Eureka! Institutional Repository

Total Quality Management (TQM) is a management approach which is significantly different than traditional management models. Its implementation on education has been a subject of research for many decades. As does every management model, TQM, and its very human-centered nature, affects Human Resources Management (HRM) as well. This research tried to pinpoint the attitudes and beliefs the principals of various kinds of educational units have, in an effort to draw conclusions about the HRM practices used in Greek education and about the extent to which these practices are in agreement with HRTQM (Human Resources Total Quality Management). In addition, a comparison is conducted, between the attitudes of the principals of public and private educational units, aiming at a further examination of the difference of beliefs on HRM and how they are affected by the centralized or decentralized nature of the system they are in. The results of this research showed that the most important points where the attitudes and the practices of the principals agree with HRTQM, are the orientation towards the educational results, while hesitating attitudes towards the extroversion of their organization, that TQM prompts, were also detected. As far as the difference of attitudes between the principles of private and public schools is concerned, the results were relatively similar, although the principles of public schools seem more familiar with including internal and external clients in the managerial procedures, while private schools’ principals have clearer goals for their units