Subverting ISO 9000

Far from being propelled by the competitive spirit to achieve excellence in quality standards, ISO 9000 movement in India was, unfortunately...

Far from being propelled by the competitive spirit to achieve excellence in quality standards, ISO 9000 movement in India was, unfortunately, an imposition from outside sources. European Union8217;s insistence of ISO standards for trade with the developing world left no scope for choice among Indian companies. Thus, they slowly but reluctantly accepted the pre-condition just to ensure their survival only to the extent of securing an entry into the developed world market. Naturally, therefore, the focus of efforts by Indian organisations was degraded to merely acquiring a certificate. In the process, the potential benefits that could have been seized by Indian organisations through the introduction of scientific and modern management systems and practices have been missed out, to our disadvantage.

About 3000 organisations secured the certification in a short span of six years. Yet, a majority of them treated the certification as a mere decoration, rather than as an tool to upgrade their management systems andpractices. Most deplorably, a large number of Indian organisations from both manufacturing and services segments covering public and private sectors fell victim to the temptation to treat the start as the finish, in the process losing out with their competitors from elsewhere in the world. It is forgotten that ISO 9000 is a process to not only improve quality, ensure customer satisfaction and achieve cost reduction but the standards, if properly implemented, can also ignite changes in the management concept, including systems, procedures and thus the managerial culture itself.

ISO 9000 certification is, however, not a process without problems. In India, instances have been cited of companies having been certified to ISO 9000 without any consideration being given to their quality and customer satisfaction to desirable levels. Let us remember that quot;ISO 9000 standardsquot; and the quot;Certificationquot; process are two different phenomena; there is nothing like quot;ISO Certificationquot; as such. The credential is issued byspecialized agencies which are independent of ISO. ISO neither involves itself in any way in the process nor has any authority over the certification bodies. This enables some agencies to certify undeserving organisation as well, because of the temptation of hefty fees. Such certification bodies might not be interested in the quality improvement of their clients but in their money. Why blame ISO 9000 standards for that?

The potential of ISO 9000 standard is that it can form the basis for an effective total quality management TQM process. It is the foundation from which all further management initiatives can be successfully developed. ISO 9000 implementation not necessarily certification is only a stepping stone, a necessary first step towards improvement. It certainly is not an end in itself. Indian organisations need to use the rigor and discipline of ISO 9000 to improve service and product quality.

Unfortunately Indian organisation8217;s efforts to secure an image for quot;Made in Indiaquot; has not yet beensupported and strengthened by a national accreditation board. The much talked Quality Council of India QCI is yet a to start functioning. As and when such an accreditation body starts work, it may become necessary to prescribe minimum standards for the certification bodies. It may also become necessary to hand the Damocle8217;s sword of withdrawal of accreditation from the certifying bodies by the QCI.

The author is a quality consultant.