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IJQRM
18,2
142
Received September 1999
Revised April 2000
International Journal of Quality &
Reliability Management,
Vol. 18 No. 2, 2001, pp. 142-168.
# MCB University Press, 0265-671X
http://www.emerald-library.com/ft
A study of the transition from
ISO 9000 to TQM in the
context of organisational
learning
Frances M. Hill and Shirley-Ann Hazlett
The Queen's University of Belfast, UK, and
Sarah Meegan
British Telecommunications plc
Keywords ISO 9000, TQM, Organizational change, Organizational learning, Leadership, Model
Abstract Investigates why some companies make a successful transition from ISO 9000 to TQM
while others experience difficulty or failure. Identifies factors influencing a successful transition and
their significance in the context of organisational learning. Methodologies employed include literature
reviews, analysis of secondary data, interviews, and case studies. Key transition factors emerging
from the literature include executive mindset, comprising understanding and motivation. These were
incorporated into an assessment framework, the Quality Transition Framework, based on the
Pyramid of Organizational Development. Empirical research revealed additional factors as being
significant. These expanded executive mindset to incorporate intent; in addition, a capacity and
willingness to learn, and visionary or transformational leadership appeared to be of particular
importance. Research conducted to date suggests it may have greater value as an explanatory model,
but further empirical testing is required. Compares the proposed Model of Quality Transition with
Kanji's Process Innovation Framework. Proposes that another area of investigation is the possible
synthesis of the two models.
Introduction
The research reported in this paper developed out of a major survey (n = 682)
conducted in 1992, which had been designed to investigate the use of quality
management principles in Northern Ireland (Taylor and Adair, 1993a, b).
Among other things, the survey results called into question the future
development of many ISO 9000 registered organisations in the province, and
their propensity to move beyond the standard towards more holistic quality
and business improvement. It appeared then, that some organisations, not
having recognised the potential of ISO 9000 as a foundation for more all-
embracing continuous improvement as characterised by total quality
management (TQM), failed to capitalise on the efforts required to achieve
accreditation. Yet, by way of contrast, other companies seemed to have
progressed significantly beyond the standard. This raised a fairly obvious
question, namely: Why do some companies make a successful transition from
ISO 9000 while others experience difficulty or failure what are the key
The authors wish to acknowledge the time and effort expended by the three anonymous
referees and to thank them for their valuable comments.
dynamics of such a transition? The project discussed below sought to address From ISO 9000
these issues by attempting to identify key factors influencing a successful to TQM
transition from ISO 9000 to TQM. However, the scope of the research extends
beyond the quality management arena, examining the significance of such
factors in the context of organisational learning. The need to draw upon other
disciplines and perspectives in order to acquire greater insight into the theory
and practice of quality management and business improvement has been 143
highlighted by Wilkinson and Wilmott (1996, p. 55):
The leading advocates of quality management are not inclined to refer to previous
management literature, nor indeed to reference anything outside the quality management
field; nor are they inclined to draw on ideas and literatures which can provide a more rounded
evaluation of the claimed benefits of quality initiatives.

The methodologies employed to address the research question included

comprehensive reviews of relevant literatures, a follow-up to the 1992 survey, a
number of interviews and, ultimately, five case studies ± the latter are
discussed in detail below.

Organisational transitions
According to Beckhard and Harris (1987) any major organisational change
involves three distinct conditions: the present state (the organisation's current
position); the future state (where the leadership wants the organisation to get
to); and the transition state (the set of conditions and activities that the
organisation must go through to move from the present to the future). They
argue, further, that the starting point for organisational change is identifying
the need for change. This, in turn, requires self-knowledge ± as Kanji and Asher
(1995, p. 21) point out, ``understanding where you are starting from is an
essential prerequisite for establishing the need to change''. In the context of the
transition from ISO 9000 to TQM, such understanding includes an awareness
of current strengths and weaknesses, an appreciation of the potential benefits
to be derived from ISO 9000 by a particular organisation, and comprehension of
the limitations of the quality assurance approach. A successful organisational
transition also requires an understanding of the desired future state, in this
case TQM. Specifically, such understanding relates not only to what
conducting a business along TQ lines entails, but what the organisation has to
gain by adopting this modus operandi. However, the research findings
documented in the literature suggest that, in reality, executive understanding
of both ISO 9000 and TQM can be limited (see below).

Organisational learning
The literature on organisational learning (OL) is complex, not least because it
emanates from disparate disciplines. Easterby-Smith (1997) identifies six main
disciplines which have informed the debate on OL, namely psychology/
organisational development, management science, organisational theory,
production management, and cultural anthropology. This has produced a
number of different perspectives on the OL construct, including the technical,
IJQRM social and political perspectives. To add to the complexity, Huysman (1999,
18,2 p. 59) detects several biases, or ``hidden ideas and assumptions'' embedded in
the literature, which have not been made explicit, but which have ensured that
the received theories on OL favour certain orientations, while overlooking
others. These biases she describes as: the individual action bias, the
environmental adaptation bias, the planned learning bias, and the
144 improvement bias. Huysman (1999, p. 60) asserts that:
Most of the literature on OL perceives improvement, intelligence and wisdom, etc. as the main
results of learning learning is not so much defined in terms of a process . . . but more in terms
of its outcomes.

Elkjaer (1999), who tends to bracket OL with the learning organisation (LO),
develops this theme further, stating that within the realm of normative
management theory, the recent interest in OL/LO is a development out of the
TQM and BPR movements. Thus, she argues, OL and LO are perceived as, ``yet
another way of linking so-called customer satisfaction and development of
personnel competency, where one of the abilities involved is continuous
learning'' (p. 76).
It is true that the relationship between OL and TQM in particular has been
explored by numerous authors in recent times. Indeed, Senge (1994, p. 61)
claims that the quality movement was the first wave in building learning
organisations, that is, organisations which continually expand their ability to
shape their own futures. Garvin (1993, p. 78) highlights the importance of
commitment to organisational learning in relation to continuous improvement:
How after all can an organisation improve without first learning something new? Solving a
problem, introducing a product and reengineering a process all require seeing the world in a
new light and acting accordingly. In the absence of learning, companies ± and individuals ±
simply repeat old practices. Change remains cosmetic and improvements are either fortuitous
or short-lived.

The research findings of Sohal and Morrision (1995) indicate that learning is an
output of effectively implemented TQM programmes. Moreover, they take the
view that a TQM initiative may only be considered successful if a new working
environment has been created, in which people are able to learn, share
knowledge and make worthwhile contributions. Barrow (1993, p. 39) goes
further, arguing that organisational learning should be the ``most compelling
reason for undertaking a TQM effort'', thus, learning agendas must be
consciously incorporated into continuous improvement initiatives. However,
Sitkin et al. (1994) point out that environmental complexity and flux require in
organisations a capacity to balance the goals of stability and reliability, on the
one hand, with those of exploration and innovation on the other. This involves
an interplay between learning and control dictated by situational uncertainty ±
when uncertainty is low, the exercise of control may well be appropriate.
Alternatively, when uncertainty is high, exploration and learning are required.
These authors therefore distinguish between total quality control and total
quality learning, and advocate the adoption of a contingency approach to
continuous improvement, as opposed to a universalistic one. While some of the From ISO 9000
authors cited above, appear to focus on the outcomes of OL, authors such as to TQM
Prange (1999) argue for a linkage between the content and processes of OL, in
the interests of both theory development and practicality (useful knowledge for
practitioners).
Despite the differing emphases of the various authors, the above discussion
clearly suggests that, for organisations considering a move towards TQM, 145
organisational learning can hardly be ignored. This has relevance to the
findings of the case studies of five companies that had achieved ISO 9000
accreditation, reported below. The five organisations in question may be
divided into two categories:
(1) Those which appeared to adopt a purely instrumental view of the
Standard, regarding it primarily as a ``badge of competence''. Such
companies had not progressed further along the continuous
improvement route.
(2) Companies which seemed to conceptualise ISO 9000 accreditation as but
one milestone along the road ultimately leading towards business
excellence. Companies in this category had an improvement focus, and for
them, ISO 9000 certification clearly proved a significant learning exercise.
Again, this raised a question for the researchers, namely, what are the factors
which determine whether or not an organisation makes the transition beyond
accreditation towards business excellence, that make it want to learn and
progress?

Methodology
The 1992 survey had revealed that, at that point in time, 115 (17 per cent) of the
entire sample (n = 682) were registered to ISO 9000. On the basis of the 1992
data, it was possible to divide the 115 registered companies into three
categories based on the status of their progression to TQM, as follows:
(1) those that had no plans for TQM in 1992 (33 companies);
(2) those which were considering/planning TQM implementation (45
companies); and
(3) those which had (or claimed to have) both ISO 9000 and TQM in 1992 (37
companies).
In the mid 1990s, a follow-up study of these 115 companies was conducted, in
order to establish what changes had taken place in the interim years. It was
hypothesised that, by this means, the companies could be placed into one of
three key categories, namely:
(1) those that had made no progress towards TQM;
(2) those that had attempted TQM but had given up; and
(3) those practising TQM.
IJQRM In fact, the survey findings revealed a fourth category, ``spurious companies'',
18,2 i.e. those that had made some movement beyond ISO 9000, but whose efforts
could not be described as comprising a TQM programme.
Table I summarises the findings of the follow-up survey. During the years
1992-1996, five of the 115 companies had, for various reasons, ceased to
operate.
146 As Table I shows, in 1996, 36 of the original 115 ISO 9000 registered
companies were practising, or claimed to be practising, TQM. A further 12 had
tried but had given up. This raised two fairly obvious questions:
(1) What is the nature of the dynamics of the ISO 9000-TQM transition?
(2) What kinds of variables appear to be significant in a successful
transition from ISO 9000 to TQM?
In order to try to answer these questions, the first stage in the research
programme was to undertake comprehensive reviews of relevant literatures,
covering the following areas: ISO 9000; TQM; organisational change, and in
particular, organisational transitions and organisational development;
organisational learning. Among other things, this revealed that the transition
from ISO 9000 to TQM is a complex, multi-faceted process. That being the case,
in designing the empirical research it was considered necessary to undertake
detailed, qualitative, time-based analyses within a sample of ``successful'' and
``unsuccessful'' transition companies selected from the ``TQM ongoing'' and
``Unable to sustain TQM'' categories in Table I.
Drawing on the need for ``information rich'' cases, several authors advocate
purposive selection within multiple case studies (Patton, 1990; Perry and Coote,
1994). Yin (1989) advises that replication logic, rather than sampling logic,
should be employed for this type of study. Perry and Coote (1994, p. 10) agree
that, ``selection of cases should be done with the specific purpose of theoretical
replication'', whereby each case is carefully selected so that it demonstrates
either:
. Literal replication ± cases which predict similar results.
. Theoretical replication ± cases which produce contrary results but for
predictable reasons.
Major theoretical categories relevant to this investigation concerned success
and failure, and order of implementation. In addition, it was considered

State of quality progression at 1996 Frequency Percentage

TQM ongoing 36 33
Table I. Unable to sustain TQM 12 11
Stages of quality Spurious ± beyond ISO 9000 13 12
development as at No attempt TQM 49 44
end 1996 Total 110 100
appropriate to consider the original TQM status of companies identified in the From ISO 9000
1992 data. Thus, case selection was based on the following three primary to TQM
criteria:
(1) Outcome of transition ± successful or unsuccessful.
(2) Order of implementation ± ISO 9000 or TQM first.
(3) Stage of TQM progression in 1992 ± no plans/considering/planning/
147
practising TQM.
A further criterion was to select polar types ± one clearly successful transition
case and one unsuccessful transition case within each of two sectors. Closer
examination of the population to be sampled (Table I) revealed that such
selection was only possible within the food and drink and the services sectors.
However, having approached the four companies in question, the
``unsuccessful'' service organisation had to be rejected during the case screening
procedure because, in fact, it had never actually attempted to implement TQM.
The successful counterpart in the services sector was retained, as this company
had implemented TQM before ISO 9000. Table II provides some outline
information on the five case organisations selected.
A further brief insight into the selection of all five case organisations
follows.

Cases A and B ± clearly successful transition companies

Ginsburg (1989) refers to the selection of ``exemplary'' cases, that is, those
reflecting strong, positive examples of the phenomenon of interest. Exemplar
principles primarily underpinned the selection of the successful transition
companies, A and B. Both of these were past winners of the N. Ireland Quality
Award, which was based on the European Quality Model, now the EFQM
Excellence Model. (Company B had won other quality awards as well.)

Case C ± the unique case

One company with no plans to implement TQM in 1992, subsequently went on
to do just that, which begged the questions: Why the change in strategy? What
differences did three years make?

Case company Size Sector Degree of autonomy

A SME Food and drink Subsidiary company; semi-autonomous

B Large Services Subsidiary company; semi-autonomous
C SME Services Subsidiary company; semi-autonomous Table II.
D SME Food and drink Subsidiary company; semi-autonomous The five case
E SME Textiles Subsidiary company; semi-autonomous companies
IJQRM Cases D and E ± unsuccessful transition companies
18,2 Selection of unsuccessful transition organisations was limited by scarcity of
occurrence (see Table I) and by accessibility. Case D is in the food and drink
sector and matched Case A in terms of sector and a number of other variables.
Case E proved interesting because, although it had earlier abandoned its TQM
initiative, at the time of the study it was attempting to reactivate it, curiously,
148 by stealth!
Thus the replication logic underpinning the case study research may be
depicted as shown in Table III.

Conduct of the case studies

In designing the case study research, a main aim was to permit analysis of the
findings on the basis of single case investigations and cross-case comparisons,
which required a multi-method approach. The main methods of information
gathering at the case organisations included participant observation, thus a
researcher was on-site at each case company for several weeks. Central to the
case studies was an historical account of each company's experiences of ISO
9000 and TQM. This involved accessing a range of documents and archival
material, as well as face-to-face semi-structured interviews with informed
managers and a selection of non-management personnel, the latter ranging
from 17 to 40 in number per company. (Details of the case study protocol,
procedures, interview schedules and case narratives may be found in Meegan
(1997)). With regard to establishing each organisation's actual progression
towards TQM, reference was made to the European Quality Model criteria
(now the EFQM Excellence Model). However, in order to conduct cross-case
comparisons with regard to the process of transition, a different type of
assessment framework was required.

Role of prior theory

Perry and Coote (1994, p. 7) contend that, ``the perspective that advocates a mix
of induction and deduction acknowledges the value of theory to research
design''. Griggs (1987) stresses the importance of developing an appropriate

Literal replication Theoretical replication

Successful companies  3 2 Unsuccessful v 3 Successful

Unsuccessful  2
Food and drink sector
1 Successful v 1 Unsuccessful
Services sector
1 Successful v 1 Unsuccessful
1 ISO 9000 first v 1 TQM first
Food and drink companies  2
Table III. Services companies  2
Replication logic ISO 9000 first  4
conceptual framework and formulating a series of research questions prior to From ISO 9000
any data collection. Other authors take a similar view (Leavy, 1994; Yin, 1989; to TQM
Miles and Huberman, 1984). Of course, still others disagree entirely with this
approach. Eisenhardt (1989, p. 536), for example, advocates that the, ``research
is begun as close as possible to the inductive ideal of no theory and no
hypothesis to test''. On the other hand, Yin (1993, p. 29) states that, ``for some
topics, existing works may provide a rich theoretical framework for designing 149
a specific case study''. The research agenda of Ascari et al. (1995, p. 2) develops
this further. Moreover, given that the study in question incorporated a
significant element of deduction, the work of Yin (1989, 1993), who advocates
the employment of a clear conceptual framework, was drawn upon. Thus an
assessment framework, potentially suitable for analysing organisational
transitions from ISO 9000 to TQM, was sought.
Several possible frameworks were available, such as those proposed by the
various quality awards. The maturity frameworks of Jablonski (1991) and
Crosby (1979) were also possibilities. However, considered more appropriate
was a model incorporating a more complete set of criteria relevant to the
transition from ISO 9000 to TQM, which would highlight the synergy between
the two concepts and incorporate the infrastructure developed during the
registration effort.

The pyramid of organizational development

One such model was the ``pyramid of organisational development'' (Flamholtz,
1990, 1995), which was adapted by the researchers to represent the specific quality
transition from ISO 9000 to TQM. Details of the reconceptualisation process have
been published eleswhere, Meegan (1996), and are summarised below.
In his paper ``Managing organisational transitions: implications for
corporate and human resource management'', Flamholtz (1995) addresses the
issue of why some organisations make successful transitions over time, while
others experience difficulty and decline. In relation to the pyramid of
organisational development (see Figure 1), Flamholtz (1995, p. 41) contends that
the process of planning and implementing change involves six critical
``building blocks'', namely:
(1) Identification and definition of a viable market niche.
(2) Development of products and/or services appropriate to the firm's
chosen market niche.
(3) Acquisition and development of resources required to operate the firm.
(4) Development of the operational systems necessary for day-to-day
functioning.
(5) Development of the management systems necessary for the
organisation's long-term functioning.
(6) Development of the organisational culture management feels is
necessary to guide the firm.
IJQRM
18,2

150

Figure 1.
Pyramid of
organisational
development
Flamholtz asserts that organisations are not only competing on the bases of From ISO 9000
products and technology, but in relation to all six layers of the pyramid. to TQM
However, he points out that, because ``markets can be easily entered and
products easily copied or improved upon'', in reality, competition centres on the
four top levels of the pyramid. These he conceptualises as comprising an
organisation's infrastructure, which has two aspects: 151
(1) operational infrastructure; and
(2) management infrastructure.
The first relates to the day-to-day resources and systems necessary to run the
business, while the second refers to management systems, and corporate
culture.
Although Flamholtz himself makes no reference to quality management, an
extensive review of the literature on the transition from ISO 9000 to TQM (see
Meegan, 1997) appeared to support the hierarchy portrayed by the four top
levels of the pyramid, as follows. When a firm registers to ISO 9000,
infrastructurally it is obliged to address resource management and operational
systems as priorities. However, as it progresses towards TQM, its focus must
shift to management systems and the complex issue of corporate culture.
However, the prior reviews of literature suggested a gap in the Flamholtz
model, namely executive mindset, incorporating understanding (Seddon, 1994;
Taylor, 1995; Tsiotras and Gotzami, 1996); and motivation (Wenmoth and
Dobbin, 1994; Goh and Ridgway, 1994; Jones et al., 1996). Thus, in attempting
to identify significant factors which determine whether or not an organisation
makes the transition beyond ISO 9000 to TQM, an assessment framework was
developed based on a modified version of Flamholtz's model (see Figure 2).
As can be seen from Figure 2, the four levels of organisational infrastructure
are in place, but an additional layer has been inserted, namely executive
mindset, incorporating understanding and motivation. This
reconceptualisation is explained below.
The transition zone. The assumption underlying the proposed framework
was that, in effecting a transition beyond ISO 9000, an appropriate operational
infrastructure will have developed during the registration effort. In other
words, the system required for accreditation will have outlined the
organisational structure, responsibilities, procedures, processes and resources
necessary to implement quality management (Yusof, 1995). The so-called
``transition zone'' begins then, at the intersection between the operational and
management infrastructures.
Executive mindset. Preliminary research suggested that, even with an
incorrect or confused understanding of ISO 9000 and unenlightened motivation
for pursuing it, many firms are successful in their efforts to achieve
accreditation. However, in relation to TQM implementation, transition beyond
the Standard would be ill-fated if the two prerequisites of understanding and
motivation were not in place. As stated above, success necessitates a correct
IJQRM
18,2

152

Figure 2.
Quality transition
framework
understanding of both quality concepts and an appreciation of why the From ISO 9000
transition is being attempted, what it will entail and the potential benefits to be to TQM
derived from the effort. The significance of understanding and motivation is
highlighted by their positioning in the ``transition zone'' within the assessment
framework (see Figure 2) as they were hypothesised to be critical to a
successful quality transition.
Thus, on the basis of the reviews of literature prior to empirical 153
investigation, the quality transition framework appeared an appropriate
assessment framework for the purposes of cross-case comparisons.

Empirical analysis
The multi-method design employed generated a large volume of information; a
summary of key findings is presented in the list below. This represents a cross-
case analysis of the companies against key variables of interest:
Company A:
. Textbook example of an organisational transition from ISO 9000 to
TQM.
. Employed ISO 9000 as a foundation for TQM and broader business
improvement.
. Remarkable and holistic understanding of both ISO 9000 and TQM
across all managers and employees.
. Enlightened executive mindset.
. Shared vision of a desired future state and extremely proactive culture.
. Tailored management systems.
Company B:
. Struggled with TQM before ISO 9000 was introduced (i.e. an
inappropriate operational infrastructure was in place to support the TQ
effort originally).
. Shared organisational vision and enlightened executive mindset.
. Holistic understanding of ISO 9000 and TQM across the entire
organisation.
. All advances within the company have been focused on the greater
satisfaction of the external customer.
. Extremely high levels of proactivity evidenced across all areas of the
business, e.g. in expanding scope of ISO 9000 across entire organisation.
. Tailored management systems.
Company C:
. Lacked coherent vision and strategy therefore motivations for transition
were disparate.
IJQRM . Differing accounts of TQ from managers within the company.
18,2 . No/limited knowledge of TQM across non-managerial levels therefore
motivations for transition were also disparate.
. No constancy of purpose.
. Unenlightened executive mindset prevents company from addressing
154 relevant management systems and cultural issues.
. Future efforts to implement TQM cannot succeed until this is resolved.
. Registered to ISO 9000 because of customer pressure.
. Inappropriate organisational culture.
Company D:
. Very limited knowledge of TQM within the company, both at
managerial and non-managerial levels.
. Little evidence of shared vision within the company.
. No constancy of purpose.
. Unenlightened executive mindset cut off the TQ effort at a very early
stage.
. ISO 9000 perceived by employees as a hygiene-related standard.
. Registered to standard because of customer pressure.
. Inappropriate corporate culture.
Company E:
. Various accounts of TQM within the company, reflecting the several
attempts at implementation and the varying impacts of each one
perceived by managers.
. While a long-term vision and strategy for TQM are in place, these have
yet to be shared across the management team.
. Limited knowledge of TQM across employee levels.
. Differences of opinion regarding whether ISO 9000 or TQM was
introduced first, suggesting confused motivations for the two within the
company.
. Has recently revamped the ISO 9000 system and subsequently
strengthened its operational infrastructure. However, while this places
the company in a better position to move towards TQM, an enlightened
mindset is not shared across the executive team. Significant progress
beyond the standard cannot be realised until this problem is resolved.
However, in this paper, it is only possible to discuss a selection of these in
detail. (For a comprehensive discussion of all the findings see Meegan (1997)).
 In support of the preliminary analysis, key issues emerging from the field From ISO 9000
research centred on the themes of executive understanding and motivation. to TQM
Empirical evidence gathered both within and across the five case companies
provided considerable insight into the scope and influence of these factors.

Executive mindset
Understandings of, and motivations for, ISO 9000 and TQM in the five case 155
organisations are also summarised in the above list.
Understanding of ISO 9000. Analyses of Cases C, D and E revealed
misunderstandings and frustration surrounding the ISO 9000 system in the
first months, even years, after accreditation. Yet executives of these companies
consistently revealed a correct understanding of the purpose of the standard.
Lacking, however, was the requisite further knowledge and insight, namely,
awareness of the need to adapt the system to the needs of the individual
organisation. The issue of customisation of the ISO 9000 system is raised by
Conti (1996, p. 14):
The introduction of an external standard . . . requires a long period of adjustment and
personalisation; it has to be digested slowly.

Whether or not such customisation takes place, to some extent, depends on the
nature of the motivations for its implementation (Stephens, 1994; Bulled, 1996;
Vloeberghs and Bellens, 1996).
No evidence of such personalisation was uncovered in Cases C, D and E.
Understanding of the ISO 9000 system in these firms, did not extend beyond
having the ``certificate on the wall''. Even though their systems were not wholly
effective, all three of these companies pressed ahead with moving beyond the
standard, attempting to introduce TQM within months, even weeks, of the
accreditation date. By way of contrast, the successful transition companies, A
and B, had clearly exerted much effort in creating systems unique to their
organisations, which suited the needs of all employees.
Understanding of TQM. Understanding of TQM across the five case
companies reflected similar patterns of interpretation and insight to those
outlined in the previous section. The extent of understanding at all
organisational levels within the two successful organisations was remarkable.
Moreover, responses relating to understanding and motivation within Case B
emphasised shifts in focus over the past decade, to accommodate the changing
needs of the organisation. Similarly, Case A too had matured to a level of
understanding of TQM which encompassed all facets of the business and all
elements of the European Quality Model. In contrast, executive understanding
of TQM in the less successful transition companies amounted to the
articulation of consultant-derived definitions, with little or no personal or
corporate interpretation attached.
As stated above, any major organisational change requires executive
understanding of the organisation's current state (in this context, ISO 9000), as
well as understanding of the desired future state, i.e. where the leadership
IJQRM wants the organisation to get to (in this context, the implementation and
18,2 practice of TQM principles). However, also necessary is understanding of the
transition state, defined by Beckhard and Harris (1987, p. 29) as, ``the set of
conditions and activities that the organisation must go through to move from
the present to the future''. An important aspect of this is the leadership's
appreciation of the roles which they must play in the state of transition, some of
156 which are discussed below.
Executive motivation. Motivation may be defined as, ``the set of
(psychological) processes that arouse, direct and sustain human behaviour
toward attaining some goal'' (Greenberg and Baron, 1997, p. 142). In other
words, motivation concerns the drive underlying goal-directed behaviours.
Clearly, the nature and strength of this drive will have a significant bearing on
whether or not goals are achieved. In the context of this research, it was
hypothesised as a major factor determining whether a successful transition
would be effected or not. To illustrate, if senior management's primary
motivation in pursuing ISO 9000 is to have a ``badge of competence'' to impress
actual and potential customers, then the drive to move beyond the standard
will be weak.
With regard to the case organisations, the experiences of the less successful
transition companies, and specifically Cases C and D, appeared symptomatic of
the ``bandwagon effect'' ± the desire not to be left out, yet a lack of endeavour to
achieve maximum benefit from the exercise. The findings also suggested that
provision of grant aid had aggravated the ``bandwagon effect'' in Northern
Ireland. However, all of the case companies did have several years' experience
of ISO 9000, and at least some experience of TQM, thus motivations for
pursuing the two concepts generally were expressed in proactive terms. Even
where customers had proved a significant influence on the ISO 9000 decision,
the case companies often had pre-empted this and were forerunners in
registering to the standard in their respective industries and parent groups.
Results of the field research revealed that executive motivation within all these
companies, embraced a desire to improve organisational performance.
However, in the less successful ones, namely C, D and E, this motivation was
not sufficient to translate the desire into a realisable and sustainable goal. What
distinguished the successful case companies, A and B, was that executive
motivations for pursuing ISO 9000 and TQM at a cognitive level, were matched
by appropriate goal-directed behaviours throughout those organisations.
As indicated, one aspect of motivation is goal setting ± in this context, the
setting of personal goals as well as appropriate goals for others to achieve.
Indeed, in discussing the characteristics of successful transformational leaders,
Kuhnert and Lewis (1987, p. 650) identify as key behaviours, ``articulating
goals, building an image, demonstrating confidence and arousing motivation''.
They assert further that such leaders motivate their followers to accept and
accomplish difficult goals which the latter normally would not have pursued.
The two successful transition companies, A and B, are worthy of mention in
this regard. In both these cases, vision and strategy relating to the pursuit of
TQM, were translated into specific goals and targets at all corporate levels, From ISO 9000
right down to that of the individual. Not surprisingly, such dedicated and to TQM
comprehensive cascading of improvement-related goals and targets was not in
place at the less successful companies C, D and E.
Executive intent. Analysis at all stages of the project uncovered
discrepancies between what managers at some of the organisations were
saying about TQM and what they were actually doing. Senge (1990, p. 186) 157
refers to this as the distinction ``between espoused theories (what we say) and
theories-in-use (the implied theory in what we do)''. To explain, in the less
successful transition companies, C, D and E, the chief executives on-site,
articulated clear commitment to quality management development within their
respective organisations. However, their behaviours, and those of their
management teams, did not correspond to these claims. Reference to the work
of Argyris (1990) enabled the researchers to differentiate between executive
understanding, motivation and intent, which provided some insight into the
discrepancy alluded to above.
Since the empirical research served to underline the importance of executive
intent, it is necessary to explore the nature of this construct. As Ajzen (1991,
p. 181) explains, intent is related to motivation as follows:
Intentions are assumed to capture the motivational factors that influence a behaviour; they
are indications of how hard people are willing to try, of how much of an effort they are
planning to exert, in order to perform the behaviour. As a general rule, the stronger the
intention to engage in a behaviour, the more likely should be its performance.

From this extract it is evident how intentions can determine the extent to which
motivation at the cognitive level translates into appropriate goal-directed
behaviours. However, according to Ajzen's (1991) Theory of Planned
Behaviour, performance of behaviour is a joint function of intentions and
perceived behavioural control (an individual's confidence in their ability to
perform a behaviour). So, at the individual level, if intentions are weak and
perceived behavioural control is low, a behaviour is unlikely to be performed.
At the corporate level, Hamel and Prahalad (1993) refer to ``strategic intent''
which they describe as an ``obsession with winning''. However, they add that
the concept also encompasses an active management process that includes:
focusing the organisation's attention on the essence of winning; motivating
people by communicating the value of the target; leaving room for individual
and team contributions; sustaining enthusiasm by providing new operational
definitions as circumstances change; and using intent consistently to guide
resource allocations (p. 65). In other contexts, the term ``strategic intent'' tends
to refer to commitment to an ``over-arching and compelling vision'' (Bennis,
1994; Smith, 1994).
The findings of the empirical research permit some synthesis of the above
concepts. To illustrate, at Company B there was evidence of an obsession with
winning, a determination to transform the organisation into the ``most
successful world-wide telecommunications group''. This was matched by a
conviction that such an ambition could be turned into reality. Thus, each wave
IJQRM of change and innovation introduced was designed to take the company one
18,2 step nearer that goal. At Company A, the factory manager had a compelling
vision of excellence, articulated in terms of the European Model. Accordingly,
he perceived ISO 9000 accreditation as merely a foundation on which a
superstructure of TQM principles and practices could be constructed. Again,
there was little evidence of doubt concerning the company's potential for
158 continuous improvement, and a determination that every appropriate effort
would be exerted to make it happen. Moreover, in these two organisations
managers seemed to share the same mindset; this is important, as a successful
transition from ISO 9000 to TQM necessitates the commitment and
engagement of the entire management team, as well as the other employees.
Commitment to an over-arching vision and obsession with winning in the other
three companies were lacking at senior levels, as was a shared mindset. This
was particularly evident at Company E, where the training and development
manager was trying to implement TQM by stealth. Thus, the empirical
findings permit a tentative conclusion to be drawn, namely, that the obsession
with winning and/or commitment to a compelling vision, have the potential to
strengthen intentions and to increase perceived behavioural control at both
individual and corporate levels.
Visionary leadership. The findings of the empirical research also clearly
indicated that visionary leadership is of key importance throughout the
transition process, and not merely at the outset when the initial transition
decision is taken. The centrality of visionary or transformational leadership to
organisational transition and change is encapsulated in the following quotation
from Popper and Zakkai (1994, p. 6):
Transformational leadership is proactive. This kind of leader sees the present as a
springboard to achieve future aims. He/she forms new expectations in his/her people . . . and
sets empowerment processes in motion . . .

Other authors emphasise different aspects of visionary leadership. Bass (1989-

1990, p. 22), for example, focuses, among other things, on inspiration
(communicating high expectations), intellectual stimulation (promoting
intelligence, rationality and careful problem solving), and individualised
consideration (treating employees as individuals, coaching and advising), as
well as on creation of a vision and sense of mission. Coad and Berry (1998)
express a similar view, asserting that such leadership behaviours stimulate
followers to increase their efforts to attain the vision. It is interesting in this
regard that, at the two successful transition companies, A and B, what the
researchers noted as remarkable, was the extent to which organisational
members at all levels, appeared to be ``singing from the same song-sheet'' in
terms of where their organisations were going and how they were going to
get there.
Within the case companies, even the organisation and locus of responsibility
for continuous improvement proved indicative of the presence or absence of
visionary leadership in this context, as follows:
 . Case A: Clear leadership from the factory manager, aided by the quality From ISO 9000
controller and continuous improvement facilitator. Factory divided into to TQM
eight teams of which every employee was a member.
. Case B: Management board doubles as quality council chaired by chief
executive. Each board member chairs their own divisional quality
council. Dedicated quality office supports continuous improvement
effort. 159
. Case C: No steering committee, nor evidence of links between quality
and strategy (MD rarely in attendance at management reviews). Quality
confined to finance and administration department; quality
administrator appointed at junior management level.
. Case D: No evidence of links between quality and strategy.
Responsibility for ISO 9000 rests with technical services manager. No
steering committee.
. Case E: Responsibility for ISO 9000 and TQM rests with training and
development manager; no steering committee, though such a committee
did exist in the past.
Smith (1994, p. 76) raises a pertinent issue in relation to visionary leadership.
He highlights the need for the leader to enrol others as co-creators of the vision
or strategic intent, arguing that people who are enrolled or committed identify
themselves with the vision and apply themselves to effecting its realisation.
Bass (1989-1990, p. 26) goes further, asserting that if more ``higher-ups'' are
transformational, more lower level employees will emulate transformational
behaviour, and then will be likely to act as transformational leaders themselves
when appropriate. At the two successful transition companies, teamworking
was well developed and fully integrated into operational life. This helped to
create a constancy of purpose and to diffuse leadership throughout those
organisations.
The brief discussion above highlights the pivotal nature of visionary
leadership in relation to organisational transitions generally, and to the
transition from ISO 9000 to TQM in particular.

Organisational learning
Another factor which emerged from the empirical research was that, in the
successful transition companies, there appeared to be a willingness and
capacity to learn, an understanding that all change involves learning.
Organisational learning is, of course, related to visionary leadership. Tichy and
Devanna (1986), for example, observed in the course of their research into
transformational leadership that such leaders tend to have an appetite for
continuous self-learning and development. Such an orientation was typified by
the factory manager at Case A, who was constantly looking to the future and
eager to learn anything which he perceived would enable the company to
improve and progress. However, such a willingness to learn, if confined solely
IJQRM to the chief executive, would be inadequate, particularly as far as the diffusion
18,2 of leadership is concerned. Coad and Berry (1998, p. 165) state that the thinking
on leadership has changed over the past decade, so that now it is often defined
as the ``process of leaders and followers engaging in reciprocal influence to
achieve a shared purpose''. Moreover, ``followers'' may be subordinates, but
they may also be colleagues or superordinates, because leadership is no longer
160 merely direct and top-down, it can also be experienced indirectly, from the
bottom up and horizontally (Yammarino (1994) cited in Coad and Berry (1998)).
Thus a willingness to learn must also be diffused throughout the organisation.
Major influences on the motivation to learn include leader behaviour (Bass
and Avolio, 1994) and goal setting (Locke and Latham, 1984). In addition,
organisational learning requires a conducive and supportive culture (Schein,
1996). Such a culture encourages people to be imaginative and to challenge the
status quo. Innovative thinking and creative problem solving are actively
stimulated, and reinforced through a tolerance of risk and error, which are
understood as an inevitable part of the learning process. Appropriate
structures need to be in place to facilitate learning ± teamworking can be
effective in this regard, but other more dedicated structures such as pilot
projects, parallel systems and learning laboratories may also be necessary
(Schein, 1993; Leonard-Barton, 1992).
One definition of organisational learning is ``the capacity or processes within
an organisation to maintain or improve performance based on experience''
(Nevis et al., 1995, p. 73). As indicated at the beginning of the paper, the five
case organisations analysed clearly divided into two categories. Relating these
to organisational learning, for those companies with the ``badge mentality'',
accreditation to the ISO 9000 standard represented an inhibitory loop ± a self-
reinforcing cycle which inhibits double-loop learning (Argyris and Schon (1978)
cited in Dodgson (1993)). For those companies with an improvement focus,
accreditation to the standard appeared to have facilitated them in ``learning
how to learn'', in progressing to higher orders of learning. This was illustrated
by the successful case organisations, as Company A's strategy indicates:
The strategy was to nurture and develop the culture that existed in the late eighties, introduce
a recognised quality system that would meet national or international standards, with
certification being achieved in 1993, then use this system as a raft on which improvement
initiatives could be built embracing TQ concepts, involving training for all employees
(Excerpt from N. Ireland Quality Award Submission, 1995).

There is further evidence that learning has been an outcome of the journey
towards TQM for these two organisations (Sohal and Morrison, 1995). At
Company B, for example, a programme aimed at altering the dominant command
and control leadership style to a more facilitative, coaching style which also aims
to encourage non-managerial staff to take considered risks (even if this means
making mistakes) in the service of customers, has been implemented recently. A
culture supportive of learning was less evident at the other three organisations,
and particularly at Companies C and D. In the former, the MD was suspicious of
management innovations, tending to dismiss them as ``fads'', while in the latter,
the MD seemed to be of the opinion that anyone who was not a university graduate From ISO 9000
was capable of limited learning only. to TQM
Order of implementation
As indicated above, the fieldwork for this research was carried out in Northern
Ireland, where the most usual practice, as elsewhere in the UK, is for
organisations to seek accreditation to the ISO 9000 standard first, and then 161
move towards TQM. Accordingly, the ISO 9000 ± TQM transition (as opposed
to a TQM ± ISO 9000 transition) was the focus of study. However, one of the
cases selected, Company B, had actually embarked upon TQM before seeking
ISO 9000 accreditation, and did not have any alternative quality system or
similar foundational infrastructure in place. The experiences of Company B are
interesting because its original TQM initiative, in danger of collapse, had to be
temporarily put in abeyance. It was only after ISO 9000 certification that TQM,
reactivated, began to thrive, eventually producing far-reaching incremental
change. This suggests that Company B had initially placed too much emphasis
on cultural change, and not enough on operational infrastructure and systems.
This may be indicative of lack of understanding on the part of management,
highlighting again, the importance of executive understanding in such
transitions. However, more research is required in this area, as the potential for
generalisation from one case organisation is, of course, limited.

Conclusions
Huber (1991, p. 89) defines organisational learning as follows: ``An entity learns
if, through its processing of information, the range of its potential behaviours is
changed . . . an organisation learns if any of its units acquires knowledge that it
recognizes as potentially useful to the organization'' (cited in Easterby-Smith
and Araujo (1999)). The case study evidence suggests that a conscious aim of
executives at the two successful companies, A and B, was to expand the range
of actual and potential individual and corporate behaviours during the
transition process. At both of these organisations teamworking had developed
as the fundamental basis for organising work, and team members were trained
to participate in creative problem solving and related decision making.
Noteworthy in both cases was the sense of ownership and pride which team
members exhibited in relation to improvement projects completed. Also worthy
of note is the confidence displayed by management in the capabilities of the
workforce. Another characteristic of these two companies was a recognition by
management of the need for continuous change, that one phase of change was
the foundation for the next. Thus employees were expected and encouraged to
learn how to accommodate such change. At Company B, those who proved
unable to learn and adapt were offered the opportunity to volunteer for
severance. Thus organisational learning was an issue consciously addressed in
these two cases and there was a focus on both content and process (Prange,
1999). However, it is also true that, in Huysman's (1999) terms, the view of
organisational learning at these two organisations was instrumental; they do
IJQRM exhibit tendencies towards the improvement and environmental adaptation
18,2 biases. On the other hand, at the other three organisations, the learning
inherent in the ISO 9000 certification process appeared to have been ignored,
and the opportunity for further progression squandered. This is largely
because certification was viewed as an end in itself; the need for continuous
change was either not recognised or its necessity was underestimated.
162 As indicated above, the empirical research revealed gaps in the assessment
framework employed, these gaps relating to executive intent and visionary
leadership. Empirical analysis highlighted the pivotal role of visionary leadership
in effecting a successful transition from ISO 9000 to TQM. Such leaders have a
propensity to encourage diffusion of leadership throughout an organisation as
appropriate,and actasa stimulus tolearning,helping tocreate a cultureconducive
to both. Accordingly, it was necessary to revise the original framework.
Figure 3 depicts the revised version. The revision, which was based on the
findings of the five case studies outlined above, was also necessary in order to
expand executive mindset to include intent, as well as understanding and
motivation.
The list below indicates how the revised framework reflects the experiences
of the five case study organisations:
. Case A: Textbook example of an organisational transition from ISO 9000
to TQM; consciously introduced the standard as a foundation for TQM;
holistic understanding of ISO 9000 and TQM; enlightened executive
mindset; tailored management systems; extremely proactive and
supportive culture.
. Case B: Struggled with TQM before the standard was introduced, i.e.
inappropriate operational infrastructure was in place to support the TQ
effort; holistic understanding of ISO 9000 and TQM; enlightened
executive mindset; tailored management systems; extremely proactive
and supportive culture.
. Case C: Operational infrastructure hampered by ineffective ISO 9000
system; unenlightened executive mindset prevents company from
moving significantly towards TQM; future efforts to implement TQM
cannot succeed until this fundamental issue is resolved; unsupportive
organisational culture.
. Case D: Similar symptoms to Case C; an unenlightened executive
mindset cut off the TQ effort at a very early stage; unsupportive
corporate culture.
. Case E: Has recently revamped the ISO 9000 system and, subsequently,
strengthened its operational infrastructure; however, while this places
the company in a better position to move beyond the transition zone, an
enlightened mindset is not shared across the executive team; significant
progress beyond the standard cannot be realised until this problem is
resolved; in consequence, culture not supportive as yet.
From ISO 9000
to TQM

163

Figure 3.
Model of quality
transition
IJQRM It should be noted that the pyramid structure of the new model is not intended
18,2 and should not be interpreted as having concrete boundaries, wherein the
various levels are developed independently at separate intervals. All
dimensions of the model are essential to achieving the desired result, namely a
successful organisational transition from ISO 9000 to TQM. However, the focus
on, and development of, each level vary at progressive stages of the process of
164 transition. The research conducted to date, suggests that the model of quality
transition may have greater value as an explanatory model than the
assessment purposes for which it was originally devised. However, it is true
that the focus of this research project was largely on cognitive, behavioural and
cultural issues. An alternative model, focussing on process innovation, is
proposed by Kanji (1998), which places considerable emphasis on detailed
principles of TQM and the actual mechanics of an organisational transition
from ISO 9000 to TQM. It draws heavily on previously published work by
Kanji and Asher (1995) on the philosophy and principles of TQM, and by Kanji
(1996) on a modified TQM model. Within these studies TQM is promoted as
comprising four governing principles, namely: delighting the customer,
management by fact, people-based management, and continuous improvement.
Based on these principles, the suggested innovative approach for making the
ISO 9000 standard more effective, Kanji (1998) incorporates the following key
aspects: process definition, process improvement, and process management.
Under these headings Kanji outlines the necessary steps for process innovation
based on ISO 9001. He asserts that it is reasonable to assume that ISO 9000
registration, which incorporates these three elements, provides a first step
towards TQM. Kanji (1998) considers it practicable that an integrated self-
assessment framework, which amalgamates the principles and concepts of
TQM (Kanji and Asher, 1995; Kanji, 1996) and various clauses of the ISO 9001
standard, can be developed. Within his study he promotes ISO 9000 as a basic
foundation for TQM.
Clearly empirical testing of the model of quality transition proposed in this
paper is necessary. Another area of investigation, given their different foci, is
the possible synthesis of that Model with Kanji's (1998) Process Innovation
Framework, briefly outlined above.

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