Drawing on institutional theory, contingency theory, and the resource-based view (RBV), this study examines and explains differences in ISO 9001:2015 implementation across eight warehouses in a post-conflict environment (four public and four private). It identifies key implementation gaps and examines the organizational and contextual factors shaping quality management outcomes in fragile settings.
A mixed-methods multiple-case design was employed across eight warehouses in post-conflict Syria (four public and four private). Quantitatively, ISO 9001:2015 implementation was assessed using a weighted checklist covering 253 indicators, supported by descriptive statistics, Cronbach's alpha (a = 0.89), independent-samples t-tests, one-way ANOVA and effect size estimation. Qualitatively, data were collected through 64 semi-structured interviews, 600 h of field observation and document analysis, and were analyzed using thematic analysis. Triangulation of quantitative and qualitative evidence enhanced the robustness, validity, and explanatory depth of the findings.
The results indicate substantial differences in implementation levels between sectors. Private warehouses achieved an average conformity level of 25.8%, compared to 7.4% in public warehouses, with the difference statistically significant (t (6) = 5.24, p < 0.001, Cohen's d = 2.76). Implementation remains critically low across both sectors. The weakest performance is observed in leadership, contextual analysis and continuous improvement. Private warehouses demonstrate stronger performance in customer-focused and operational dimensions. Qualitative findings identify six key mechanisms through which post-conflict fragility and sectoral differences jointly constrain quality management system (QMS) adoption, including bureaucratic decoupling, structural role ambiguity, resource immobility, documentation gaps, absence of improvement routines and market-driven selective adaptation.
This study provides one of the first empirical multi-case analyses of ISO 9001:2015 implementation in a post-conflict context. It advances theoretical understanding by demonstrating how institutional fragility, contextual misalignment and resource asymmetry interact to produce differential QMS outcomes across organizational types. The study introduces the concept of pre-implementation fragility and proposes a phased, sector-differentiated roadmap for QMS development in conflict-affected environments.
