The literature on quality management practices is reviewed. Theory development and rigorous empirical research in this discipline is a relatively recent phenomenon. Defining the term quality has very much been an inexact science. Empirical studies of quality practices initially focused on the identification of core quality practices. Notwithstanding the cumulative shortcomings associated with much of the initial literature that emerged in this discipline, recent empirical research has extended theory development and testing in the field of quality management, particularly in the context of contingency perspectives. Such contributions reflect the fact that research in the discipline, from an evolutionary perspective, is still very much at a preliminary stage of development and does not match the level of sophistication apparent in other management disciplines such as strategy or organizational behavior.