Influence of ISO certification on the progress of Spanish industry towards TQM

The paper ‘Influence of ISO certification on the progress of Spanish industry towards TQM’ (Escanciano, Fernández, Vázquez, 2001) explores the reasons why companies obtain certification and suggests the attitude of the organisation to certification determines how it progresses.

The research involved questionnaires sent to 3864 certified companies in Spain, of which 749 responded (19.4%). These companies were split 61% manufacturing, 26% service.

Firstly the reasons for certification, with scores determined from a ranking from 5 – great influence on decision through to certify to 1 – no influence:

1. Improved product/service quality (4.02)
2. Improving internal process and procedures (4.00)
3. Improving company image (3.98)*
4. Requisite to compete in the sector (3.93)*
5. Anticipate market trend (3.91)
6. Anticipating customer demands (3.64)
7. Anticipating competitors (3.60)
8. Increasing our competitive advantage (3.45)
9. Use it as a promotional tool (3.51)*
10. Maintain/improve market share (3.45)*

(*external motivations, others are internal motives)

‘In a previous paper (Escanciano, Fernández, Vázquez 2001 a), we showed that Spanish certified companies think that ISO 9000 certification is a good starting point for building a total quality program. In such a sense, they affirm that although certification leads to a basic quality level, it is also true that it generates a degree of steadiness, a capability for repetition and a constant demand to update and adapt the system it is based on, transforming it into a perfect foundation for more advanced quality practices’.

As regards the reasons for certification and the longer term impact of certification on companies, ‘companies which have decided on certification mainly for internal reasons are those which, once certification has been obtained, progress towards TQM’. The report goes further in its conclusion to state, ‘enterprises that progress in that direction have perceived greater benefits than those firms which just keep certification or do not plan any quality-related action for the future’.

Reference

• Escanciano, C., Fernández, E., Vázquez, C. (2001), ‘Influence of ISO certification on the progress of Spanish industry towards TQM’, International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, Vol. 18, No. 5, pp 481-94.

Departamento de Administración de Empresas y Contabilidad, Universidad de Oviedo (all)

• Escanciano, C., Fernández, E., Vázquez, C. (2001 a), ‘ISO 9000 certification and quality management in Spain: results of a national survey’, The TQM Magazine, Vol. 13, Issue 3, pp192-200. Paper available to purchase

Departamento de Administración de Empresas y Contabilidad, Universidad de Oviedo (all)