When does ISO 9000 lead to improvements?

The aim of this paper is to discuss and explain the conditions under which ISO 9000 is likely to have positive effects on organisational performance and employee development. The results described in this paper are coming from a research project looking at ISO 9000 in a more integrated manner using the different research strategies. Both questionnaire surveys and case studies investigating the processes related to ISO 9000 implementation and operation in the organisational settings were used. The value of ISO 9000 differs between organisations and depends on several organisational and external conditions, such as motivation for ISO 9000 implementation, maturity level of quality management, implementation strategy, certification audits and involvement of people. For this reason benefits achieved from ISO 9000 are not the same for every organisation. They depend on the quality objectives set and the level of commitment to achieve business excellence.