Implementing ISO 9000

Also, if TQM is built without an under-laying quality system, that system usually being ISO 9000, it will ultimately fail (Samuel, 1995:42).
             Although ISO 9000 and TQM have a lot in common, they do have different goals, evaluation and improvement processes, and management and success goals. .
             By itself, ISO 9000 certification only indicates the existence of a functioning quality assurance program which meets certain standards. On the other hand, TQM is more than a Quality Management System following ISO 9000 certification (Liew & Niew, 1994:136). ISO certification is only interested in the production process but TQM involves all the processes in the company. Therefore, it is necessary for a company to integrate ISO 9000 into their TQM program. Shown below in Table 1 are the main differences between ISO 9000 and TQM.
             Table 1: The differences between ISO 9000 and TQM.
             ISO 9000 TQM.
              Not necessarily customer focused  Definitely customer focused.
              Not integrated with corporate .
             Strategy  Integral to company strategy.
              Technical system and procedures .
             Focused  Philosophy, concepts, tools and .
             techniques focused.
              Employee involvement not necessary  Emphasis on employee .
             empowerment and involvement.
              No focus on continuous improvement  Continuous improvement and TQM .
             synonymous. TQM is a never ending .
             journey.
              Can be departmentally focused  Organisation wide - all departments, .
             functions and levels.
              Quality Department responsible for .
             Quality  Everyone responsible for quality.
              More likely to preserve status quo  Involve process and culture change.
             Source adapted from The Quality Master Plan, 1996:95.
             Statistics.
             In 1994, American companies earning ISO 9000 certification went up by 50 %. However, the number of manufacturers applying for the Baldrige Award in that same year had dropped 50%, and none of the 27 firms that applied was deemed worthy of the prize (Handfield, 1996: 2).