Leadership

5.1 Leadership and Commitment

5.1.1 General
As far as I can say, the success of implementing a quality management system (QMS) depends on the
commitment of the top management. This is no secret. The leadership in all organizational levels should
create an environment that will initiate and promote conditions in which employees feel the commitment
to achieving the objectives of the organization. But how can one evaluate whether the management is
truly devoted to the QMS? According to ISO 9001, the top management is required to demonstrate how it
assures that the QMS is effectively implemented. This clause (Leadership) lays out the principles and
expected actions from the top management regarding their commitment to the QMS. This clause should
be regarded as a basis for self-evaluation of your top management’s status and its role within the QMS
regarding its commitment. In order to prove its commitment, top management will supply evidences for
its actions. Understanding the requirements first will allow you to understand the role of the top
management in the QMS (the ISO 9001 requirements):
• The top management shall practice and demonstrate its ability to lead the organization
in implementing the QMS according to the ISO 9001 Standard requirements.
• The top management shall assume the responsibility for establishing an effective
QMS.
• The top management shall demonstrate its commitment by engaging in managerial
activities while implementing the QMS.
• The top management shall ensure that quality policy and quality objectives of the
QMS are established and are compatible with the context of the organization and
the strategic direction of the organization.
• The top management shall ensure that requirements of this standard and the derived
quality requirements are integrated into the business activities and operations of the
organization.
• The top management shall promote awareness of the process approach while
planning the QMS.
• The top management shall promote the approach of risk-based thinking while
planning the QMS.
• The top management shall ensure availability of resources needed for the
implementation of the QMS.
40 ISO 9001:2015—A Complete Guide to Quality Management Systems
• The top management shall communicate among the organization the importance
of an effective QMS.
• The top management shall communicate to the organization the significance of
conforming to the QMS requirements and the requirements of their products and
services.
• The top management shall ensure that the QMS, its processes, and related business
activities achieve its intended results.
• The top management shall practice leadership, engagement, involvement, and support of persons in order to
promote the effectiveness of the QMS.
• The top management shall promote improvement.
• The top management shall demonstrate leadership by supporting other relevant
management roles in their areas of responsibility.
• Note: The term “business” used by the ISO 9001 Standard refers to those activities
that operate the QMS and are central and foundational to the purposes of the organization’s existence.
Practicing and Demonstrating Leadership
Why is leadership so important to the ISO 9001 Standard? According to the ISO 9001 Standard,
leadership initiates unity of purpose, while establishing the direction and strategy of the organization.
This unity of purpose creates environment and conditions that support the QMS and in which employees
become completely involved in achieving the organization’s goals and aims and assists employees in
achieving quality objectives. The obvious conclusion is reaching an effective QMS. Let me put it another
way: When an executive leads the implementation project and engages directly with employees at lower
levels of the organization or shows high involvement, it has a strong impact because employees at those
levels are getting the message directly from the top management, allowing them to know its perspectives
and expectations. The ISO 9001 Standard promotes the proactive approach of the leadership—controlling
the QMS by causing events to take place instead if reacting to quality or business events.
Employees that operate the QMS are a significant resource and their full involvement enhances the
effectiveness and improvement of the QMS. In order to keep employees fully involved in achieving the
organization’s objectives, the top management should
• Promote activities for involvement in the QMS
• Promote the concept of an effective QMS
• Involve the entire organization in improving the QMS
Thus, the leadership shall support relevant management roles in their areas of responsibility and promote
the empowerment of people at all levels of the organization to take relevant decisions regarding the QMS.
How?
• Empowering people at all levels of the organization, authorizing them and delegating
responsibilities of various areas of the QMS
• Inspiring and motivating employees to take an active part in improving the QMS
Leadership 41
• Providing trainings needed for the development of human resources for the operation of the QMS
• Promoting the concept of an effective QMS and the awareness of improving
the QMS
• Recognizing contribution of employees to the QMS
Here the standard lays out the principles for delegating authorities and responsibilities. The practice will
be discussed in chapter 5.3—Organizational roles, responsibilities and authorities.
Practicing Managerial Activities
Managerial activities are those actions that the top management should consider for reviewing and
controlling the QMS. These are the activities in which the top management is expected to be directly
involved. The goal of these activities is to enable the top management to effectively review the status of
the QMS. Low variability of managerial activities affects negatively the effectiveness of the QMS. Which
managerial activities are expected of the top management?
• Review the strategy, status of objectives, the performance of the QMS, and the
results of audits.
• Engage in activities that promote improvement.
• Analyze processes and operations of the QMS.
• Receive feedback from lower levels of the organization regarding the status of the
QMS: indicators for performances, status of corrective actions, and so on.
For you, as an organization, it is important to demonstrate with evidence that the top management does
managerial activities and that these activities
• Receive the appropriate inputs
• Produce the appropriate outputs
One way to institutionalize the matter is to include it in the quality policy or to put it down in a procedure
although there is no requirement for any documentation