Do total quality management and the European Foundation for Quality Management model encourage a quality-oriented human resource management system?

The implementation of TQM in an organisation is one of the most difficult tasks for a company, as it has consequences on employees. The fact that all quality management awards have included personnel management as one of the crucial aspects to follow is a clear evidence of the importance it has for the world of quality management. In the case of the EFQM model, human resources are included on the 'People criterion'. The main predictors over the implementation of a quality‐oriented human resource management system are analysed. Furthermore, the aim of this paper is to analyse the relationship between the People criterion of the EFQM model and TQM, providing empirical assessment. This should provide guidance to organisations in the design of a quality‐oriented HRM system, emphasising their effects on firm performance. For this purpose, the corresponding model has been examined using a sample of 200 medium‐sized Spanish organisations.