Abstract:
ISO Certification involves integration of processes in an organization in such a manner that there is continuous improvement which is aimed at attaining customer satisfaction and achieving organizational targets and goals. State corporations in Kenya have had their fair share of challenges in achieving their organizational performance targets and as a result they have adopted ISO certification as one of the management measures to mitigate these challenges. It is for this reason that this study examined the influence of ISO certification on organizational performance in state corporations in Kenya. The benefits that make ISO certification increasingly attractive include increased customer satisfaction, increased job satisfaction, increased profitability and competitive advantage.These formed the key indicators of performance in this study. The main objective of thisstudy was to examine the influence of ISO Certification on organizational performance infive selected state corporations in Kenya. The specific objectives were to investigate the influence of organizational targets on organizational performance in state corporations in Kenya, to examine the relationship between management commitment and organizational performance, to investigate the effects of customer focus on organizational performance and to establish the relationship between monitoring of processes and organizational performance in state corporations in Kenya. The target population was 1,120 employees of five ISO certified state corporations in Kisumu town, Kenya. Using Krejcie and Morgan table, 275 respondents were sampled through systematic random sampling design. Data collection instruments used were questionnaires and document analysis.Content validity was achieved through peer review of questionnaires while reliability was measured using test-retest method. The study adopted correlational research design. Data analysis was done using descriptive statistics with the aid of SPSS 18.0 and presented through distribution tables. Results from correlation analysis showed significant and positive correlations among ISO certification and Organizational Performance variables. Regression analysis indicated that organizational targets, management commitment, customer focus and monitoring of processes contributed to significant and positive change in performance. The researcher therefore concluded that ISO Certification significantly and positively influence Organizational Performance in state corporations in Kenya.
