The use of quality management tools and techniques in ISO 9001:2000 certified companies: the Greek case

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the level of use of quality management tools and techniques as well as employees' training in ISO 9001:2000 certified companies. Design/methodology/approach A research project was carried out in 370 Greek companies, using the questionnaire method. The selected companies have been implementing a quality management system in accordance with the ISO 9001:2000 standard. Independent Samples t ‐tests and One‐Way ANOVA tests were used to identify significant differences between selected companies. Findings The level of quality tools and techniques used in the ISO 9001:2000 certified companies can be characterised as low. The majority of companies use the easiest to understand and implement quality tools. However, the more complex quality tools and techniques are barely used. As far as employees' training is concerned, it mostly addressed specialized issues, while training on quality tools and techniques was not highly performed. Research limitations/implications The study was based on the quality manager's perceptions (subjective data) and it did not examine the reasons for not implementing and the difficulties encountered while implementing quality tools and techniques. These constitute research limitations but also future research orientations. Practical implications Given the increased rate of companies adopting a quality management system, continuous improvement through a Total Quality programme can be achieved through the implementation of quality tools and techniques. Originality/value This paper describes the implementation status of the quality tools and techniques in companies with a four‐year experience in ISO 9001:2000 standard.