Rule-Bound and Autonomous: Specifying the Conditions for the Successful Implementation of the Worldwide Quality Assurance Standard ISO9000

Rule-Bound and Autonomous:

Specifying the Conditions for the Successful Implementation of the

Worldwide Quality Assurance Standard ISO9000

The aim of this project is to develop an explanation for the conditions under which ISO9000, the world's most popular quality assurance and management system is likely to have a positive effect on organizational performance. During the last several years, there has been a huge campaign for organizations to seek and obtain certification. Over 300,000 organizations around the world already have been certified and nearly the same number are in the process of doing so. Despite ISO9000's immense popularity, existing research has not found a definitive impact on performance. Our research will explore the claim that when organizations more effectively combine rules and autonomy they are more likely to successfully implement the ISO9000 standard.

Organizations appear to require an appropriate mix of rules and autonomy. Increasingly, business strategists are advising managers to combine the right level of these elements. Organization theory, however, does not provide clear guidance about how these elements should coexist.

We will investigate the claim that the more organizations exercise choice within a situation of constraints the more they are likely to successfully implement ISO9000. By autonomy we mean having intrinsic reasons for adopting ISO9000 and going beyond what the rules require. The motivations for adhering to ISO9000's rules often are extrinsic, as demanding customers, who refuse to purchase from any but certified suppliers, impose the standard on suppliers. The degree to which extrinsic motivations are combined with intrinsic ones, such as achieving better supply chain efficiencies, needs to be better understood.

National culture is likely to have a moderating effect on autonomy. In cultures that are more individualistic, less hierarchical, and more tolerant of ambiguity, the effects of autonomy are likely to be enhanced, while in cultures with the opposite characteristics these effects will be reduced.

The work we propose is exploratory in nature and aims to refine and develop hypotheses about the effects of rules, autonomy, and national culture on ISO9000 implementation. The case studies will assess the mechanisms, processes and context of implementation of ISO900 including the effects of organizational culture, systems, and other factors.

This project is a cooperative effort involving an inter-disciplinary team from the U.S. (University of Minnesota) and other countries. The Juran Center for Quality Leadership at the Carlson Business School at the University of Minnesota is taking the lead role.