The Brussels-based EFQM, formerly the European Foundation for Quality Management, has had a busy 12 months—and its schedule for the coming year doesn’t look to be any less hectic either. Becky Done finds out what changes the Foundation has made in order to reflect today’s business environment, and how it is looking ahead to tomorrow
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ith organisations across the globe jostling for position in today’s altered business line-up, having that competitive edge—and being able to both retain and use it—has perhaps never been quite so important. Management consultancies have identified the current climate as being one for rich pickings—and as companies struggle to recover from the events of the past couple of years and re-organise themselves, there is much low-hanging fruit for the consultants to feast upon. But there is another way for organisations to achieve excellence—and at a fraction of the cost. Backed up with the firepower of more wide-ranging expertise than one management consultancy could ever realistically offer is the EFQM, based in Belgium. EFQM is a not-for-profit membership foundation with more than 500 members across more than 55 countries and 50 industries. The foundation provides a platform for organisations to learn from each other and offers the potential for improved performance. The EFQM Excellence Model is a well-recognised framework for excellence and is the most widely used management model in Europe, having been built up from the experiences of EFQM members over the past 20 years. It aims to enable companies to assess where they are on the path to excellence by helping them to understand their key strengths and potential gaps in relation to their stated vision, mission and strategy. By providing a common vocabulary and way of thinking about the organisation, the effective communication of ideas is facilitated, both within and outside the organisation. To some, the idea of bringing in a new framework may seem daunting, especially if they already have systems and processes in place that seem to be adequate for the job. However, the EFQM Model can act to integrate existing and planned initiatives, removing duplication and identifying gaps. By providing a clear and basic structure for the management system, it will enable the organisation to have a well-defined and constant purpose and thus help focus the delivery of results. The Model aims to help organisations concentrate on systematically applying processes and fact-based assessments that help to make strategic decisions.
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