Quality management is a dynamic philosophy that underlines the organisational adaptation and
proactive transformation that enables firms to reap real benefits from market opportunities. The
faster the market changes, the quicker the transformation that is required for sustaining the firm's
internal capabilities and its external competitiveness. Under a competitive pressure, a firm will
need to learn faster and lead in best practice for operational excellence and continuously finding
ways to shield its advantage from imitation.
In the search for determinants for sustainability, this article analyses best practices adopted by
quality award-winning organisations and synthesises a collection of critical factors that could
assist organisations in improving their performance. From a longitudinal learning on how these
leading organisations led themselves into a new sustaining paradigm, the article makes explicit the
factors that were considered of paramount importance to sustainability. These success factors
become a basis for others to leapfrog ahead into a new performance orbit. A proposed model for
sustaining competitiveness has been developed from the creative learning of best practices of
leading organisations. This proposed framework presents companies with an opportunity to
emulate successful implementation of TQ-based initiatives, and to embed these pioneering
concepts, particularly in the context of emerging countries
