Implementing a Quality Management System Based on ISO 9001:2015 Standard: Modeling the Enablers' Relationships

This paper aims to provide new insights for organizations that have decided to implement a Quality Management System (QMS) based on the ISO 9001 standard as a strategy for continuous improvement and gaining competitive advantage. This objective is achieved through statistically modeling the causal relationships between the Critical Success Factors (CSFs) or enablers of ISO 9001. A statistically validated questionnaire was used to collect information mainly from quality managers working in manufacturing companies located in Mexico that have had an ISO 9001 certificate. Some hypotheses for relationships between ISO CSFs are developed theoretically first and empirically tested later using confirmatory factor analysis and the structural equation modeling technique. The main theoretical contribution of our findings is based on the organizational leadership theory by demonstrating that relationships between ISO CSFs and benefits have been statistically significant and highlighting that for a successful implementation of a QMS based on this standard, a real commitment of top management is undoubtedly required to initialize and give support to a process that activates the remaining enablers leading their organizations to high performance and competitiveness. Our findings have important implications for quality professionals and business managers by identifying actions or activities where to allocate the available resources to increase the likelihood of successfully adopting the standard and thus getting the associated benefits. Unlike other models, our enablers conform by grouping information structured based on the Quality Management Principles (QMPs) defined in the standard. Future research could consider the point of view of all employees involved in the QMS and variations in organizational size or industry sector for their potential effect on effectively implementing a QMS based on ISO 9001. Moreover, further research could also be undertaken to confirm the findings of this study in other countries.