Modeling the impact of an ISO 9001 certified quality management system on the organizational performance of Moroccan services firms

Abstract

Statistical modeling serves as a valuable tool for analyzing and resolving complex issues through the application of mathematical and statistical techniques. In the Moroccan context, where the services sector contributes more than 50% to the national wealth, there is a noticeable absence of such applications to gauge the impact of the ISO 9001 certified quality management systems on the organizational performance of companies. To address this gap, we have constructed a causal model to quantify the strength of causeand- effect relationships among the following key elements: • processes within a quality management system and their impact on organizational performance, • the influence of management responsibility process on all aspects of the quality management system, and • the relationship between the organizational and financial performance. This model is developed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and estimated through the Partial Least Squares (PLS) approach, utilizing the XL-Stat software. The research involved a sample of 55 Moroccan service firms certified with ISO 9001 across various sectors. Face-to-face surveys were the primary data collection method, engaging multiple executives within the organizations. The findings of this research validate our conceptual model, revealing that: • certain processes within the quality management system positively and weakly correlate with the organizational performance, • the 'Management Responsibility' process has a positive influence on all aspects of the quality management system, and the organizational performance strongly and positively impacts the financial performance. Moreover, our model facilitates the computation of direct and indirect effects among its components, transforming cause-and-effect relationships into structural equations. Our research contributes to enhancing the understanding of the dynamics between quality management systems and the organizational performance in the Moroccan service sector.