The Path to Quality Achievement through Teamwork plus Commitment

The South African management style can be best described as conservative. Whilst the need to achieve quality, especially within the automotive industry, is ever increasing, the South African style of management is also under the same pressure to change. Teamwork and commitment are ingredients that have been shown to be important elements of quality programmes used in Japanese industry. The focus of this article is therefore on participative approaches to what is termed “quality achievement” by the author. It reviews the type of company‐wide quality programme that would be acceptable in the South African context and form a catalyst in changing management style while improving quality.