Leading the Change for Quality Enhancement: a Romanian Cultural Perspective

This article comments on leadership and quality enhancement in Romanian companies from a cultural perspective based on the results of three studies performed by the author related to cultural orientations in Romania. Key cultural orientations (as described by Hall, Hofstede, Schein, and Rosinski) are used to debate leading cultural changes needed most in Romanian organizations in order to effectively implement quality management to increase performance and competitiveness. Also, considering the context of Romania’s ongoing process of European integration, the results of the author’s research on key cultural values in Romanian companies are mirrored in relation to a synthesis of dominant European organizational values and their role in creating a culture of quality. Within this framework, it was determined that the change processes needed in Romanian companies must be oriented by a more inspirational, transformational leadership—moving the center of gravity from conservatism, high context communication, polychronism, high power distance, lack of transparency and confidence, and inward orientation to a proactive attitude, dynamism and flexibility, trust, openness, higher valuation of time and performance through innovation, and continuous improvement.