Converging Implementation Strategies in Commercial TQM Initiatives:Implications for the NHS Available to Purchase

Reports on progress in the implementation of quality improvement initiatives, which was tracked over three years at Post Office Counters and Thames Water Utilities as part of a wider evaluation of Total Quality Management (TQM) pilot projects in the NHS. Although the two companies chose very different approaches to quality improvement,tracking shows that there has been progressive convergence over the period of the research. The results suggest that in spite of major differences in cultures, structures, processes and customer bases, all organizations may, in the end, have to implement similar changes to secure continuous improvement within a TQM framework. This has implications for implementing TQM in the National Health Service.