Abstract : Total Quality Management (TQM) was established and used in developed countries as a new philosophy for managing organizations. However, TQM in developing countries has received little attention, and little research has been conducted into the successful implementation of TQM systems in these countries. The research described in this project assesses the readiness of the Arab Open University to implement total quality management (TQM) within the institution. To measure this readiness, the researcher studied the relationship between the dimensions of TQM and the implementation of TQM. Both a self-administered survey and an online survey were employed to fulfill the study objectives. Both aimed to determine the relationship between TQM barriers and the implementation of TQM in order to measure the readiness of the Arab Open University to adopt the TQM program within the institution. All employees were targeted, from top to low levels, because total quality management is concerned with total employees' involvement. Analysis of the data identified five potential impediments to the successful implementation of TQM. These impediments are related to strategy, structure, human resources, context, and procedures The results indicate that the AOU has a high readiness to implement TQM in terms of organizational strategy, human resources, contextual, and procedural dimensions, whereas the readiness in terms of structural dimensions is moderate. In general, this would have a critical impact on improving the AOU's competitiveness. The study has made an original contribution to the academic and practical knowledge of quality management. This is an important first descriptive empirical study of TQM implementation in a private university in the Kingdom of Bahrain. The researcher recommended that the AOU should not leave the matter to chance; it should rather set up a well-defined and clearly structured innovation program that is the outcome of the participation of, and aims at the involvement of, all employees. Some recommendations for further research have been derived from this research