Factors for improving performance in ISO 9001 certified small- and medium-sized service enterprises
ISSN: 1754-2731
Article publication date: 15 October 2019
Issue publication date: 15 January 2020
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the factors that are important for improving the performance of ISO 9001 certified small- and medium-sized service enterprises (SMSEs).
Design/methodology/approach
Preliminary research questions were set on the basis of a literature review and then submitted to a Delphi panel of experts. The results from the Delphi panel were transformed into hypotheses in the form of a survey. A sample comprising 115 Italian SMSEs answered the survey, which also included specific fields for qualitative notes. The hypothesis tests used 95% confidence intervals, and notes and suggestions from the respondents were also collected.
Findings
The findings relate to the role and responsibilities of the quality manager, as well the entrepreneur and partners, the quality of the enterprise culture, training, awareness concerning process key performance indicators, visual management and modern digitised documentation and communication. Furthermore, criticisms emerged regarding the ISO 9001 standard in terms of cost of quality measurement, day-to-day improvement and problem-solving.
Research limitations/implications
This research is limited to SMSEs. The limitations of this research open avenues for further research. In particular, many suggestions from the respondents seem generalisable to other industries and also to large manufacturing firms.
Practical implications
The findings of this research could be used as a guideline for implementing ISO 9001 in the SMSE sector. Moreover, some of the criticisms could be taken into account for the next revision of the ISO 9001 standard.
Originality/value
This is one of the first papers to discuss important factors for improving the performance of ISO 9001 in the SMSE sector.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The author would like to thank the anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments and suggestions to improve the paper.
Citation
Chiarini, A., Castellani, P. and Rossato, C. (2020), "Factors for improving performance in ISO 9001 certified small- and medium-sized service enterprises", The TQM Journal, Vol. 32 No. 1, pp. 21-37. https://doi.org/10.1108/TQM-05-2019-0141
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited