Abstract: This paper presents the results of the empirical study conducted in 68 Spanish private firms which are immersed in the implementation process of the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) excellence model, according to the Excellence in Management Club (the official representative and partner of EFQM in Spain which is a non-profit making organisation with the aim of being the reference and meeting point for organisations on their way towards excellence). The objective of this paper is to explore the main barriers of Total Quality Management implementation through the EFQM excellence model in Spanish private firms. The methodology consists of a descriptive analysis and factor analysis in order to determine the importance and the structure of these barriers. Finally, cluster firms and these groups are analysed to establish their profile by cluster analysis. The results show that the most important barriers are those related to the lack of time and the lack of physical and financial resources. The structure of barriers in these firms is made up of three groups: behavioural and cultural barriers, organisational barriers, and resource barriers. Cluster analysis reveals that there are three different firm profiles: highly hampered firms, moderately hampered firms, and firms hampered mainly by lack of resources.

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