Manders’ study is characterised by extensive statistical analyses of enormous volumes of data. The use of meta-analyses is not new in academic practice, and is particularly commonplace in medical literature. But in quality management literature, it can be qualified as innovative. According to the jury, Manders’ thesis is an important study that applies new methods and answers questions about the implementation of quality systems from different perspectives.
Meta-analysis
The jury report stated: “In this dissertation, Başak has asked and answered questions from different perspectives. The first question is posed from an organisational perspective: in a large-scale meta-analysis, she studied the link between the implementation of ISO 9001 and business performance. She found a positive correlation existed with turnover. Significantly, the link between ISO 9001 and business performance depended on a number of factors, such as certification period, version of the norm, area of the world, business sector, and business size.”
The second question was posed from a country perspective. “In another meta-analysis she studied the influence of national culture and level of economic development on the link between ISO 9001 and business performance. This analysis revealed that ISO 9001 offers clear advantages, especially in countries with low economic development. Cultural factors also play a role.”
Employee perspective
The jury report continued: “The third question was posed from an employee perspective: in an exploratory case study, the engagement of employees with the implementation of a quality management system was analysed. Knowledge of the ISO 9001 standard, believing in the usefulness of the standard, and the easy application of the standard were major factors in determining the attitude of employees and thus the success of the implementation of a quality management system.
In the concluding chapter, the consequences of the research study are discussed for theory, methodology, business management, certification bodies and consultants.”
RSM nominees
The award was presented by the jury chair Kees de Vaal on 11 November 2016. The other three nominees also presented their research studies at the event. These nominees included Simon den Uijl, who also received his doctorate at RSM in 2015, for his study The emergence of de-facto standards. The promotor of both Başak Manders and Simon den Uijl was Professor Knut Blind and their co-promotor and daily supervisor was Dr Henk de Vries.
Watch Manders’ short research video on RSM Discovery.
Download Manders’ research: Implementation and Impact of ISO 9001.
