Executive summary
The flow of processes and information in the competitive business field has radically changed with the advent of globalization. Many businesses and organizations have realized that to create and sustain a competitive advantage, they must learn to focus on the quality of services and products they offer to their customers. However, not all organizations embrace quality standards in their provisions with regards to ISO 9001:2008.
This has been attributed to certain gaps some of which include leadership issues, quality systems issues, and society-oriented gaps as well as organizational culture and attitudes. Abdelkader Bakheet Law Firm and Legal Consultants is a legal firm in Dubai. It was established way back in 1996. Since its inception, the firm has seen considerable growth in its provision of numerous legal and consultation services.
Some of the roles that the organization plays include providing international and local disciplines with legal consulates. The case study on Abdelkader Bakheet Law Firm and Legal Consultants provides diverse views most of which offer guidelines on the various gaps affecting its implementation of ISO 9001:2008. Some of the gaps include inadequate commitment among its leaders, lack of organizational learning, and recognition of the value of quality programs, poor strategic planning as well as ineffective quality systems reflected by an unproductive Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle.
Other major issues include Abdelkader Bakheet Law Firm and Legal Consultants practice of excessive paperwork and meetings as well as society oriented gaps reflected in poor value addition and corporate social responsibility. Despite a great deal of research on the implementation of ISO 9001:2008 at the level of a business corporation, an understanding of the areas that businesses such as Abdelkader Bakheet Law Firm and Legal Consultants err in and what can be done is still lacking.
Background
Abdelkader Bakheet Law Firm and Legal Consultants
Abdelkader Bakheet Law Firm and Legal Consultants is a legal firm in Dubai. It was established way back in 1996. Since its inception, the firm has seen considerable growth in its provision of numerous legal and consultation services. Some of the roles that the organization plays include providing international and local disciplines with legal consulates. Other roles include offering services in areas of construction law, communication, civil rights, business law, arbitration, and administrative law. One of the distinctive features of the firm is its dedication to high-quality services to its clients.
Studies indicate that the Abdelkader Bakheet Law Firm and Legal Consultants has been considered as one of the best in the UAE. The firm uses its consultancy services to acquire and share information and knowledge necessary for growth and cohesion in society. Due to the fast-changing social, political, and economic environment, top-level managers in this firm have embarked on the practice of employing consultancy services to aid society in devising better strategies for overcoming uncertainties. Many individuals, organizations, and businesses in the UAE are prone to uncertainties which have led to higher demand for services offered by Abdelkader Bakheet Law Firm and Legal Consultants.
The roles carried out by Abdelkader Bakheet Law Firm and Legal Consultants are different depending on the situation facing its clients, the nature of the client, and the plethora of options (Caulat & DeHaan, 2006). Its services are tailored according to the needs of the clients without much focus on the set standards. Abdelkader Bakheet Law Firm and Legal Consultants fulfill a variety of its legal duties depending on needs to ensure that a client is satisfied. It plays both resource role and process role which range over a broad client base. The services offered by the firm have been widely used by organizations that seek to gain access to specialized expertise.
Furthermore, Abdelkader Bakheet Law Firm and Legal Consultants Company has been keen on achieving its objectives even without relying on ISO 9001:2008 standards. This has been through the use of strategies, better performance frameworks, and proprietary methodologies. This has aided the firm in providing efficient services and also served as a basis for recommending efficient and effective methods of solving uncertainties. The firm also achieves its goals via its diverse specialties which include virtual management consulting, human resource consulting, and information technology consulting services.
Besides, the firm has made significant efforts in executing satisfying services to clients. Nevertheless, analysts are of the view that the firm has not done enough in terms of provision of quality services, a factor they attribute to its failure to implement the ISO 9001;2008. Others indicate that Abdelkader Bakheet Law Firm and Legal Consultant’s customer service has improved over the last years, a factor attributed to its skilled staff. This has made its annual performance go up which also demonstrates the significant improvement of the firm in the provision of consultancy services.
The key components of Abdelkader Bakheet Law Firm and Legal Consultants program are its obligations to shareholder and the society, aspirations, values, corporate skills and resources as well as marketing opportunities. Its strategies are linked to the essential elements and correspond with social concerns through its business concepts and tools such as the relationship with stakeholders, corporation values and ideologies, the firm’s internal resources, and the structure of the industry.
Abdelkader Bakheet Law Firm and Legal Consultants’ strategy is part of its social responsibility in the sense that it focuses on the expectations of its stakeholders to discover solutions. This, in turn, aids it in developing its competitive tiers through clusters of corporate responsibilities, flexibility, innovation as well as specific and direct benefits. It is imperative to note that it uses the aforementioned components of corporate social responsibilities to enhance its social and economic performance as well as to maximize profits.
Moreover, the consultancy programs carried out by Abdelkader Bakheet Law Firm and Legal Consultants enhance a community’s local business environment and improve the value of legal services in the public eye. Besides, it creates quality in the area it operates and enhances its competitive edge. Also, the competitive advantage, capability, and competence in Abdelkader Bakheet Law Firm and Legal Consultants vary a lot. Its internal and external factors have been vital in moving this company towards gaining a competitive advantage. It is imperative to note that its competitive advantage has been attained through its internal factors alongside connecting core competencies and capabilities with available resources.
Gap analysis
The advent of globalization and its impact on the flow of processes, information, and competition within a market, the environment has led to the realization of the importance of quality standards in the business. Clark and Fincham (2002) argue that sustaining a competitive edge calls for focusing on the provision of products and services that are of high quality. The interview with the top management of Abdelkader Bakheet Law Firm and Legal Consultants provided diverse views most of which offered guidelines on the various gaps affecting the implementation of ISO 9001:2008. From the interview, certain pertinent factors acted as barriers to the implementation of quality programs. They included leadership, resources, interdepartmental relations, social issues, and recognition.
Leadership related issues
Inadequate commitment in leadership
One of the main setbacks in the implementation of the quality programs at Abdelkader Bakheet Law Firm and Legal Consultants is an inadequate commitment among leaders. The ability of a leader to reflect commitment in implementing quality programs in an organization stems from understanding the various needs of employees and clients, designing an acceptable vision, and challenging the status quo to add value and redefine existing culture to anchor continued development.
It appears as though the leadership in Abdelkader Bakheet Law Firm and Legal Consultants firm lacks commitment and does not have correct attributes as well as characteristics that are necessary to focus on quality. Critchley, Higgins, and King (2006) point out that leadership remains one of the most remarkable models that can introduce and implement quality programs. This can be through the creation of the best working environment, organizational change, motivation, and moderation of organizational operations to achieve the set organizational goals. Inadequate strong will and commitment in leadership therefore remain outstanding in hindering the implementation of ISO 9001:2008 in this organization making it impossible to link every operation to long-term objectives.
Although having a vision of provision of quality products and services in Abdelkader Bakheet Law Firm and Legal Consultants has been crucial, analysts are of the view that the program must be implemented regularly if positive results are to be realized. The lack of dedicated and staunch leadership that is capable of leading this firm in the implementation of ISO 9001:2008 has been stumbling. It is therefore imperative to take into consideration that commitment is a factor that moves an organization towards attaining higher levels of quality product and service provision.
The fact that many organizations in the UAE including Abdelkader Bakheet Law Firm and Legal Consultants have not implemented the quality program is clear evidence of poor leadership. This also suggests their inabilities to come up with suggestions on short-term win-win situations regarding using available resources to implement quality for a competitive edge. It is from an inadequate commitment to a complete lack of it that the implementation of quality programs has become a glaring challenge.
In his article, Kakabadse (2006) acknowledges there are critical roles that leadership plays in facilitating the implementation of quality programs in an organization. The top management of Abdelkader Bakheet Law Firm and Legal Consultants must understand the importance of ISO 9001:2008 in the quality provision, retaining customer loyalty, and gaining a competitive edge. Besides, they must reflect the commitment to implement it by anchoring its auxiliary aspects and making it holistic at all levels.
The reason why it has not been implemented could be springing from failure to establish a clear assessment platform for identifying areas that need improvement. This could also be due to a lack of constant communication with consumers and employees to identify their problems and obtain feedbacks necessary to implement quality programs.
Organizational learning
Inadequate organizational learning at Abdelkader Bakheet Law Firm and Legal Consultants has been considered as another reason for the lack of keenness and passion to implement the ISO 9001:2008. Organizational learning remains one of the most important factors that reflects an organization’s situation and sets structures for improvement while linking key efforts with subsequent objectives. One of the ways through which quality can be instituted in the provision of products and services is through learning.
Mughan, Lloyd-Reason, and Zimmerman (2004) indicate that one of the main reasons why Abdelkader Bakheet Law Firm and Legal Consultants has not implemented ISO 9001:2008 is lack of organizational learning. Most workers are not adequately skilled or they lack the training to use modernized systems. This challenge implements a standard program to be cumbersome.
The onset of the 21the st century saw many organizations embark on the strategy of driving organizational learning as a means of enhancing quality in their provision of services and products. Those that have not implemented the ISO 9001:2008 among them Abdelkader Bakheet Law Firm and Legal Consultants are deemed to have not emphasized the identification of defects, issues, problems, and root causes of the prevailing challenges that hinder high-quality standards.
Indeed, since that time, this concept has highly been simplified by the management that seeks to ensure that products and processes are always at their best. Obaid (2011) indicates that organizations that do not implement quality programs do not practice self-reflection and responsibility. Both attributes involve reflecting on weaknesses and articulation of improvements that are practical at all levels of the production cycle. Finally, Abdelkader Bakheet Law Firm and Legal Consultants lack a policy development structure which should enable objectives to flow from the top in an expanding model whereby employees consider critical inputs in improving value.
Although organizational learning over the recent past has become one of the most central aspects in determining the ultimate productivity and profitability of an organization, it is greatly obscured by external organization environments. O’Mahoney (2010) explains that due to the complexity involved in transforming organizations to embed the concept of learning, most of them strongly undermine others. Competitors wishing to reduce the rising market dominance of law firms emphasize their problems. It is however critical that the company establishes effective public relations to counter such competitions.
Recognition
Effective leadership is one that recognizes the situation of a business in terms of provision of quality products and services. There are quite a several factors that dictate the ability of an organization to achieve its objectives and propositions with minimal resistance. A firm such as Abdelkader Bakheet Law Firm and Legal Consultants has not implemented the ISO 9001:2008, a consideration that has been blamed on lack of situational leadership which is critical for the recognition of the importance of quality systems.
Some factors may impact the implementation of the quality program. As such, Abdelkader Bakheet Law Firm and Legal Consultants lack implementation due to recognition have negatively impacted on its resource allocation, finances, or business environment. To bridge the gap, Abdelkader Bakheet Law Firm and Legal Consultants management should seek to ensure that employees have become part of the overall operating system of the organization.
Besides, they need to develop and encourage team operations. It is imperative to note that an organization’s culture formulates the key ties at the lower and top management levels. Besides, care should be taken to support the correct organizational cultures that ensure quality as it forms one of the most important sources of motivation and competitive advantage. A greater focus towards raising the employees’ and leadership commitment and recognition should be factored in to cover the gap. This will guarantee to focus more on the quality of the products and services for the consumers and therefore win customer’s loyalty.
Strategic planning
Lack of a combination of strategic leadership, change, and innovation in Abdelkader Bakheet Law Firm and Legal Consultants remains a major gap in the implementation of the ISO 9001:2008. As such, this firm has become unresponsive to the needs in the market. Poor strategic planning in ensuring quality denies Abdelkader Bakheet Law Firm and Legal Consultants continued progress of their production system as well as human resources output.
Embracing and implementing quality programs act like a strong force that continuously reenergizes a workforce, refreshes an organization’s system, and takes an organization to a higher level. However, while the implementation of quality systems is reflected as one of the most important factors for securing a competitive edge and enhancing continued productivity and profitability, Schein (2002) is of the view that without strategic planning, it becomes one of the most difficult aspirations to achieve in any organization.
Quality system issues
Ineffective Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle
Problems related to quality systems Abdelkader Bakheet Law Firm and Legal Consultants form barriers to the implementation of ISO 9001: 2008 standards. One such problem is the ineffectiveness of Abdelkader Bakheet Law Firm and Legal Consultants plan-do-check-act cycle. While the firm has target goals and expected output, they do not establish necessary processes and objectives that can deliver desired results. According to Soriano (2003), this compels businesses to lack adequate accuracy and completeness of specifications required to establish output expectations. Since most organizations that have not implemented the quality standards program may be lacking a plan, they can’t implement and execute it.
Excessive paperwork and meetings
Another hindrance towards the implementation of ISO 9001:2008 in Abdelkader Bakheet Law Firm and Legal Consultants is the practice of excess paperwork which it adopted recently. While paperwork and meetings are critical in determining external factors in a business, too much of it presents major problems that impact negatively in advancing quality. By adopting externality theory, Sturdy (2009) laments that while meetings and paperwork provide solutions to many business problems; they also present numerous hidden negative externalities. Excessive paperwork and meetings can only be limited by restrictions and bargaining through moral rules and social criteria.
Society oriented gaps
Corporate social responsibility
A growing realization has dawned upon organizations on the need to improve their places of work with particular emphasis on the environment. However, Abdelkader Bakheet Law Firm and Legal Consultants have not taken a keen interest in contributing to value activities of social interest thus failing to give meaning to the concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR). The concept of CSR, theories of competitiveness, and rise of the economics of supply-side seem inseparable and linked to quality standards since they manifest in diverse guises and forms such as a view of stakeholder on a firm, sustainability, corporate citizenship, corporate social responsibility, or business ethics. Among businesses, the idea of corporate social responsibility was initially perceived and conceived as a critical agenda of an outsider.
Organizations depend on the communities that they operate in and the environment for their resources and this recognition has led to many business organizations adopting CSR and sustainability programs. The society oriented gap in Abdelkader Bakheet Law Firm and Legal Consultants has been because it has not been effective in addressing socio-corporate responsibility with the seriousness that it deserves and as such has risked losing efficiency. However, there is a wide variety of interpretations that Abdelkader Bakheet Law Firm and Legal Consultants has employed in defining their CSR and sustainability goals. The outcomes according to analysts can be positive or negative depending on how organizations perceive and implement their sustainability goals.
Despite a great deal of research on sustainability at the level of business corporations, and understanding of the areas that businesses err in and what can be done is still lacking. There are many case studies of businesses adopting CSR as an approach of gaining reputation with little effect on society, however, there is little that has been done to determine why they do this. Researchers have a responsibility to identify the reasons that underpin challenges and failure in implementing sustainability.
The latter is an issue that is beyond the control of Abdelkader Bakheet Law Firm and Legal Consultants and requires a society-wide approach to be attained. When sustainability programs are treated as organizational projects with little input from members of the society, their effectiveness is compromised. Another area that Abdelkader Bakheet Law Firm and Legal Consultants has gone wrong in is in developing half-baked sustainability plans that do not address the quality challenges in a multidimensional manner.
This is a key threat that greatly affects the potential that Abdelkader Bakheet Law Firm and Legal Consultants have in generating value and achieving sustainability goals. Few researchers ask why Abdelkader Bakheet Law Firm and Legal Consultants takes on such misplaced approaches in addressing this critical area.
Conclusion
To sum up, ISO 9001:2008 is a critical quality standard that provides businesses with an opportunity to enhance their provisions and thus maintain a competitive edge. As noted in the literature above, the flow of processes and information in the competitive business arena has radically changed with the advent of globalization, a factor which has been enhanced by the trend whereby businesses focus on quality.
However, certain organizations in the UAE have not implemented the quality program. One such company is the Abdelkader Bakheet Law Firm and Legal Consultants. As already noted, sustaining a competitive edge calls for focusing on the provision of products and services that are of high quality.
Additionally, tThe analysis of Abdelkader Bakheet Law Firm and Legal Consultants is critical as it presents diverse views most of which offer guidelines on the various gaps affecting the implementation of ISO 9001:2008. From the analysis, it is evident that certain pertinent factors act as barriers towards the implementation of quality programs in the firm. Such factors include leadership, resources, interdepartmental relations, social as well as recognition issues.
The discussions have also highlighted that despite a great deal of research on sustainability at the level of Business Corporation, an understanding of the areas that businesses make mistakes and what can be done is still lacking. Poor planning in sustaining high quality, lack of continued progress, and ineffective adoption and implementation of quality programs have acted strongly in impeding the process of implementing quality programs and subsequent gaining of a competitive edge. Even so, Abdelkader Bakheet Law Firm and Legal Consultants have relied on its staff and expert practice to gain client confidence and competitive advantage.
References
Caulat, G. & DeHaan, E. (2006). Virtual peer consultation: How virtual leaders learn. Organization & People 13(4): 8-12.
Clark, T. & Fincham, R. (2002). Critical consulting: new perspectives on the management advice industry. Oxford: Blackwell.
Critchley, B., Higgins, J. & King, K. (2006). Field Research into the Practice of Relational Consulting. New York: Ashridge Consulting.
Kakabadse, N. K. (2006). Consultant’s Role: A qualitative Inquiry from the consultant’s Perspective. Journal of Management Development, 25 (5): 416-500.
Mughan, T., Lloyd-Reason, L., & Zimmerman, C. (2004). “Management consulting and international business support for SMEs: Need and obstacles”. Education & Training, 46(8): 424-432.
Obaid, H. (2011). Potential for the application of emerging market Z-score in UAE Islamic banks. International Journal of Islamic and Middle Eastern Finance and Management, 4(2), 158-173.
O’Mahoney, J. (2010). Management consultancy”. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Schein, E. (2002). Consulting: what should it mean? in Clark, T. and Fincham, R. (Eds), critical consulting: new perspectives on the management advice industry, Oxford: Blackwell Business..
Soriano, D.R. (2003). The impact of consulting service on Spanish firms. Journal of Small Business Management, 41(4): 409-416.
Sturdy, A. (2009). Popular critiques of consultancy and the politics of management mearning”, Management Learning 40(4): 7.