Raising awareness of the benefits of certification and assurance services
In ‘A cultural study of ISO 9000 certification’ (Mallak, L.A., Bringelson, L.S., Lyth, D.M., (1997), research is carried out with the aim of discovering what were the most desirable organisational cultural attributes to help achieve certification. The research was based on a survey of 85 certified companies in the US and Canadian Great Lakes region. In the questioning, companies were asked to grade an attribute on a seven point scale from ‘critical in not achieving certification’ to critical in achieving certification’.
The report’s conclusions were, ‘Results suggest the following factors support certification: being decisive, team orientated, risk averse, valuing stability, paying attention to detail, valuing high levels of organization, and working in a co-operative environment with good interpersonal skills’.
‘The bottom line for organizations seeking ISO certification is to take decisive action, pay attention to the details, be supportive of employees, develop and foster a co-operative environment and strive for internal stability’.
Western Michigan University (Mallak, Bringelson, Lyth)