Organizational culture and construction total quality management practices

Abstract

The adoption and implementation of Total Quality Management (TQM) are related to a companya??s culture. This study investigates, from the organizational culture perspective, the relationship between cultural orientation and the implementation of TQM practices among local contractors certified to ISO9001: 2000. The Competing Values Framework was used to assess organizational culture and eight TQM elements were identified from literature to gauge the implementation of TQM practices among the contractors. Survey questionnaire was administered to solicit their responses. 56 responses were received from the survey.Four organizational culture types have been identified from the survey findings. These are strong comprehensive, clan-driven, hierarchy-driven, and weak comprehensive culture. Firms with strong comprehensive culture implement highly the TQM elements of top management leadership, people, process, customer, and supplier management. Firms with clan-driven culture implement highly the element of process management while firms with hierarchy-driven and weak comprehensive culture implement lowly to moderately all elements.