Influence of ISO 9001 Registration on Organizational Culture: A Case Study of Prodesco, Inc., 1995 Nonwovens Conference Proceedings

Patricia Koerbel Adair

Philadelphia College of Textiles and Science

The path to achieving registration to one of the IS0 9000 Series of international quality system standards is profoundly influenced by the culture of the organization seeking registration. The hierarchies that make up the company culture influence and are influenced by the IS0 9000 registration process. This paper examines organizational culture and its relationship with the outcomes of the registration process. A case study of the culture of Prodesco, Inc., a small textile research and development company pursuing registration to IS0 9001, identifies the aspects of the company culture most likely to effect the outcome of the registration effort. Prodesco’s existing culture of individualist innovation and operational informality --which awards status to those who possess technical knowledge and experience to solve problems -- has served the company well in the past. However, IS0 9000 standards require the “how-to” to be documented for the knowledge and understanding of everyone within the organization. This study illustrates the cultural struggle within the organization to attain management’s desiredorganizational outcome -- registration to IS0 9001 in early 1995. Prodesco’s cultural challenges are not unique to many small businesses in traditional industries seeking to formalize their quality systems.