The Impact of the Organizational Culture on the Implementation of TQM Programs

Abstract

Total quality management (TQM) programs are more likely to succeed if the prevailing organizational culture is compatible with the values and basic assumptions proposed by the total quality management discipline. Organizations looking to implement TQM practices need to have an organizational culture that considers learning fundamental for the survival of the organization. Only with the proper organizational culture and environment, can TQM initiatives be successfully implemented. Organizational culture has long been acknowledged to be important to the success of an organization. It is increasingly evident that top management must have an explicit focus on the development and maintenance of their organizationpsilas culture. By using the relevant literature on organizational culture and total quality management (TQM) including books and journal articles and Web sites, this paper explore the impact of organizational culture on the implementation of total quality management (TQM) in the organization.