Shedding light on causation between ISO 9001 and improved business performance (original) (raw)

Purpose -The adoption of the ISO 9001 Quality Management Systems Standard has proven to be a persistent and growing phenomenon in services and manufacturing, yet to date little research has been done that can indicate how far improved business performance can be attributed to it rather than counter-intuitive causes. The paper aims to examine the evidence for the causal links between quality management system certification and improved performance in the empirical literature. Design/methodology/approach -A method is proposed for testing how far performance improvement can be attributed to quality management system certification and how far attribution to other causes applies. This method is illustrated on a longitudinal study and then utilised to interpret the findings of other longitudinal studies. Findings -It is concluded that although there is some evidence to indicate that quality management system certification has some causal influence on business performance, there is also evidence for the existence of a substantial mechanism whereby better performing firms self-select to adopt certification. Possible causes for this mechanism are discussed.