Abstract
To improve the conditions of implementation of the Total Quality Management system (TQM), we propose a method, which aims at identifying the distance existing between the culture of a given company and the prescribed culture of a “packaged” system TQM. The grid of cultural reading is built starting from an analysis of contents carried out on texts of reference as regards quality. It makes it possible either to reason the choice of the quality system, or to adapt an existing system, or to build more elaborate strategies of changes.