TOTAL QUALITY SYSTEMS SURVIVE, CULTURES CHANGE

Criticisms of total quality management (TQM) are now emerging and ther e is a prospect that TQM will be discarded prematurely. Taking Austral ia as the focus of attention, it is argued that TQM can contribute to improved international competitiveness-though TQM alone does not guara ntee success. TQM goes beyond earlier piecemeal techniques such as qua lity circles and requires a strategic, organization-wide change progra mme. Two different approaches to quality management are outlined and t heir operation in a manufacturing and a service organization is review ed. While standards-based approaches are more suited to the manufactur ing industry, culture-based approaches are more fragile and difficult to implement. it is argued that primary emphasis should be given to st andards-based approaches and culture-based interventions can then be u sed to support the standards-based systems.