M S Ray
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21 May, 2026
Recently, I came across a thought-provoking post on LinkedIn written by a highly respected certification body auditor.
The discussion centered around a difficult but very real question: “What should an auditor do when there is a visible lack of top management commitment?”
The conclusion expressed was both painful and realistic: “If I do not certify the organization, some other certification body — possibly even an accredited one — may still certify them.”
That statement reflects a troubling reality of parts of the certification industry today.
And honestly…I both agree and disagree.
I agree because yes, unfortunately, such situations do exist.
There are organizations that may eventually find someone willing to certify them despite weak leadership commitment, superficial implementation, or poor organizational culture.
But at the same time…I disagree.
Because my own professional conscience tells me: “That does not mean I must compromise.”
And perhaps that is exactly where true Quality Culture begins.
Quality culture does not begin with procedures, templates, manuals, or certificates framed on walls. It begins with leadership principles.
Organizations like Rolls-Royce or Ferrari did not become global symbols of excellence because of compromise-driven leadership.
They became role models because of their uncompromising commitment toward:
Certification is voluntary. Nobody is forced to pursue ISO 9001:2015 certification. A compromised certification can become a deception against the trust placed by customers, regulators, stakeholders, employees, and society itself. But once an organization voluntarily chooses that journey, what prevents it from using the system to truly transform itself into a world-class organization?
What glory does a certificate really bring if products fail, the customers suffer, recalls occur, litigation increases, reputation collapses, or business continuity is threatened?
A certificate without culture eventually becomes decoration. And decoration alone never built great organizations.
One of the greatest misunderstandings surrounding audits is the belief that the auditor’s role is merely to “pass” or “fail” organizations.
A mature auditor understands that auditing is fundamentally about:
Unfortunately, in some organizations, audits are treated almost like police interrogation exercises.
In one organization I audited years ago, I slowly sensed that employees were visibly uncomfortable speaking openly during interviews. Responses were unusually short. People appeared nervous. There was hesitation in communication.
Eventually, I learned that their consultant had apparently advised employees, “Speak less.” “Answer only to the point.” And “Do not volunteer information.”
The atmosphere was unintentionally made to feel as though a CBI investigator would arrive to interrogate suspected offenders. That moment troubled me deeply.
Because when organizations begin viewing auditors as threats rather than improvement partners, a dangerous culture starts developing:
And when that happens, the audit slowly degenerates into a mere “pass/fail exercise.” The real purpose of auditing then gets lost.
A meaningful audit should help organizations understand:
An audit should create awareness. Not fear.
In my book Transform Your Life & Business – The ISO Way, I shared a real incident I personally experienced during an audit assignment many years ago. Same organization I mentioned above. The organization was technologically impressive. Infrastructure-wise, it was among the finest facilities we had audited.
The management had invested heavily in systems, equipment, and operational excellence. There was tremendous energy and capability throughout the organization.
But during interactions with employees, I sensed something deeply concerning. People appeared frightened by the word: “Nonconformity.”
Eventually, I understood why. There was reportedly an internal directive that if nonconformities were raised:
The organization had unknowingly created a culture of fear around auditing. And suddenly, I found myself in a deeply uncomfortable professional situation. If I remained silent, I would compromise my integrity.
If I aggressively escalated everything without dialogue, I might damage trust and trigger defensive behavior that would add little value.
Interestingly, some auditees privately approached us requesting: “Please tell us the issue privately. We will immediately correct it. Please do not raise a nonconformity.”
I understood their fear. But I also understood something else. If organizations become afraid of the findings, the system itself starts to weaken.
Because nonconformities signal problems, addressing them on time prevents larger failures in the future.
That evening, during a dinner hosted by the organization, I requested an open conversation with the General Manager.
I explained respectfully, “You lead one of the finest organizations we have recently audited in terms of infrastructure, technological capability, and visible investment toward quality.”
I also told him, “Your people are talented. Your systems show tremendous potential. Your leadership has already demonstrated commitment by investing so much into operational excellence.”
But then I added gently. “However, your organization still has room for improvement. And everyone appears uncomfortable by the word ‘nonconformity.’”
I explained further: “If I do not raise genuine findings, I will feel compromised in my professional duty. And if those issues become the root cause of future failures tomorrow, then I would feel I have done an injustice — not only to myself professionally, but also to your organization that trusted us enough to invite us and pay for this audit.”
Then I shared something simple: “In life and examinations, we rarely achieve 100%. Even with 80% or 90%, we still get distinction.”
Auditors look for conformity. And where systems are substantially effective, a few nonconformities do not necessarily result in an immediate collapse of the recommendation. But that does not make them insignificant. Minor nonconformities are not “minor” because they are unimportant. They are minor because they do not immediately threaten the integrity of the entire management system. However, if ignored, they can eventually become the source of serious organizational problems.
That is why they require correction, root cause analysis, and corrective action. Timely
Technically, I could have chosen a far more aggressive auditing approach earlier and escalated concerns regarding leadership commitment itself.
And perhaps from a strict compliance perspective, I may not have been entirely wrong. But would that alone have added real value? I am not certain.
What truly created improvement, I think, was dialogue, rust, principled firmness, and leadership willingness to listen. Without compromising auditor independence, the audit can still be value-added.
The next morning, something remarkable happened. The General Manager spoke to his management team. And instead of becoming defensive…he encouraged openness.
He instructed the team to accept nonconformities positively and address them systematically through root cause analysis.
At that very moment, I witnessed culture beginning to change. Not because of procedures. Not because of the auditor. But because leadership behavior changed. The fear level in the room visibly reduced. Communication became more honest. People became more willing to discuss weaknesses openly.
That was the real beginning of Quality Culture.
The following day, I raised a major nonconformity regarding a serious issue affecting product validation and the business's reputation.
When I explained the concern to the General Manager, he accepted it positively. There was no argument. No hostility. No attempt to suppress the finding. Within days, the organization addressed the issue effectively.
The validation results later proved satisfactory. An unbranded free gift paired with a branded product to create an attractive deal became their own brand, earning management’s confidence.
Interestingly, the issue involved residual shampoo admixture during the changeover between two product brands — material that remained in the production pipeline during the transition. They do not meet either brand's standards, in terms of color consistency, Fragrance, and appearance, viscosity, etc., but it's good to go as a new, validated, safe-for-use product at a reduced cost instead of being wasted or thrown away. This organization was an outsourced producer of some leading brands.
I completely agree that organizational culture starts from top management.
That is precisely why W. Edwards Deming focused so heavily on educating business leaders and top management teams.
The transformation of post-war Japanese industry did not happen merely because of inspection systems or procedures. It happened because leadership embraced quality as a philosophy. They built culture. No conscious deviation, not even unconsciously, when no one is watching. I have personally seen this at Sumitomo. That is why “Japan Inc.” became a global symbol of quality excellence. And the same principle remains true today.
Organizations with compromising leadership, a fear-driven culture, superficial implementation, and accommodating audits may still obtain certificates.
But they will never fully realize the transformative power that ISO 9001:2015 was truly designed to deliver.
As auditors, we are not police officers. Nor are we salespeople for certification.
A good auditor must remain objective, principled, evidence-based, and professionally courageous. And these are not Bookish -They Must be in real life. At the same time, auditing should not become an ego-driven exercise. A truly great audit encourages organizations to improve without compromising integrity.
That delicate balance is where professional auditing becomes both an art and a responsibility.
Ultimately, Quality Culture starts when leadership accepts reality, organizations stop fearing nonconformities, auditors remain principled, and improvement becomes more important than appearances.
Because nonconformities do not destroy organizations. Ignoring them does.
A certificate may impress the market temporarily. But only culture sustains excellence over time. And perhaps that is the real difference between organizations that merely become certified……and organizations that truly become world-class.
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M S Ray
Managing Director and Founder of TCB Cert. Worldwide Group
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