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Proliferation of advanced production technology and challenging competition created by the increasing internationalization of business activities have placed great emphasis on production quality and customer satisfaction. Quality improvement, cost cutting, and profit maximization are critical strategies for coping with the rapidly changing environment of the 1990s. Effective blending of these strategies can be achieved through employing advanced philosophies of production management: total quality management, workforce activity‐based management, or quality of work life. Reviews these philosophies and examines the criteria that contribute to a successful implementation programme as demonstrated in one facility of the world’s largest producer of paper‐machine “clothing”. Concludes by identifying factors that should be considered when designing a model for total quality management. The model emphasizes the integration of the autonomous team concept and the sociotechnical approach of organizational design as a major factor for success.