A study of the ISO 9000 certification process: consultant profiles and company behaviour

Abstract

Purpose

This article aims to analyse the process of introducing the ISO 9000 quality standard with the help of an external consultancy company. The main objectives are to investigate: whether there were any basic differences in the way that companies behaved when implementing a quality system based on ISO 9000; and how the quality of the consultant can be measured.

Design/methodology/approach

The methodology involved an empirical study of a sample of companies that obtained their ISO 9000 certifications in the years 1997, 1998, and 1999. All of these companies were based in Catalonia (Spain). The results were subjected to various statistical treatments to determine the segmentation of the market. Subsequent factor analysis determined the main factors that configured the quality of the consultancy services provided.

Findings

Three types of company behaviour when faced with the task of obtaining certification are identified. The companies that obtain the greatest benefits from the project are those that regard certification as just one more step towards total quality management. In contrast, companies that are sceptical about ISO 9000 are more likely to have negative perceptions of the consultant's work. The analysis also assesses the quality of the service provided by consultants. Finally, the paper finds that the quality of the service can be appreciated in terms of three factors. The factor that is best regarded by companies is referred to here as “human quality”, whereas the least regarded is “scheduling”.

Practical implications

The paper contributes a series of recommendations for consultants and companies looking to contract the services of specialised consultants in ISO 9000.

Originality/value

The article provides a tool to measure the service quality to the consultancy firms in order to improve its performance. On the other hand, it has been found that two out of the three dimensions related with this service were not found in the academic literature.

Citation

Marimon Viadiu, F. and Cristóbal Fransi, E. (2005), "A study of the ISO 9000 certification process: consultant profiles and company behaviour", Managing Service Quality: An International Journal, Vol. 15 No. 3, pp. 290-305. https://doi.org/10.1108/09604520510597836