Senior executives and the ISO 9000‐TQM transition : A framework and some empirical data

Synthesizes 12 factors from the literature which are likely to influence organizational transition from ISO 9000 registration to TQM. All 12 factors relate to the roles and responsibilities of senior executives. Applies some of these factors to a sub‐group of 37 selected companies further to test four hypotheses formulated in an earlier paper. These factors define many of the conditions necessary for the continuance of TQM and are subsequently used to identify those companies which were likely to encounter problems sustaining their TQM initiatives. Presents further empirical data from the second phase of a longitudinal study of these companies over the period 1992‐1996. These data show which companies were continuing with TQM and which (ten) had declared it a failure. Highlights a further 13 which are at risk of having terminal problems with TQM. Rather than use these data for “headline” purposes, recommends deeper exploration to identify possible causes of difficulty.