The Importance of Cultural Change to Implementing Quality Improvement Programs

Based on case study research this paper discusses the adoption of Total Quality Management in seven Australian organisations. It reports on the reasons for adopting TQM, planning and implementation issues, benefits achieved and the limitations and difficulties associated with the introduction of TQM. The analysis concludes that the effect of TQM on an organisation's culture should not be underestimated as it is a radical change to the organisation's strategy which is geared to changing the culture in the long term. The analysis highlights that the principles found for successful introduction of effective cultural change are also applicable when implementing TQM programs in organisations. The paper proposes the implementation of a Cultural Audit as part of successful introduction of TQM into an organisation