Strategies for the ISO 9001 certification life cycle (StrategISO)
International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management
ISSN: 1741-0401
Article publication date: 3 October 2023
Issue publication date: 26 June 2024
Abstract
Purpose
Certified and non-certified organisations must make strategic decisions regarding ISO 9001 adoption, maintenance, renewal and abandonment. However, the ISO 9001 literature lacks a typology of the strategic options available to these organisations. The purpose of this conceptual study is to develop a framework of the alternative strategies for the stages of the ISO 9001 life cycle (implementation/certification, certification maintenance and recertification/decertification stages).
Design/methodology/approach
The research method is based on literature review, selection of relevant variables and synthesis of coherent alternative strategies.
Findings
Results include the main variables of relevance for the definition of the ISO 9001 strategies (e.g. life cycle stage, organisational motivations, barriers, benefits, internalisation degree and quality of the certification body), the main situations in which organisations can find themselves (in terms of ISO 9001 certification, maintenance and decertification), the strategic options for each situation (e.g.: certify, maintain certification, try harder, change certification body, intensify learning and experimentation with ISO 9001) and the implications and consequences of such options. Research results are integrated into a strategy framework, composed of three strategy matrices, one for each stage of the life cycle. The matrices present the strategic situations, available strategic alternatives and benefits of the strategies.
Originality/value
This study combines the results of previous research to develop an original strategy framework, which constitutes the main research contribution. As far as the author is aware, there is no such strategy framework in the literature. The framework has relevant implications for theory and practice and helps to identify future research directions.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The author thanks the two anonymous reviewers of the manuscript for their insightful comments and recommendations.
Citation
Cândido, C.J.F. (2024), "Strategies for the ISO 9001 certification life cycle (StrategISO)", International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, Vol. 73 No. 6, pp. 1856-1884. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPPM-05-2023-0224
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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