Organisational culture and quality improvement

This article has two main sections. The first section presents the theoretical underpinnings for the development of a cultural analysis model that companies should undertake prior to embarking on a TQM programme. The PCOC model (Personal, Customer orientation, Organisational and Cultural issues) which is derived from the Hofstede approach to cultural analysis, was used to determine whether the development of a questionnaire to measure the culture and the organisational environment could be achieved. The model also provides an organisational climate analysis which can then be compared with results from the cultural analysis. Describes a seven step approach whereby companies can operationalise the PCOC model to their organisation. The second section of the article presents the findings from the use of an organisational culture assessment model, PCOC, within four financial services organisations (FSOs). The returns for each of the FSOs were analysed against the returns for the four organisations as a whole. The results for each FSO are presented separately. The major issues for each FSO are drawn out using a “t” test to analyse the differences for the FSOs as a whole.