Utilisation of business excellence models: Australian and international experience

Abstract

If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractPurpose -The purpose of this paper is to examine the international use of business excellence (BE) models and the practices used by BE framework (BEF) custodians to encourage use. Design/methodology/approach -A literature review, three surveys, a series of focus groups and key informant interviews were conducted. The study involved input from 16 countries and was part of a larger study of how BEFs are designed, reviewed, promoted and deployed within and across nations. Findings -Only two of 16 BEF custodians had a formal measurement system in place to objectively measure the use of BEF by organisations over time. The use of the Australian BEF was lower than previously estimated at 1.3 percent and global use between 4 and 15 percent of organisations. The three most effective practices for assisting organisations in applying BE were tours of best or good practice organisations, publications on BE, and on-line service/database of BE information.Research limitations/implications -While the primary focus was on the Australian context, the findings draw upon a range of international sources and hence are of relevance to all BEF custodians. Practical implications -The findings from the project were used to redesign the ABEF, and are expected to help inform national BE strategies worldwide. Originality/value -The paper updates the current situation regarding the utilisation of BE in 16 countries, with a focus on Australia.

The leadership criterion: challenges in pursuing excellence in the Jordanian public sector

“…Oakland and Tanner (2008) argued that organisational excellence and associated TQM models have benefits to institutions. More specifically, Saunders et al (2008) identify the following reasons to move towards what these various authors identify as "organisational excellence":…”

Deploying business excellence – success factors for high performance

“…Similar to the improvement tools used to implement and sustain BE, the strategies used usually differ considerably between organisations. A study by Saunders et al (2008) pointed to the critical role that BE custodians, the administrators of national BE awards, play in influencing organisations on the tools and strategies to use. BE custodians offer advice and training to organisations wishing to deploy BE with activities such as tours of best practice organisations, publications, on-line information databases of BE cases studies, seminars, conferences, and workshops being considered the most useful.…”

“…The implication is that BE itself is not an independent practice but an initiative which can enable organisations to convert resources or efforts into performance. Studies including those by Saunders et al (2008) and Bolboli and Reiche (2013) have identified pre-requisites or strategies for BE success. These include organisation integration capabilities, appropriate corporate strategy, access to external resources and knowledge, integration of human factors and organisational adaptability.…”

Addressing India's energy trilemma with a customized business excellence model

“…Previous findings pointing to the importance of top management support and committed employees in effective deployment (Choo, Linderman, & Schroeder, 2007) was also reflected in the qualitative feedback. Respondents' opinion that BEM models are difficult to understand can also be found in the literature (Saunders, Mann, &Grigg, 2008 andWongrassamee, Simmons, &Gardiner, 2003), along with their belief that organizational initiatives based on model interpretation may not always be the most important to undertake at a particular time (Rusjan, 2005). Extending that argument, others have shown that organizations usually get caught in measuring what is convenient rather than a balanced set of results (Elhuni & Ahmad, 2014).…”