Understanding the Determinants of SME ISO 9000 Success: Towards a Classification of Work Environment

The successful implementation of international quality standards and models can be viewed as an important key for contemporary SMEs to maintain competitive advantage. One of the most influential factors in ensuring ISO 9000 adoption is the development of a management-driven, implementation framework prior to embarking on such a strategic change process, but often such frameworks are typically developed and derived primarily from the context and experience of large organizations rather than SMEs. The aim of this paper is to investigate current research opportunities with respect to the development of a novel research classification and framework to evaluate the influence of work environment on the implementation of ISO 9000 standards within advanced engineering and manufacturing SMEs. This paper presents a comprehensive research methodology for the specification and development of a novel work environment classification, before findings from an initial industrial survey and case studies are presented and evaluated.