A comparative study of critical quality factors in Malaysia, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Libya

There is an increasing awareness about the significance of Total Quality Management (TQM) as a tool for improving work culture and organisational efficiency. However, there is a gap in the understanding of how and why the challenges of consolidating TQM differ from one cultural setting to another. This paper compares and contrasts quality visions and practice in five countries: Malaysia, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Libya. On the basis of such comparison, the paper proposes a model of international benchmarking for successful implementation of TQM. The paper argues that while the model derives from the cultural settings, corporate conditions, visions and experiences of developing countries (Africa, Middle East and Asia), it potentially carries the making of a generic framework for successful implementation of TQM in other developing countries.