First Word
by Scott Madison Paton
In war, it is sometimes difficult to
tell the winners from the badly bruised.
Has ISO 9000 Won?
supreme struggle has raged on for the past few years. It hasn't made the
headlines (more like the in-between lines), but it has dramatically altered
the way the world does business. The apparent winner has triumphed more
as a result of political infighting than from one system simply being better
than the other.
What great armies have been locked in combat? The forces of ISO 9000 vs.
the Baldrige Award. Which philosophy will dominate the global quality arena?
ISO 9000, by a knockout.
In war, it is sometimes difficult to tell the winners from the badly bruised.
How do we know ISO 9000 has won? Simple: sheer numbers.
If you managed to attend either the Annual Quality Congress or the Quality
Expo this year, you must have noticed the proliferation of new quality system
registrars exhibiting there. About 70 registrars are accredited to register
companies to ISO 9000. Correspondingly, the number of ISO 9000-certified
companies has grown exponentially, surpassing 40,000.
Pity the poor Baldrige Award. Caught in the quagmire of congressional infighting
and the current wave of Republican budget cutting, the Baldrige Award struggles
for its very existence. The Baldrige isn't the only victim; the Federal
Quality Institute and the National Institute of Standards and Technology
have both been hovering near the chopping block in recent months.
It's ironic that the Baldrige Award, which has been so widely heralded
and copied around the world, has suffered so in recent years. Equally ironic
is that ISO 9000, which few can argue has had its share of detractors since
its inception, has found such universal application.
Of course, both processes are complementary, and both can do wonders for
any organization. But why has ISO 9000 succeeded where the Baldrige has
languished?
The answer lies less in any perceived advantage that ISO 9000 has over the
Baldrige Award and more in good, old-fashioned capitalism. ISO 9000 and
its cousin QS-9000 require outside third-party assessors. These registrars
have a vested interest in the success of the process. They have to make
significant capital investments in order to succeed. Therefore, they want
ISO 9000 to succeed. They spend a lot of money on marketing to convince
business that it needs ISO 9000 to compete. The Baldrige, on the other hand,
has to depend on a combination of federal money, a nonprofit foundation
and the support of winning companies.
Two different philosophies zealously guarded and championed with near-religious
fervor. One winner and one . . . well, one who's elegance and beauty will
keep it alive. But in the business world, there is no Miss Congeniality.
Scott Madison Paton
Editor in Chief