Quality Management Systems as integrators in global multi-site organisations

Licentiate thesis, 2025

Global multi-site organisations operate within complex and dynamic environments shaped by diverseregulatory landscapes, operational structures and customer requirements. Managing quality across suchdispersed settings requires systems that not only ensure compliance but also support coordination,adaptability and shared understanding. One strategy used by organisations to structure their Quality Management (QM) principles, procedures and techniques are through Quality Management Systems
(QMS). Such systems, usually certified against ISO 9001, are widely used for achieving consistency and control. However, in practice this can lead to a coercive view on the QMS where the unintended consequences are that it as seen as ceremonial and not value-adding for everyday operations. In the context of a global multi-site QMS this risk becomes more eminent due to that sites often (almost always) already have their own local QMS in place before they are to be integrated in the global QMS leading to tensions between the global and local context.

The purpose of this thesis is to investigate what shapes the value of a multi-site QMS, and how multi-site organisations can use their QMS as an integrator between sites. It addresses this through a mixed-method approach with one quantitative study investigating audit findings from a certification body and one qualitative study at a global multi-site organisation using interviews, internal documentation and focus group as methods for data collection. The three appended papers contribute to the purpose by indicating that having a multi-site QMS leads to fewer audit findings per site when used to facilitate standardisation and knowledge sharing, with the central function playing a key role in bridging
organisational gaps. Findings also reveals that the value of a multi-site QMS is influenced by individual site motivations and their perceived proximity to headquarters, suggesting that recognising site archetypes and applying tailored approaches helps integrate locations and create an overall enabling view of the QMS. Furthermore, findings highlight that effective translation of global procedure depends on balancing standard compliance with local adaptation, addressing knowledge and relational barriers, and employing methods such as gradual roll-out and customised training to create organisational unity and reach global value-co creation.