An analysis of the influence of organisational culture on TQM implementation in an era of global marketing: the case of Syrian manufacturing organisations

Many recent research studies have examined the influence of organisational culture (OC) on the implementation of total quality management (TQM). However, research investigating the impact of OC on TQM implementation in developing countries has been relatively scarce, specifically in Syria. This study aims to fill this gap in the literature by empirically examining the influence of OC on TQM implementation in Syrian manufacturing organisations (SMOs). To achieve this, a questionnaire‐based survey was developed and distributed to 350 middle managers in SMOs. The analysis of the collected data revealed that the adhocracy and group culture types are the most supportive cultures for the implementation of TQM practices. This paper presents new data and empirical insights into the relationship between OC types and TQM implementation in SMOs. The paper concludes with a discussion of the managerial implications of our findings, research shortcomings and suggestions for future research.