From ISO quality standards to an integrated management system: an implementation process in SME

Abstract

The effective implementation of an integrated management system (IMS) is increasingly recognised as essential for all types of organisations facing today's turbulent and competitive environment. Literature stresses that most companies could benefit from moving from the mere adoption of the International Standards Organisation (ISO) quality standards to the implementation of an IMS linking strategy and operations by means of an interrelated set of management tools. However, despite the wide range of investigated issues, scholarly literature still mainly focuses upon large organisations, and although much progress has been made in recent years, many questions on how an IMS could be implemented in small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) remain unanswered. In order to contribute to this research gap, this paper investigates the process characterising the effective implementation of an IMS in a leading SME and the main factors enabling the changeover from the adoption of ISO quality standards to the implementation of an IMS. The implementation process identified here is synthesised in a framework which can support the understanding and the implementation of an IMS in SMEs.

Keywords:

• performance measurement and management system
• small and medium enterprises
• management system
• Balanced Scorecard

Acknowledgements

The information used in this study was gathered thanks to the precious contributions of Home Cucine. Special thanks go to Agostino Mirsajev (entrepreneur and general manager) and Andrea Frezza (Quality Manager), who supplied us all the data and collaboration to make this study possible.

Notes

UK Research Council Project titled ‘Understanding and Managing the Manage-Processes’, funded by EPSRC (Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council).