Organizational culture as a factor in the successful implementation of the TQM concept

Abstract

Continuous work on quality improvement in all business domains, based on employee teamwork and process orientation, is one of the key predictors of maintaining and improving the company's existing competitive position. Organizational culture, as a key factor of the company's internal environment, is an important determinant of the implementation of the concept of total quality management (TQM concept), which is directly reflected in the generation of TQM performance improvement. The conducted empirical research includes a sample of 64 manufacturing companies, with a certified quality management system, in the territory of the Republic of Serbia. Their business practice indicated the existence of a strong direct correlation between the dimensions of organizational culture -the principles of the TQM concept -TQM performance, which is an indicator of the significant impact of organizational culture on generating improvements in any domain of implementing the quality management philosophy and reaching the level of business excellence. The contribution of the paper is reflected in the expansion of the knowledge base and a better understanding of the mutual relationship between internal organizational relations and the quality improvement process.