A survey of total quality management in Iran: Barriers to successful implementation in health care organizations

The objective of this research is to investigate the success of TQM and barriers to its successful implementation in health care services organizations in Isfahan province, Iran, 2004.

This descriptive and cross‐sectional research was done via two questionnaires (TQM success and its barriers). The statistical population of this research consists of all managers of health care services organizations who implemented TQM in their organizations (90 managers).

TQM success in Isfahan health care organizations was high. In correlation analyses between the success of TQM and its principles, success, process management and focus on employees had a positive and the greatest effect and focus on material resources and on suppliers had a lower effect. In correlation analysis between the barriers to TQM and the problem dimensions, human resource, strategic and structural problems were the most important obstacles and barriers to TQM successful implementation respectively.

Although conducted in Iran, it is anticipated that the findings may well have relevance on a broader scale.

By replicating this study in different countries and contexts the results could be very fruitful for developing a model of TQM that can be implemented easily, effectively, efficiently and successfully in a cross‐cultural context.