Affiliations: Rua Fernando Emílio Wendhausen 243, 88037 230 Florianópolis SC, Brazil
Correspondence:
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Postal address: Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Campus Universitário, Trindade, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil, CCE/EGR, CEP 88040-900. Tel.: +55 48 2319705; Fax: + 55 48 2319988; E-mail: ffialho@matrix.com.br.
Abstract: If one admits that knowledge is represented inside our minds by the use of language, it seems a good hypothesis to intend that cultural representation of the world can be perceived by the study of the etymology of the spoken words. Total Quality Management is being adopted all around the world as a miraculous medicine for all kind of organizational diseases, without taking into account the different cultural meanings of expressions like ‘work’, ‘worker’, ‘quality’, etc. In Latin languages, the word ‘work’ derives from ‘tripalium’, to torture with a kind of stick with three ladder pieces in the point. In a global world, without borders, competitiveness seems to be the key to survival, and the Japanese model of success is the leitmotif used for changing the production system all around. Cultural aspects inherent to each region are forgotten. This article tells about TQM implementation in Brazil signaling the similarities between Taylorism and the practical implementation of total quality programs.
Keywords: TQM, Taylorism, Third World, control practices
