This paper addresses issues and the viability of applying participatory management (PM) to education, with focus on Total Quality Management (TQM). Following a description of PM techniques with an TQM focus and a historical overview of Deming's management theory, four stages of team growth experienced during the implementation process are described--forming, storming, norming, and performing. Thirteen barriers to the institutionalization of PM practices are identified, some of which include: employees' fear of changes in the organization of work; adversarial management-employee relations; a view of PM as a quick fix; lack of commitment and leadership; and lack of team member training. Solutions are offered to each of the barriers, some of which include: establish a clear policy; use trained facilitators; provide training and inservicing of administrators and employees; emphasize the process as well as the product; and provide team rewards. In conclusion, PM and TQM are viable alternatives to current western management practices in corporations and schools. One table is included. (LMI)