Analysis of a cultural change in a Spanish telecommunications firm

This paper analyzes the efforts made by the Telefonica Group (the main Spanish firm in the telecommunications sector) to evolve from a bureaucratic culture to another oriented towards total quality and the customer. The need for this change came as a result of the liberalization in the telecommunications sector in the early 1990s. Through an analysis of the internal documents generated in the process, and also by means of several interviews with executives and consultants who took part in the design and introduction of the change mentioned above, we study the validity and effectiveness of the steps taken. The methodology used by the firm was based on the “bubble‐like” (from one division to the whole organization) and “cascade‐like” (from the top management to the lowest levels) implementation systems, based on the support of strong training, communications and participation programmes.