Quality management: a comparison of cultural differences

In this article we study the way the quality of leadership, human resource (HR) systems, manufacturing system and company performance are related and whether this relationship is dependent upon a specific business culture. Us ing data from UK, representing one culture, and Australia and New Zealand r epresenting another, we have indicated that a universal structure between t he mentioned four business components exists and that this structure is ind ependent of the cultural setting within the areas we have chosen for this s tudy. The main hypothesis is that the quality of leadership is unconditiona l, while the probability of both a high-quality HR system and a high-qualit y manufacturing system is conditional upon leadership quality. Finally, the level of performance is conditional upon the joint effect of the quality o f the HR system and the quality of the manufacturing system. This hypothesi s is clearly supported by the data and, furthermore, data support that the structure is independent of country. These conclusions mean, as we have als o seen from a number of other studies that the choice of leadership style i s crucial to the success of business operations and, hence, to the ultimate performance of the company.