GLOBAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS - HOW TO MAKE THEIR IMPLEMENTATIONMORE EFFECTIVE AND LESS CULTURE DEPENDENT

In this paper, we present a detailed description of the difference bet ween cultural factors and key system factors for implementation of qua lity management systems. The findings are drawn from observation of th e implementation of quality management programmes in numerous factorie s (electronics, plastic injection, garments, automobile: steel making, etc.) located in Hong Kong/South China, Brazil, Japan and the US. Mor eover, we analyze the failure and success factors for multi-cultural i mplementations. Based on the analysis, we suggest guidelines for a mor e effective and less culture-dependent implementation methodology.