Identification of profiles in educational organizations as a result of the implementation of a quality management system

Purpose In the current education context, quality management has increasingly become a key element and more educational organizations are deciding to implement a Quality Management System. Because there are so few studies on the impact that implementation has on educational institutions, the main objective of this paper is to profile educational centers on the basis of their implementation of ISO 9001 quality standards. Design/methodology/approach Specifically, this was done by taking a sample of 83 educational centers from four regions of Spain (Comunidad de Madrid, Castilla y León, Andalucía and the Comunidad Valenciana) and analyzing assessments made by teachers and members of the center Management Teams (2,132 subjects in total). The first step was to carry out a number of descriptive and differential studies globally, analyzing 8 broad dimensions: Communication System, Management, Support and Recognition, Learning Process, Quality, Climate, Satisfaction, and External Relations. A cluster analysis was then performed to identify center profiles in terms of the degree of impact from their having implemented ISO 9001 standards. Findings The results show that the impact of is greater in educational centers in Comunidad Valenciana and Andalucía with 9–11 years of implementation, with internal financial aid or funding, and at charter centers. Originality/value The cluster analysis reveals three clearly differentiated profiles (with high, medium, and low degrees of impact) in the different dimensions evaluated in the study.