The academic literature reflects remarkably little effort to understand total quality management (TQM) implementation. In this article, the factors that enhance and those that impede quality improvement efforts are phenomenologically assessed. Information drawn from in-depth interviews with 54 corporate quality executives from a broad spectrum of manufacturing and service organizations is used. The findings are summarized in the form of a comparison between quality starters, that is, companies just starting quality improvement efforts, and quality advancers, that is, companies well advanced in TQM implementation. Managerial implications of this research are discussed.