Impact of ISO 9000 certification on training and development activities: An exploratory study

The push for ISO 9000 certification in Singapore can be viewed as a positive step towards enhancing training and development activities in the certified companies. This exploratory study examined the nature and extent of impact of ISO 9001 certification on training and development activities of organizations operating in Singapore. A survey approach was adopted. The respondents were asked to indicate the nature and extent of human resource development (HRD) activities three years before and three years after ISO certification. They were also asked to indicate whether the changes, if any, were due to the certification only or other reasons. The findings indicated improvements in training needs analysis, training design, training delivery, training evaluation and HRD activities in the sample organizations. The small sample size has constrained the authors' ability to generalize the findings. Researchers interested in the topic may like to request a copy of the survey instrument that was used in this study and carry out similar studies in other ISO member countries to validate (or disprove) the findings of this study.