Quality management practices of ISO vs non‐ISO companies: a case of Indian industry

This empirical study is a first attempt to find the differences between ISO and non-ISO organizations in India. Four areas of study include technology management, causes of poor quality, participation in the quality improvement programs and quality control techniques used. The results of this study indicate that statistically significant differences do exist between ISO and non-ISO organizations under all the four categories specifically in training, using quality in the strategic planning, product design and team building. Content Indicators: Readability**, Practice Implications**, Originality**, Research Implications** The process of liberalization of The Indian economy has opened up imports from various countries. Indian manufacturers' ability to compete in the domestic market will largely depend on their ability to compete with the imports from foreign countries. One of the tests will be the quality of goods produced by the domestic manufacturers. Indian manufacturers have just begun to realize that quality will play a greater role in the future growth or even survival of their business. In fact, this may be the factor that could decide the fate of this country in the twenty-first century. Several studies have examined the quality management practices of Indian manufacturers (Motwani et al., 1994; Jordan, 1997; Raghunathan et al., 1997). All these studies have used a general list of Indian manufacturers. Whereas in our study we also focus on manufacturers having ISO 9000 registration. Consideration of ISO 9000 registered companies provides us with a more focussed analysis and insight into the quality management practices of organizations competing and intending to compete internationally.