A New Integrated Framework for ISO 9001 Quality Management System Maintenance in Malaysia

Abstract

Importance of ISO9001 Quality management system (QMS)cannot be ignored by the business world at any cost as it has a direct impact on the organization’s ability to fulfilclient’s requirements.This research identified the gap that a comprehensive framework for quality management maintenance is lacking, and the present quality management frameworks in use are not capable enough to meet the ISO9001 quality standards. This research is contributing to scholarly knowledge by integrating knowledge management and process-based management (PBM) elementsin the quality management system maintenance area. This study is descriptive in nature, and a quantitativeprocedure wasadopted to gather the data from 341 sample sizes. A total of 4 hypotheses were proposed and these form the overall research framework of this study. The quantitative data was analyzed through a technique named as partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The structural model results showed that process-based management element has a majorinfluence on quality management maintenance while knowledge quality has a significant impact on process-based management element. Surprisingly, the finding shows that there is no important direct effect contributed by knowledge quality on QMS maintenance.This research also discovered that the processbased management element fully mediates the association between knowledge quality and quality management system elements. This new framework can support its users in assessing the strong and week points of their QMS maintenance effort and strategy, directing their improvement areas, making a plan of action for enhancements, and customizing a particular part to the requirements of their organizations. Based on thequantitative results, the researcher has concluded and proposed a new quality management system maintenance framework for ISO9001 certified organizations in Malaysia