Integrating ISO 9000 with TQM spirits: a survey

Drawing on the results from a questionnaire survey conducted in Taiwan, this paper discusses the experiences of small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) in ISO 9000 certification. The empirical results indicate that the pursuit of ISO helps Taiwanese SMEs gain benefits in internationalization, quality improvement, sales enhancement, and cost reduction. The effects of motivation and implementing the process on benefits from ISO are statistically significant. Implementing ISO with either passive or active motivations leads to more internationalization. Active motivation and documentation through auditing lead to quality improvement with the passage of time. Consulting private consultants in implementing ISO decreases quality improvement. Employees’ active participation in implementing ISO leads to sales increases and cost reduction. A consensus regarding how to implement ISO leads to cost reduction. These empirical results show that implementing ISO with the TQM spirit of continuous improvement and company‐wide employee participation could result in significant benefits for small and medium‐sized enterprises.