Exploring the impact of culture on quality management

On the more fundamental level total quality management (TQM) is based on a number of core values. Implementing these values requires a cultural transformation of the company. The purpose of this study is to add more understanding of how the fundamentals of TQM are viewed in different cultural settings. Hypotheses are formed regarding possible correlations between values of quality management and cultural dimensions. The hypotheses are tested with a questionnaire answered by quality managers from the SKF group from 30 countries world‐wide. It is found that the cultural dimensions of uncertainty avoidance and individualism‐collectivism have an influence on the values of TQM. This influence is described and the managerial implications of it are discussed.