Design/methodology/approach The paper adopts a qualitative approach, in the form of a multiple case study of five ISO 9001 certified, service-oriented organizations, located in Greece. Using multiple data collection methods including interviews with upper management and employees, desk research and on-site observation allowed for data triangulation. Findings The analysis reveals that ISO 9001 implementation can range across different levels of fidelity, from merely superficial to genuinely substantive. Several determinants (i.e. implementation experience, motivation for certification, perception of quality, commitment to change) affect the level of fidelity and, in turn, the post-implementation outcomes. Interestingly, even a superficial ISO 9001 implementation can initiate, at least to a moderate degree, beneficial changes throughout the organizations. The organizations that strictly abide by ISO 9001 requirements still have to address some challenges, most notably to instill a culture of prevention in their management system and to efficiently balance standardization and flexibility. Originality/value This study contributes to the ISO 9001 internalization literature, providing an in-depth analysis of possible patterns among ISO 9001 implementation factors, determinants and outcomes. Related findings are also discussed under the prism of the revised ISO 9001:2015.

Insights into the reasons behind the limited implementation of ISO 9001 certification: empirical evidence from Yemen

“…Examples of internal factors include increasing efficiency of operations, and examples of external factors include gaining the trust of customers. Chountalas et al (2019) studied the ISO 9001 implementation level between different organizations in Greece and concluded that internal motivations influenced the effective and efficient adoption of ISO 9001. Psomas and Pantouvakis (2015) emphasized the commitment to change as a driving factor for ISO 9001 implementation.…”

“…More specifically, Psomas and Pantouvakis (2015) emphasized the economic benefits of ISO 9001 implementation and extracted four performance dimensions, including product/service quality, operational performance, market and financial performance. Recently, Chountalas et al (2019) also addressed the ISO 9001 benefits and concluded that the most critical benefit of the ISO 9001 implementation is continual improvement.…”

“…While there are many benefits reported in the literature, other scholars emphasized the barriers that organizations face in implementing ISO 9001 (Babatunde and Sui Pheng, 2015; Chountalas et al , 2019; Willar et al , 2015). Allur et al (2014) discussed several barriers with an emphasis on human resources management.…”

“…del Castillo-Peces et al (2018) focused on the construction sector in Spain and concluded that internal motivations contributed to better quality achievement when implementing ISO 9001. In Greece, Chountalas et al (2019) highlighted the importance of internal motivations, which led to a more effective implementation of ISO 9001. In Italy, Chiarini et al (2019) investigated critical factors to improve the ISO 9001 performance in small- and medium-sized service enterprises (SMSEs).…”

Quality Management Systems and Working Capital SMEs in GPO—A Case of Poland

“…This is due to the fact that quality management organizes the functioning of key processes in enterprises, minimizes the number of errors, reduces the costs of the so-called "poor quality" and supports the effective implementation of tasks (Chiarini et al 2020;Dellana et al 2019;Woźniak 2019;Fonseca and Domingues 2018). On the other hand, standardized systems of quality management generate certain costs related to their implementation, maintenance and improvement (Chountalas et al 2020;Zimon and Dellana 2020). There are studies on the influence of systems in the literature on the subject of quality management on the financial efficiency of the organization (Mokhtar and Muda 2012;Aarts and Vos 2001;Kafel and Simon 2017).…”