16. A Study on External and Internal Motivations and Its Influence on the Results of Implementing EN 9100 Standard

EN 9100 is a quality management system standard for the aerospace industry derived from the ISO 9000 standard. The aerospace industry is economically prominent, both worldwide and in Spain. The goals of this paper are (a) to analyze the motivations of Spanish aerospace firms in adhering to EN 9100 standard and (b) to examine whether the type of motivation affects the results of implementing this standard. To accomplish this, both ANOVA and a simple linear regression model were applied to data from the 122 aerospace industry valid survey responses. The results demonstrate that most firms adhere to EN 9100 in the Spanish aerospace industry due to “external” motivations, such as to increase their institutional legitimacy and reputation. Nevertheless, firms, where “internal” motivations such as to improve their operational execution or organizational processes are predominant, showed superior benefits as a result of implementing the standards. The conclusions of this article may be of interest both for academic and professional spheres of activity.