[bản tiếng anh] LY THUYET VA UNG DUNG CUA QUAN LY TRI THUC HO TRO HE THONG CHAT LUONG

The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
www.emeraldinsight.com/1754-2731.htm

TQM
26,1

Theory and practice of knowledge
managed ISO 9001:2000
supported quality system

30
Received 15 November 2011
Revised 30 April 2012
14 September 2012
Accepted 14 January 2013

V. Mohan Sivakumar
Mechanical Engineering Department, PSG Polytechnic College,
Coimbatore, India

S.R. Devadasan
Production Engineering Department, PSG College of Technology,
Coimbatore, India, and

R. Murugesh
Darshan Institute of Engineering and Technology, Rajkot, India
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to initiate researches in the direction of integrating knowledge
management (KM) principles with ISO 9001:2008 Supported Quality System and motivate the
practitioners to implement such integrated system in real-time practice.
Design/methodology/approach – The principles of KM were integrated with the five major clauses

of ISO 9001:2000 standard. After designing this integrated system, it was subjected to peripheral
implementation study in a government-managed company situated in India. The knowledge portal
required for maintaining this integrated system was also developed.
Findings – ISO 9001:2008 and ISO 9001:2000 standards rest on the same process-based quality
system model which is comprised of five major clauses. Hence, the integrated system proposed in this
paper can be utilized by the contemporary organizations to infuse KM principles in ISO 9001:2008
based quality system.
Research limitations/implications – Though the integrated system designed in this research
could not be implemented in a full-fledged manner, the experiences gained have been useful to indicate
the future direction of research and practice for integrating KM principles with ISO 9001:2008
Supported Quality System.
Practical implications – A roadmap has been evolved to guide the practitioners to implement
Knowledge Managed ISO 9001:2008 Supported Quality System.
Originality value – No researcher or practitioner has so far contributed a model integrating the
process-based quality system incorporated in ISO 9001:2000 and ISO 9001:2008 standards with KM
principles. As this gap is filled in this paper, the contributions of this paper are valuable to both
researchers and practitioners.
Keywords Knowledge management, Information technology, ISO 9001, Knowledge portal,
Quality system
Paper type Research paper

The TQM Journal
Vol. 26 No. 1, 2014
pp. 30-49
r Emerald Group Publishing Limited
1754-2731
DOI 10.1108/TQM-10-2011-0063

1. Introduction
After Japanese products invaded the global market, the world community began to adopt

quality as a weapon for facing competition (Senthilkumar and Arulraj, 2011).
This marked the beginning of quality era. The world entered into quality era from
1970s. During quality era, a number of tools, techniques and approaches for achieving
high degree of quality in products and services emerged (Tari, 2005). This progression
culminated in the emergence of “Total Quality Management” (TQM) field. One of the
impacts of the emergence of TQM is the abundant ISO 9000 certifications in


organizational arena. Although the ISO 9000 certifications are skill unabated, the
knowledge era has started to overshadow on them during the last two decades (Call, 2005;
Galliers and Newell, 2003). Knowledge had been considered as a treasure by humans from
ancient days. However, knowledge alone cannot act as a powerful mechanism to faster the
development of human race. Rather the human race is required to manage knowledge by
utilizing the competitive strategies (Lin and Wu, 2005; Chen et al., 2007). In other words,
the principles of knowledge management (KM) shall have to be integrated with
appropriate competitive strategies for achieving competitiveness and core competencies.
In this context, the integration of KM with ISO 9000 certification practice is recognized
as a synergic proposition.
The need of integrating KM with ISO 9000 certification practice has been
emphasized in literature scantly (Heng, 2001; Hellstrom and Husted, 2004; Lin and Wu,
2005; Abdullah and Ahmad, 2009). In spite of abundant literature on KM and ISO 9000
certification, only these four papers have mentioned the need of integrating KM with
ISO 9000 series quality system standards. These papers also do not deal with the
detailed methodology of infusing KM with an appropriate ISO 9000 series standard.
In order to fill this gap, this paper reports a research in which KM principles were
amended with the five clauses of ISO 9001:2000 quality system standard. The titles of
these five major clauses are “quality system,” “management responsibility,” “recourse
management,” “product realization” and “measurement analysis and improvement.”
As these titles imply, ISO 9001:2000 standard facilitates the formation of a quality
system which is to be supported by the management. This quality system should aid

product realization by applying appropriate resources. Finally, the installation of this
quality system should result in the continual quality improvement of the products,
processes and overall performance of the organization. These processes are
encapsulated in ISO 9001:2000 and ISO 9001:2008 standards under the model called
“process-based quality management system.” This model is based on Deming’s Plan
Do Check Act phases (Magd, 2006). During the research being reported here, KM
principles were infused in this model to design Knowledge Managed ISO 9001:2000
Supported Quality System. After examining its working in a company, a portion of the
portal of Knowledge Managed ISO 9001:2000 Supported Quality System model was
developed. The details of this work are presented in the following parts of this paper.
2. Research methodology
The research being reported in this paper was carried out by following the
methodology shown in Figure 1. As shown, the research was started by studying
the features of ISO 9001:2000 standard. Followed by that, features of KM were studied.
During these two phases of study, the literature was reviewed and the components of
KM were identified. Then, the feasibility of infusing those components in ISO
9001:2000 standard was explored. By referring to this explorative study, Knowledge
Managed ISO 9001:2000 Supported Quality System was designed by amending KM’s
core principles with ISO 9001:2000 standard. After that, the implementation of
this model was studied in an Indian public sector company. Portal development is
a hallmark of any KM project (Corbin et al., 2007; Devedzic, 2005) Hence, in this
research also the portal of Knowledge Managed ISO 9001:2000 Supported Quality
System was developed. In fact, rather than the implementation study, portal
development formed a core activity of this research. The experiences of pursuing this
research were utilized to evolve a roadmap for implementing Knowledge Managed ISO
9001:2000 Supported Quality System.

Knowledge
Managed ISO

31


TQM
26,1

Study of ISO 9001:2000 standard

Study of features of Knowledge
Management

32
Design of Knowledge Managed ISO
9001:2000 Supported Quality System

Implementation study of Knowledge Managed
ISO 9001:2000 Supported Quality System

Portal development

Figure 1.
Research methodology

Evolution of roadmap

3. Literature survey
After it was decided to examine the implication of integrating KM principles with ISO
9001 Supported Quality System, the literature was searched from two perspectives.
From one perspective, the growth and characteristics of ISO 9000 series standards
were reviewed. From the second perspective, the growth pattern of KM field was

studied. After completing the literature survey to this extent, the progression of ISO
9000 research toward KM and vice versa was examined.
3.1 Growth of ISO 9000 research
An overview of certain articles dealing with ISO 9000 series quality system standards
indicated that, till early 1980s, researchers appreciated the ISO 9000 certification process.
From the middle part of 1980s, the researchers began to point out the weaknesses of ISO
9000 Supported Quality Systems (Haversjo, 2000; Douglas et al., 2003; Franceschini et al.,
2011). When these kinds of articles were increasing till the end of the year 2000, ISO
revised these standards and brought out the latest versions. Accordingly, a modern
company desirous of obtaining ISO 9000 certification needs to follow the requirements
of ISO 9001:2008 standard. The researchers who studied the requirements of 2000 and
2008 versions of ISO 9000 series standards have been appreciative of their structure
(Boulter and Bendell, 2002; Gotzamani and Tsiotras, 2002; Douglas et al., 2003; Quazi
and Jacobs, 2004; Vouzas and Gotzamani, 2005; Magd, 2006). Hence, it appears that any
research attempting to exploit the power of quality system will evolve good results if it is
integrated with the latest version of ISO 9000 series-based quality systems.
3.2 Growth pattern of KM field
As mentioned earlier, the world community has been adopting quality as a strategy
to face competition (Mehra and Agrawal, 2003). However, during the recent years, there


has been a realization that, besides quality, the knowledge building through creativity
and innovation is a necessity to face the competition. As a result of this realization,
the field of KM formally evolved from 1990 (Peng et al., 2007). The application of
intelligence in information results in knowledge (Herschel and Jones, 2005; Border, 2006).
The historical review of KM can be seen in Metaxiotis et al. (2005) and Lambe (2011). Quiet
interestingly they have pointed out that KM emerged from the approaches like TQM,
business process reengineering (BPR) and information systems. Inline to the fact that,
KM itself originated from TQM (Metaxiotis et al. 2005), some researchers have started to
work in the direction of applying KM for achieving high degree of quality. For example

Choo et al. (2007), have demonstrated the method of applying KM in quality programs
such as TQM, ISO 9000 and Six sigma. Another paper by Jones et al. (2003) has indicated
the use of the term knowledge champions in KM arena. The terminology “champion”
is familiar in “six sigma” field (Swink and Jacobs, 2012). This fact leads to an inference
that KM field witnesses the shadowing of quality programs. Particularly this has led to
the development of identifying the “chief knowledge officer” (CKO) in KM field (Dove,
1999; Lin et al., 2007). This development indicates that KM researchers are adopting the
features of quality programs. However, it is surprising to note that KM research
community has not attempted to link the researches with ISO 9000 certification which is
a dominant phenomenon in the quality improvement programs of modern organizations.
3.3 Progression of ISO 9000 research toward KM and vice versa
Presumably on realizing the power of KM principles and ISO 9001:2000 standard, very few
researchers have started to work in the direction of integrating them. It appears that, Heng
(2001) is the first article that has emphasized the need of exploiting ISO 9001:2000 standard
for evolving critical knowledge in an organization. He has tabulated 20 elements of ISO
9001:1994 standard and pointed out the critical knowledge and intellectual capital that
arise from them. Although there has been no sign of any further research pursued in this
direction, Hellstrom and Husted (2004) have referred the arguments of Heng (2001) while
reviewing the literature. These two articles have not indicated the systematic conversion of
data into information and then information into knowledge (Galliers and Newell, 2003;
Tiwana, 2005). However, this kind of emphasis is peripherally seen in Lin and Wu (2005).
These authors have used quality information system and enterprise resource planning
as the pathways for integrating KM with ISO 9001:2000 standard. Although Lin and
Wu (2005) have reported advanced research on Knowledge Managed ISO 9001:2000,
its development has not been complete with the KM process and knowledge portal.
Hence a research involving the advancement of ISO 9001:2000 standard by applying KM
process and developing a knowledge portal has become a need of the hour.
3.4 Inference from the literature survey
On the whole, the literature survey reported in this section indicated that the researchers
have just started to realize the importance of developing Knowledge Managed ISO

9001:2000 based Quality Systems. Though the fundamental work has been carried out in
this direction by Lin and Wu (2005), it appears that no researcher has worked in the
direction of amending the KM principles with either ISO 9001:2000 standard or ISO
9001:2008 and developing its portal.
4. Knowledge managed quality system
ISO 9001:2000 standard consists of eight clauses (Tan et al., 2003; Tzelepis et al., 2006;
Magd, 2006). The first three clauses are primitives and the remaining five clauses are

Knowledge
Managed ISO

33


TQM
26,1

34

the building blocks of the quality system (McAdam and Fulton, 2002). The working
of this quality system model specified in ISO 9001:2000 standard is depicted
using the pictorial model called process-based quality management system. This
model clearly pinpoints the continual improvement process. As mentioned earlier,
even the latest released ISO 9001:2008 standard rests on this process-based
quality management system model. Hence KM principles were amended with
the five main clauses of ISO 9001:2000 standard. This exercise is illustrated in
this section.
As sample, the contents of Section 4.1 of Knowledge Managed ISO 9001:2000
Supported Quality System are presented in Table I. As shown in Table I, in the
introductory paragraph, the title KM has been amended. Further in the sub-clause

“a,” the stipulations of KM principles are stipulated for adoption. The contents of
sections from “b” to “f” have not been amended as these stipulations are equally
applicable in knowledge and quality management practices. In order to amend the core
KM principles with this clause, the new subsections “g” and “h” have been added.
These subsections stipulate the organization to identify key knowledge assets. In order
to carry out this task, the organization is required to avail the services of CKO for
identifying, selecting, organizing and transforming important information which is
necessary to carry out KM-related activities The same design principles described
here were used to amend the KM principles with the remaining main clauses of ISO
9001:2000 standard and their sub-clauses. As described here, the contents of the
existing ISO 9001:2000 standard have not been altered which implies that an
organization which has already implemented the ISO 9001:2000 standard is not
required to disturb any of the existing quality system elements. At the same time,
the amendment of KM with ISO 9001:2000 standard enables the organization to
acquire, organize and share the knowledge assets prevailing inside as well as outside
the organization.

Clause
number
4
4.1

Table I.
A sample requirements of
Knowledge Managed ISO
9001:2000 Supported
Quality System

Title and requirements
Knowledge management-based quality system

General requirements
The organization shall establish, document, implement and maintain a knowledge
management based quality system and continually improve its effectiveness in
accordance with the requirements of this international standard
The organization shall
(a) Identify the processes needed for the quality management system and their
application throughout the organization as knowledge management stipulations
(b) Determine the sequence and interaction of these processes
(c) Determine criteria and methods needed to ensure that both the operation and control
of these processes are effective
(d) Ensure the availability of resources and information necessary to support the
operation and monitoring of theses processes
(e) Monitor, measure and analyze theses processes
(f) Implement actions necessary to achieve planned results and continual improvement
of these processes
(g) Identify key knowledge assets (tacit and explicit) of an organization
(h) Find, select, organize, disseminate and transfer important information and expertise
necessary for various activities, with the help of chief knowledge officer (CKO)


5. Implementation study
After designing the Knowledge Managed ISO 9001:2000 Supported Quality System, its
implementation was examined in an Indian public sector company. In governmentmanaged companies of India, rigid systems are installed. These rigid systems do not
allow the test implementation of any new or appended systems. Since the company is
managed by the government, it was not possible to make much inroad toward
implementing Knowledge Managed ISO 9001:2000 Supported Quality System. In fact,
the study was restricted to the introduction of few elements of Knowledge Managed
ISO 9001:2000 Supported Quality System into the quality manual. For example,
the organization chart was appended with the designation CKO. This chart is shown in
Figure 2. The designation of CKO is italicized to mean that it is now newly added.

Likewise, under the sub-clause 6.2, the review output of KM by Results Driven
Incremental (RDI) methodology was included. Besides amending the quality manual,
no other major activity for implementing Knowledge Managed ISO 9001:2000
Supported Quality System could be carried out in the above company.

Knowledge
Managed ISO

35

5.1 Portal development
As portal development is the hallmark of any KM-based project (Corbin et al., 2007;
Devedzic, 2005), a portal pertaining to clause 4 of Knowledge Managed ISO 9001:2000
Supported Quality System was developed during this research. This portal was
developed using ASP (Active Server Page) and HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language).
The functionality of this portal is described in this subsection.
Soon after the installation, the administrator who will be either the chief executive
officer or a senior executive of the company will nominate the CKO ( Jones et al., 2003;
Tiwana, 2005). The screen enabling this process is shown in Figure 3. Similar screens
will appear to carry out the following processes. After the nomination of CKO by the
administrator, the CKO has to appoint team leaders. If team-based approach is
followed in the company, then the leaders of each team will be named by the CKO.
If departmentalized system is followed, then CKO may name heads of the department
Director - Project 1

Deputy Director – D1

Deputy Director – D2

Group Director – D1

Group Director – D2

Division Head – D1

Division Head – D2

Engineers – D1

Engineers – D2

Chief Knowledge
Officer(CKO)

Note: D1 and D2 are the departments of the organization

Figure 2.
The organization chart
appended with the CKO
designation


TQM
26,1

36

Figure 3.
Nomination of CKO
by administrator

as the team leaders. Now the team leaders are assigned the passwords. The team
leaders are required to choose the team members. All authorities associated with each
level of this hierarchy are provided with the right to nominate or remove any of the
subordinates. For example a CKO may nominate or remove a team leader. This facility
of the portal is shown in Figure 4.
After the choosing of personnel, the portal is opened for operation. The contents page
opened by the CKO is shown in Figure 5. Since so far only the clause 4.1 of Knowledge
Managed ISO 9001:2000 Supported Quality System has been developed, those links can
alone be activated now. On pressing the clause 4.1 of Knowledge Managed ISO 9001:2000
Supported Quality System in this portal, the summary table shown in Figure 6 appears.
As shown, this summary table is incorporated with sub-clauses of 4.1 of Knowledge
Managed ISO 9001:2000 Supported Quality System. As Clause 4 deals with
Knowledge Managed ISO 9001:2000 Supported Quality System, circulars, meetings
and minutes of the meetings dominate the functioning of this clause. This facility guides
the CKO to monitor the circulars issued and the meetings conducted under this clause.
The working of the facility to develop a circular is illustrated here. On pressing the
circular button against ISO 9001:2000 standard in Figure 6, the screen shown in Figure 7
appears. As shown, this screen enables the CKO to prepare circular regarding
Knowledge Managed ISO 9001:2000 Supported Quality System. The clause number,
date, code, team members and subject appear in this screen. The CKO can choose the
team leader/s, team member/s and other member/s to whom this circular is to be
sent. In the example screen shown in Figure 7, the CKO desires to send this circular
to a team leader, team member and other member. On pressing the send button,
this circular is sent to these personnel. Now the portal allows the CKO to check whether this
circular is read by those personnel. The screen enabling this process is shown in Figure 8.


Knowledge
Managed ISO

37

Figure 4.
Nomination/removal of
team leader by CKO

Figure 5.
Contents page of CKO


TQM
26,1

38

Figure 6.
Summary Table of clause
4.1 of Knowledge
Managed ISO 9001:2000
Supported Quality System

Figure 7.
Screen enabling the CKO
to prepare circular


Knowledge
Managed ISO

39

Figure 8.
Screen enabling the CKO
to check whether the
circular is read by the
recipients

As shown, the circular sent to the team leader is yet to be read by him/her. As
a sample, this circular having been read by the team member is shown in Figure 9.
The portal allows both the CKO and team leaders to convene meetings in an electronic
environment. The screen enabling this process is shown in Figure 10. The meetings may
be attended by the personnel even if they are residing outside the premises of the
company. The portal provides the team members with the facility to share their
knowledge. The screen enabling this process is shown in Figure 11. The respective team
leader consolidates them and develops the minutes of the meetings. The screen enabling
the team leader to prepare the minutes of the meeting is shown in Figure 12.
When the meeting is conducted in virtual environment, the team members are
encouraged to indicate the sources of knowledge available worldwide by furnishing
the portal addresses. All the circulars and minutes of the meeting are provided with the
index numbers for enabling their easy retrieval. For example, the index number shown
in Figure 13 indicates that it is pertaining to sub-clause 4. Besides the portal will
display the specific activities pertaining to clause 4 to be carried out at different levels
by the personnel. The screens viewable are shown in Table II. For example, in the
screen shown in Figure 14, the CKO chooses the dates October 29, 2007 and November
1, 2007 to view the minutes of the meetings held between these dates. In response to
this entry, the screen shown in Figure 15 appears. In this screen, the list of the meetings
conducted between these dates appears. Now, the CKO can view the minutes of the
meeting by choosing them.
Since the procedure of conducting Knowledge Managed ISO 9001:2000 Supported

Quality System is automated, the task of auditing this system is made easier through
the electronic indexing system. For example, when an auditor desires to check whether


TQM
26,1

40

Figure 9.
Screen enabling the
team member to read
the circular

Figure 10.
Screen enabling the CKO
to convene the meeting


Knowledge
Managed ISO

41

Figure 11.
Screen enabling a team
member to share his/her
knowledge in a meeting

Figure 12.

Screen enabling the team
leader to prepare the
minutes of the meeting


TQM
26,1

42

Figure 13.
Screen showing the
meeting (M2) index
number pertaining to
sub-clause 4.1

a circular was issued on a particular date to a team member, he/she can do so by
entering the necessary inputs in the portal which would display the necessary details.
Thus the portal of Knowledge Managed Clause 4 of ISO 9001:2000 based Quality
System not only automates the proceedings but also facilitates the managing of
knowledge through its virtual operation.
6. Roadmap
Since infusing KM principles in quality system is very primitive, full-fledged
implementation of Knowledge Managed ISO 9001:2000 Supported Quality System
could not be carried out. However the experiences of pursuing this research were useful to
evolve the roadmap for implementing Knowledge Managed ISO 9001:2008 Supported
Quality System. The roadmap thus evolved is pictorially depicted in Figure 16. Since ISO
9001:2000 certification has been obtained by majority of the contemporary organizations,
this roadmap has been made suitable for the companies who have already installed the
ISO 9001:2000 Supported Quality System.

As shown in Figure 16, the implementation program on Knowledge Managed
ISO 9001:2000 Supported Quality System has to begin by examining the results of
installing ISO 9001:2000 or ISO 9001:2008 Supported Quality System. This step is
necessary as a handful of researchers have reported that many companies obtain ISO
9001:2000 certification mainly because of the insistence of their customers (Yahya and
Goh, 2001; Gotzamani and Tsiotras, 2002; Williams 2004; Singh et al., 2006). In this
kind of companies, the continual quality improvement journey due to the installation of
ISO 9001:2000 or ISO 9001:2008 Supported Quality System would not be effectively
sensed. In this kind of companies, it is not advisable to implement Knowledge Managed
ISO 9001:2008 Supported Quality System. If the company is actively involved in sailing


CKO nomination/
removal

Administrator
(Admin)

Viewing of meeting files of
Knowledge Managed ISO
9001:2000 based quality system

Team leader/s nomination/
removal
Monitoring of the proceedings
of Knowledge Managed ISO
9001:2000 based quality system
Monitoring of circulars
Sending circulars

Chief knowledge officer (CKO)

Reading of current/old meeting
details, knowledge sharing
during the meeting, viewing of
old minutes of meeting

Viewing of current/old
circulars

Team member
(TM)

Knowledge sharing – reading and writing

Monitoring the conduct of
meetings – reading of current/
old meeting details, preparation
of minutes of meeting, viewing
of old minutes of meeting

Team member/s nomination/
removal
Viewing of current/old
circulars

Team leader
(TL)

Viewing of current/old

minutes of the meeting

Viewing of current/old
circulars

Other member (OM)

Knowledge
Managed ISO

43

Table II.
Rights and privileges of
personnel in Knowledge
Managed ISO 9001:2000
Supported Quality System


TQM
26,1

44

Figure 14.
Screen enabling the CKO
to choose “from” and “to”
dates to view the minutes
of the meetings held
between these dates

Figure 15.
Screen enabling the CKO
to view the list of minutes
of the meeting held
between the chosen dates


Examination of the results of ISO 9001:2008 based Quality System

Knowledge
Managed ISO

Conduct of exposure program on KM

Orientation program on Knowledge Managed ISO 9001:2008
Supported Quality System to the managerial level employees

45

Orientation program on Knowledge Managed ISO 9001:2008
Supported Quality System to the non-managerial level employees

Spelling out of the task to be carried out for implementing and sustaining
Knowledge Managed ISO 9001:2008 Supported Quality System

Selection of pilot area

Imparting education and training to the personnel working in the pilot area

Implementation of Knowledge Managed ISO 9001:2008
Supported Quality System in the pilot area

Measurement of the performance of Knowledge Managed ISO 9001:2008
Supported Quality System in the pilot area

Expansion of the implementation program to other areas based
on its results

through the continual quality improvement journey by adopting ISO 9001:2000 or ISO
9001:2008 Supported Quality System, then management commitment and support
may be obtained and the implementation program of Knowledge Managed ISO
9001:2008 Supported Quality System may be started. After that, an exposure
program on fundamentals and importance of KM may be conducted to both
managerial and non-managerial employees.
Once the employees are prepared to nourish the core principles of KM, separate
orientation programs for managerial and non-managerial employees may be conducted.
These orientation programs will expose to the participants the tasks that are to be
carried out for implementing Knowledge Managed ISO 9001:2008 Supported Quality
System. These programs shall be interactive and aimed at overcoming fears of both
managerial and non-managerial employees toward the implementation of Knowledge
Managed ISO 9001:2008 Supported Quality System. Since the intellectual attitude of both
managerial and non-managerial employees needs to be suitably changed, the actual
implementation of Knowledge Managed ISO 9001:2008 Supported Quality System is to
be preceded by the selection of pilot area. This pilot area should be chosen on the basis of
the easiness with which Knowledge Managed ISO 9001:2008 Supported Quality System

Figure 16.
Roadmap for successful
implementation of

Knowledge Managed ISO
9001:2008 Supported
Quality System


TQM
26,1

46

can be implemented. While carrying out this task, the factors like the literacy level of
employees, receptivity of employees and the size of the area to be covered are to be
considered. After choosing the pilot area, the personnel working in that area will have to
be imparted with education and training on Knowledge Managed ISO 9001:2008
Supported Quality System. Particularly, these personnel should be trained to use the
portal for acquiring and sharing the knowledge with the objective of enabling the
organization to achieve core competencies.
Now the actual implementation of Knowledge Managed ISO 9001:2008 Supported
Quality System has to be carried out. After completing its implementation, the
performance of Knowledge Managed ISO 9001:2008 Supported Quality System has
to be measured. According to the management’s perspective, parameters such as profit,
number of customers and customer domain need to be considered while measuring the
performance of Knowledge Managed ISO 9001:2008 Supported Quality System. If
the performance of the company is improved from the management perspectives, then the
Knowledge Managed ISO 9001:2008 Supported Quality System needs to the implemented
in few more areas. If the improvement is not achieved from the management’s perspectives,
then the reasons for the failure to appeal the management need to be examined. After those
reasons are found and corrective actions are taken, the implementation of Knowledge
Managed ISO 9001:2008 based Quality Systems shall be continued in the pilot area. If the
results are appreciative from the management perspectives, then the implementation

program on Knowledge Managed ISO 9001:2008 Supported Quality Systems may be
expanded to other areas of the company. Thus this roadmap will help the employees
and management to become KM literate and adaptive for nourishing the benefits of
implementing Knowledge Managed ISO 9001:2008 Supported Quality System.
7. Conclusion
The research reported in this paper has shown the way of amending KM principles
with ISO 9001:2000 standard. Due to the absence of management support, the
implementation of Knowledge Managed ISO 9001:2000 Supported Quality Systems
could not be effectively carried out in the candidate company. Later on, the portal of
clause 4 of Knowledge Managed ISO 9001:2000 Supported Quality System was
developed. The experiences gained by pursuing this research were used to evolve the
roadmap for implementing Knowledge Managed ISO 9001:2008 Supported Quality
System in contemporary organizations.
Currently the modern organizations are even yet to realize the importance of
infusing information in ISO 9001:2000 Supported Quality System. A search to locate
researches infusing information systems in ISO 9001 supported would result in
countable papers like Devadasan et al. (2003) and Tan et al. (2003). In this situation, it
is very difficult to carry out the research exploring the practicality of infusing KM
in ISO 9001:2000 Supported Quality Systems. In this background, this research
work suffered from certain limitations. Particularly, as mentioned earlier, the
implementation could be conducted only to an insignificant extent as this project was
not motivated by the management needs. On considering this limitation and as
a solution to overcome them, this research ended by pointing out the need for
pursuing more researches of this kind. This kind of researches should help the
organizations to carry out the journey toward nourishing the authentic benefits of
implementing Knowledge Managed ISO 9001:2008 Supported Quality System.
This paper has moved the modern research through one step in this journey. Further
researches are required to move through the remaining steps of this journey to

successfully implement Knowledge Managed ISO 9001:2008 Supported Quality
System. These future researches shall be conducted by carrying out several case
studies in different types of organizations. The outcome of these researches,
if utilized appropriately, would enable organizations to acquire core competencies
and enter into a new and advanced intellectual civilization.
References
Abdullah, H.S. and Ahmad, J. (2009), “The fit between organisational structure, management
orientation, knowledge orientation and the values of ISO 9000 standard – A conceptual
analysis”, International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, Vol. 26 No. 8, pp. 744-760.
Border, A. (2006), “Collective intelligence: a keystone in knowledge management”, Journal of
Knowledge Management, Vol. 10 No. 1, pp. 81-93.
Boulter, L. and Bendell, T. (2002), “How can ISO 9000:2000 help companies achieve excellence?
What the companies think”, Measuring Business Excellence, Vol. 6 No. 2, pp. 37-41.
Call, D. (2005), “Knowledge management – not rocket science”, Journal of Knowledge
Management, Vol. 9 No. 2, pp. 19-30.
Chen, S.C., Yang, Y.Y., Lin, W.T., Yeh, T.M. and Lin, Y.S. (2007), “Construction of key model for
knowledge management system using AHP-QFD for semiconductor industry in Taiwan”,
Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, Vol. 18 No. 5, pp. 576-598.
Choo, A.S., Linderman, K.W. and Schroeder, R.G. (2007), “Method and context perspectives on
learning and knowledge creation in quality management”, Journal of Operations
Management, Vol. 25 No. 4, pp. 918-931.
Corbin, R.D., Dunbar, C.B. and Zhu, Q. (2007), “A three-tier knowledge management scheme for
software engineering support and innovation”, The Journal of Systems and Software,
Vol. 80 No. 9, pp. 1494-1505.
Devadasan, S.R., Kathiravan, N., Sakthivel, M., Kulandaivelu, K. and Sundararaj, G. (2003),
“Financial accounting of ISO 9001:1994 based on quality information system”, The TQM
Magazine, Vol. 15 No. 4, pp. 275-285.
Devedzic, V. (2005), “Research community knowledge portals”, International Journal of
Knowledge and Learning, Vol. 1 Nos 1/2, pp. 96-112.
Douglas, A., Coleman, S. and Oddy, R. (2003), “Perspective – the case for ISO 9000”, The TQM

Magazine, Vol. 15 No. 5, pp. 316-324.
Dove, R. (1999), “Knowledge management, response ability, and the agile enterprise”, Journal of
Knowledge Management, Vol. 3 No. 1, pp. 18-35.
Franceschini, F., Galetto, M., Maisano, D. and Mastrogiacomo, L. (2011), “A proposal of a new
paradigm for national quality certification systems”, International Journal of Quality &
Reliability Management, Vol. 28 No. 4, pp. 364-382.
Galliers, R.D. and Newell, S. (2003), “Back to the future: from knowledge management to the
management of information and data”, Information Systems and e-Business Management,
Vol. 1, pp. 5-13.
Gotzamani, K.D. and Tsiotras, G.D. (2002), “The true motives behind ISO 9000 certification.
Their effect on the overall certification benefits and long term contribution towards
TQM”, International Journal of Quality and Reliability Management, Vol. 19 No. 2, pp. 151-169.
Haversjo, T. (2000), “The financial effects of ISO 9000 registration for Danish Companies”,
Managerial Auditing Journal, Vol. 15 Nos 1/2, pp. 47-52.
Hellstrom, T. and Husted, K. (2004), “Mapping knowledge and intellectual capital in
academic environments. A focus group study”, Journal of Intellectual Capital, Vol. 5 No. 1,
pp. 165-180.

Knowledge
Managed ISO

47


TQM
26,1

48

Heng, M.S.H. (2001), “Mapping intellectual capital in a small manufacturing enterprise”, Journal

of Intellectual Capital, Vol. 2 No. 1, pp. 53-60.
Herschel, R.T. and Jones, N.E. (2005), “Knowledge management and business intelligence:
the importance of integration”, Journal of Knowledge Management, Vol. 9 No. 4, pp. 45-55.
Jones, N.B., Herschel, R.T. and Moesel, D.D. (2003), “Using “knowledge champions” to facilitate
knowledge management”, Journal of Knowledge Management, Vol. 7 No. 1, pp. 49-63.
Lambe, P. (2011), “The unacknowledged parentage of knowledge management”, Journal of
Knowledge Management, Vol. 15 No. 2, pp. 175-197.
Lin, C. and Wu, C. (2005), “Managing knowledge contributed by ISO 9001:2000”, International
Journal of Quality and Reliability Management, Vol. 22 No. 9, pp. 968-985.
Lin, C., Yen, D.C. and Tarn, D.D.C. (2007), “An industry-level knowledge management
model-a study of information-related industry in Taiwan”, Information & Management,
Vol. 44, pp. 22-39.
McAdam, R. and Fulton, F. (2002), “The impact of the ISO 9000:2000 quality standards in small
software firms”, Managing Service Quality, Vol. 12 No. 5, pp. 336-345.
Magd, H.A.E. (2006), “An investigation of ISO 9000 adoption in Saudi Arabia”, Managerial
Auditing Journal, Vol. 21 No. 2, pp. 132-147.
Mehra, S. and Agrawal, S.P. (2003), “Total quality as a new global competitive strategy”,
International Journal of Quality and Reliability Management, Vol. 20 No. 9, pp. 1009-1025.
Metaxiotis, K., Ergazakis, E. and Psarras, J. (2005), “Exploring the world of knowledge
management: agreements and disagreements in the academic/practitioner community”,
Journal of Knowledge Management, Vol. 9 No. 2, pp. 6-18.
Peng, J., Li-Hua, R. and Moffett, S. (2007), “Trend of knowledge management in China:
challenges and opportunities”, Journal of Technology Management in China, Vol. 2 No. 3,
pp. 198-211.
Quazi, H.A. and Jacobs, R.L. (2004), “Impact of ISO 9000 certification on training and
development activities. An exploratory study”, International Journal of Quality and
Reliability Management, Vol. 21 No. 5, pp. 497-517.
Senthilkumar, N. and Arulraj, A. (2011), “SQM-HEI – determination of service quality
measurement of higher education in India”, Journal of Modelling in Management,
Vol. 6 No. 1, pp. 60-78.

Singh, P.J., Feng, M. and Smith, A. (2006), “ISO 9000 series of standards: comparison of
manufacturing and service organizations”, International Journal of Quality and Reliability
Management, Vol. 23 No. 2, pp. 122-142.
Swink, M. and Jacobs, B.W. (2012), “Six Sigma adoption: operating performance impacts and
contextual drivers of success”, Journal of Operations Management, Vol. 30 No. 6, pp. 437-453.
Tan, B., Lin, C. and Hung, H. (2003), “An ISO 9001:2000 quality information system in e-commerce
environment”, Industrial Management & Data systems, Vol. 103 No. 9, pp. 666-676.
Tari, J.J. (2005), “Research and concepts. Components of successful total quality management”,
The TQM Magazine, Vol. 17 No. 2, pp. 182-194.
Tiwana, A. (2005), The Knowledge Management toolkit. Orchestrating IT, Strategy, and
Knowledge Platforms, 2nd ed., Pearson Education Inc.
Tzelepis, D., Tsekouras, K., Skuras, D. and Dimara, E. (2006), “The effects of ISO 9001 on firms’
productive efficiency”, International Journal of Operation & Production Management,
Vol. 26 No. 10, pp. 1146-1165.
Vouzas, F.K. and Gotzamani, K.D. (2005), “Research and concepts. Best practices of selected
Greek organizations on their road to business excellence. The contribution of the new ISO
9000:2000 series of standards”, The TQM Magazine, Vol. 17 No. 3, pp. 259-266.


Williams, J.A. (2004), “The impact of motivating factors on implementation of ISO 9001:2000
registration process”, Management Research News, Vol. 27 Nos 1/2, pp. 74-84.
Yahya, S. and Goh, W.K. (2001), “The implementation of an ISO 9000 quality system”,
International Journal of Quality and Reliability Management, Vol. 18 No. 9, pp. 941-966.
About the authors
Dr V. Mohan Sivakumar is a Faculty Member in the Mechanical Engineering Department at the
PSG Polytechnic College, Coimbatore, India. He received his PhD in Mechanical Engineering
from Anna University-Chennai, Chennai, India in 2008. He pursued his master’s degree in
Production Engineering in 1992 and bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1990. He
obtained these degrees from Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, India. He has one year industrial
and 26 years of teaching experience. He has published four papers in international journals, ten

papers in the leading national and international conferences. His research interests include
knowledge management, quality systems and failure mode and effects analysis. Dr V. Mohan
Sivakumar is the corresponding author and can be contacted at:
Dr S.R. Devadasan is a Professor in the Production Engineering Department at the PSG College
of Technology, Coimbatore, India. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering,
a master’s degree in Industrial Engineering, a PhD degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Doctor
of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering. He has 21 years of teaching and research experience.
He has published over 76 papers in international journals. He is an Editorial Advisory Board
Member of the European Journal of Innovation Management. His research interests include agile
manufacturing, Six Sigma and total productive maintenance.
Dr R. Murugesh is working as the Principal of Darshan Institute of Engineering and
Technology, Rajkot, India. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, a master’s
degree in Industrial Engineering and a PhD degree in Mechanical Engineering. He has more than 20
years of experience in teaching and research. He is a recognized PhD Supervisor/Guide. He has
published 18 papers in various international journals. His area of research interest includes strategic
productivity management, total productive maintenance, MIS, web engineering, executive support
system, etc.

To purchase reprints of this article please e-mail:
Or visit our web site for further details: www.emeraldinsight.com/reprints

Knowledge
Managed ISO

49