Total Quality Management (TQM) is a relatively recent concept which constitutes an important parameter in any company’s competitivity. Today, quality concerns every Algerian company since it must rival big companies in terms of the economic liberation policy. For effective application, TQM requires the availability of a certain number of conditions and leadership qualities. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine these conditions and qualities. For this purpose and according to their organizational levels, the studied companies were classified into three groups using the Principal Component Analysis (PCA): quality control, quality assurance, and TQM to identify the criteria governing each company in each level, and then deduct the conditions of quality management. As a result, the study found that although some Algerian companies have ISO certificates, they do not apply some of the crucial quality elements like leadership and lack the strategic vision of quality. It is recommended that the companies execute global quality management rules and their requirements to earn the ISO certificate and encourage teamwork and managers’ individual initiatives by giving them more independency.
total quality, leadership, PCA
