Principles of Business Excellence
Principles of Business Excellence
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Abstract
Introduction
The European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) is a framework that organizations use in measuring some of the strengths of an organization and outlines the areas that might need improvement. This is in relation to the activities undertaken by the organization. The EFQM is an excellence model whose focus is the ability to give excellent services to the people. An organization should be able to use the excellence model, which focuses on ensuring that it provides excellent product and services to the consumers. This also applies to the provision of services to the company’s service users and the stakeholders. By using this model and organization is able to do some self-assessment and link the results they get from the activities that they perform, which determine if this model can make a difference.
The private sector is given accreditation for coming up with this model of quality management model, from which other organizations in the public sector might be able to adopt in order to ensure quality in their activities. When an organization uses this model, it does not have to follow some strict rules and standards (Knight & Howes, 2012, 205). This is because the model is non-prescriptive. Even though the model does not require the organization to follow set rules, the model will perform well in a good organization that has an effective management. The effectiveness also depends on how creative the organization can be, in the management of its activities.
The excellence model is a self-assessing model, whose control is mainly internal. The level of control comes from the management, and there is no possibility of employing an evaluator who is external from the organization. The control should be under the control of the people who are using this model since the level of creativity is internal to the organization. When an organization uses the EFQM model, it is necessary to have an understanding of the impact the model can have in the organization. Apart from understanding the impact of the model, it is also necessary to find ways to measure the impact of the organizations activities after the implementation of the model (Watson, et al 2005, 259)
Discussion of the content structure applied by the organization
The European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) Excellence Model is one of the most reliable and efficient tools for measuring quality and performance in an organization. The model has gained popularity among organizations in Europe and spread over other countries globally. UAE has been one of the latest destinations of the tool with considerable improvements accomplished by organizations that have swiftly adopted the technology (Atkins et al 2011 p. 34). The Excellence Model has accounted for remarkable and exceptional growth and development in the performance of companies as well as organizations that have since embraced the tool. Over 30, 000 organizations within the European Union have adopted the EFQM tool to boost performance and overall output notwithstanding the apparent logistical and management challenges. Since organizations in the UAE embraced the Excellence Model, improved production and performance levels have been evident (Atkins et al 2011 p. 34).
Apparently, the Model supports processes that facilitate self-assessment as well as reflections regarding the achievements of the organizations. Despite the array of issues or challenges many organization experience in a bid to effectively implement the tool, the outcome has been a major boost and source of motivation to employees and management fraternity (Atkins et al 2011 p. 34). According to most organizations in the UAE that have adopted the tool or initiative, the Model has improve organizations to accomplish greater ambitions. In essence, most organizations have realized both short- term and long-term goals and objectives through implementation of the EFQM model. However, obstacles such as logistical issues, reluctance among employees to implementation and implementation costs have derailed the entire process with a section of the organizations reconsidering their stand on implementation and effectiveness of the model. The support and commitment of top management and employees is critical to success in the implementation process. Good leadership, goodwill from the workers and correct strategies are vital to the realization of the benefits of the EFQM model (Atkins et al 2011 p. 34).
The Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority has espoused the Excellence Model as a strategy for measuring its strength as well as weaknesses. It has further assessed all areas that require special improvements using the model. The model guarantees excellence as it is a measure of what the organization is capable of doing, usually do, and provide excellent service to prospective customers or clients, service users and stakeholders. Even the though the origin of the excellence model relies upon the private sector, most public and voluntary sectors of the economy have found wide a range application (Atkins et al 2011 p. 34). The model provides an extensive and coherent set of assumptions about elements that are required or necessary for the success of the organization as well as its management. Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority has wide and extensive plan to enhance performance of its employees by implementing the critical tenets of the model that would augment service delivery to prospective clients and the public in general. The authority has initiated comprehensive plans to facilitate production and delivery of service taking into consideration the necessity to improve quality. Even though Excellence Model non-prescriptive, it has enhanced the realization of the goals of many organizations in Dubai and Middle East region in general notwithstanding the realism about Europe being the foundation of the model (Atkins et al 2011 p. 34).
The organization may employ the Excellence Model as a strategy to manage and develop improvement particularly under the control of organizations that apply the method rather than the famous external evaluator. The Model derives its basis on the premises such as society, results and people results as being the foundation towards realization of the leadership driving strategy and policy. The excellence model comprises nine ideas that facilitate activities of the organization. Apparently, the nine ideas belong to two distinctive categories namely the Enablers and Results. The Enablers are mainly concerned with the way the organization conducts itself, the way it manages its staff, and resources (Taticchi 2010 p. 14). The Enabler criteria also focus how the organization plans its strategy as well as technique or techniques the organization employs in the reviews and monitoring of key processes. The Enabler criteria include leadership, the people, policy and strategy, partnerships and resources, and the processes. Results on the other hand depict the significant achievements of the organization. Results encompass the level of satisfaction among employees of the organization as well as prospective clients. In addition, the Results take into consideration the effect of the Model on a wide community as well as key indicators of performance. Indicators of Results include people results, customer results, society results, and key performance results (Taticchi 2010 p. 14). Every criteria irrespective as to whether an Enabler or Result would have considerable impact on the long term as well as short term goals of the organization.
The model provides holistic framework that attempts to address a range of quality issues as regards the organization and issues related to provision of quality services. Through Results Criteria, the excellence model attempts to ensure its gives enough attention (Taticchi 2010 p. 14). Similarly, the Model offers a clear and detailed diagnosis of an assortment of activities the organization intends to engage in and are useful for planning purposes. In essence, the tool creates a linkage or connection between the activities the organization does including the expected results and ways of achieving such outcomes. An Excellence Model instills the culture and mentality of invariable and steady improvement in employees as well as the management system. In addition, the technique provides a reliable framework for a complete review. The review takes into consideration the various engagements or activities of the organization over several months (Taticchi 2010 p. 14).
The Model does not require external validation. In effect, the excellence model is applicable in the self-assessment process enabling the organization to uphold honesty and possibly allowing easier rating of the performance (Hakes 2007 p. 24). In the wake of the array of challenges in the implementation, Excellence Model has always emphasized consensus building. Consensus building is critical to the process of building confidence, examining strength alongside the areas where the Authority needs to improve. The tool has wide application and applicability in all sectors and organizations with remarkable outcomes accounting for the processes. It can also be used as a bite-sized format and assist organization to understand some or all activities (Hakes 2007 p. 24).
Critical examination of the working of the structures and principles in the organization
The EFQM Modle maintains its position as a leading organization in the global arena. Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority joins the list of over 30, 000 organizations globally. The model has successfully undertaken regular as well as systematic cycles of review in attempt o reflect the true picture of the world (Hakes 2007 p. 24). Apparently, the nine ideas belong to two distinctive categories namely the Enablers and Results. The Enablers are mainly concerned with the way the organization conducts itself, the way it manages its staff, and resources. The Enabler criteria also focus how the organization plans its strategy as well as technique or techniques the organization employs in the reviews and monitoring of key processes. The Enabler criteria include leadership, the people, policy and strategy, partnerships and resources, and the processes. Results on the other hand depict the significant achievements of the organization (Hakes 2007 p. 24).
Results encompass the level of satisfaction among employees of the organization as well as prospective clients. In addition, the Results take into consideration the effect of the Model on a wide community as well as key indicators of performance. Indicators of Results include people results, customer results, society results, and key performance results (Hakes 2007 p. 24). Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority has wide and extensive plan to enhance performance of its employees by implementing the critical tenets of the model that would augment service delivery to prospective clients and the public in general. The authority has initiated comprehensive plans to facilitate production and delivery of service taking into consideration the necessity to improve quality. The Dubai Quality Group (DQG) in collaboration with the EFQM successfully organized a seminar on the EFQM Model 2013. The seminar expounded on the need to embrace the all elements of the Excellence model to enhance growth and performance of organizations within UAE. Besides, the Model has maintained its position as a leading model globally with the DSOA emerging as one of the organizations that have effectively applied the tool in enhancing performance and service delivery (Atkins et al 2011 p. 34).
The benefits of applying the model to the company
Some of the typical benefits that associate with the EFQM Excellence Model basing on the fieldwork in the UAE reflect on leaders, the Dubai Silicon Oasis organization management, and the employees (BARON & HINLEY, 2005, p. 147).
Leader
Basing on the aspect of leadership, the model assists in the delivery of strategy. The model assists the leadership of the Dubai Silicon Oasis organization deliver its strategy through a series of strategized independent processes. These are to ensure that the strategic priorities have translations into the expected right investments to enable the delivery of the organizational goals (BARON & HINLEY, 2005, p. 147). Each of the significant steps involved in the model process is elaborated in the following diagram
INCLUDEPICTURE “http://www.nerc.ac.uk/images/diagrams/delivery-process.gif” * MERGEFORMATINET
The strategized tool through the application of the model in the aspect of leadership combines how the organization combines the delivery of strategy with the perspective of monitoring the progress and the management of performance. This is majorly applicable for the management purposes with the framework of the organization. The management and portfolio planning within the perspective of the model involves a process for ensuring that the investments are aligned to the strategic priorities through action plans. It enables the provision of a corporate visibility of the entire organization’s investment portfolio. The theme leaders play a significant role in the perspective of management and planning through the EFQM Excellence Model. They lead the relative development of the theme actions plans as set by the organization for monitoring the progress in delivering the set plans (BARON & HINLEY, 2005, p. 147).
Once the planning process in the aspect of the organization’s leadership is identified for the delivery of the strategic priorities, the commissioning process is then applied in making the investments. The process applicable sets out the needs of delivering the investments and the selection of the corresponding suppliers. The model also assists in understanding the significant elements that the corresponding organization leaders should carry out. The development of a unique culture is fundamental through the application of the model within the framework of the organization where excellence becomes the norm (HAKES & WILKINSON, 2007, p. 12).
Management
The benefits of the model to the management of the organization involve the linking between the strategies and the daily operations. Engaging the organization employees of the organization in change is also of significance through the model. Employee engagement is critical to the organization competitiveness within the set environment. The employee engagement within the perspective has three fundamental components inclusive of the emotional, cognitive and behavioural aspects. The cognitive aspect of the engagement has concerns with the beliefs of the employee concerning the organization, the leaders and the working conditions (HAKES & WILKINSON, 2007, p. 12).
The emotional aspect reflects on the employees feeling concerning the specified three factors with the consideration as to their positivity and negativity in attitude towards the organization and the leaders within its operation framework. The behavioural aspect of the engagement associate the value-added organization components and consists the discretionary efforts as engaged employees contribute to their corresponding work in the form of brainpower, extra time and the energy that is devoted to the specified task and the organization itself. The model also assists in leading in improvements (HAKES & WILKINSON, 2007, p. 12).
Employees
The model assists in the provision of input towards building a common direction. The model also contributes significantly towards engaging employees in charge with the framework of the organization. Basing on the concept of sustaining development, the organization considers stressing on the economic outcomes basing on the model and pays attention to the environmental effects. The organization is expected to engage in the significant improvement of the employee’s life quality and the overall society considered the essential part of the organizations strategy. The impact of the involvement of the employees as a multifaceted perspective enables the determination of the organizational set goals (COOK, 2004, p. 100).
Through the EFQM Excellence Model, the organization entrust its employees with the responsibility of carrying out the significant duty with reflection on the aspect of qualification. The organization considers training its employees through the application of the model’s elements in accepting the duties and responsibility delegated to them. The organization also considers giving its potential employees recognition and rewards for duty performance diligently. The methods involved with the framework of the EFQM Excellence Model assists in improving and strengthening of the communication amid the employees and the organization top management. Some of the significant employee impact within the framework of the organization includes the aspect of job satisfaction, employee commitment and employee productivity (COOK, 2004, p. 100).
The organization should develop and enact the participation in vital decision-making procedure and policies aligned to the organizations employee participation act. The model contributes significantly to the promotion of the concept of the employee participation in every operation aspect of the organization. This revolves around the perspective of workshops, information dissemination and seminars amongst the organization employees. The model also reflects on the contribution of the organization’s employees to progress (COOK, 2004, p. 100).
The key specified benefits of the EFQM Excellence Model includes the future focus of the organization, key results, sustainability and innovation within the framework and the reactive to the change in the environment of the organization. The fundamental concepts of the EFQM Excellence Model concepts of excellence is shown diagrammatically as below:
With the concept of the EFQM Excellence Model, the achievement of the balanced results involves a start up with the relevant stakeholders within the organization identified with some relating to the existence of performance measures. In the process, the stakeholders of the organization are assessed in a way that is structured with the degree met and measured using data sampled. Within the framework of the EFQM Excellence Model, there are transparent mechanisms that exist to balance the stakeholder requirements and the expectations. The stakeholder-focused performance enables the measuring of the drive improvement (COOK, 2004, p. 100).
The model also has performance indicators that contribute significantly to the well being of the organization. They involve the organization internal measures applied to understand, monitor, predict and improvise the organization’s performance and the impact on the client perceptions. The indicators give a clear understanding of the corresponding effectiveness and efficiency of deployment and execution of strategy and processes with supporting policies. With reliance on the organization purpose, the measures as dictated by the model focuses on the service and product delivery, client relationships, service and support and the external recognition (ICT infrastructure management, 2002, p. 247).
Conclusion
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Reference list
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