Abstract:
There is increasing interest in understanding why quality programs persist or fail in
organisations. Several studies have identified key program success factors, such as top
management support. Recently, several writers have argued that an organisational culture
perspective is a useful framework to analyse program implementation, as it captures multiple
levels of complexity. Here data are presented from fifteen organisations that have quality
programs. These organisations are evaluated through the eyes of their middle managers who
participated in a questionnaire survey. The results suggest that cultures that are most supportive
of a quality program score higher on a number of key measures compared to less well
performing organisations.
