Publications and free downloads

Free D&D downloads about Excellence

We put here some of our own papers and slides that we have produced on the subject of Excellence which can be downloaded (each one opens in a new window). Unless indicated they are consistent with the 2010 EFQM Excellence Model. Feel free to use the information they contain for your own non-commercial use, but they are our copyright so we would appreciate attribution. We would clearly not want to see them used by others for gain.

Current papers about Excellence and self-assessing with the Model

"Thoughts on the definition of Organisational Excellence": a short note with some of our further thoughts on the EFQM definition of Excellence. It also shows the alignment between porridge and the Excellence Model!
"Self-assessing for Excellence" : a brief introduction to understanding your organisation with the EFQM Excellence Model. It was first written for our good friend David Howard of Management-NewStyle (whose own site can be reached via our Links page). This paper still relates to the old Model, but the approaches are still relevant.
"How many reasons for not using the EFQM Excellence Model are just excuses?" : a short article giving some typical reasons heard for not using the Model, and our comments about them.
"The 2006 Companies Act: UK Company Law catches up with the EFQM Excellence Model!": Section 172 of the UK's Companies Act 2006 embeds the concept of Enlightened Shareholder Value (ESV) into company law. It is now one of company directors' statutory responsibilities, and has some strong resemblances to the Excellence Model. This paper still relates to the 2010 Model, but the thoughts are still relevant.

Copies of slides relating to the Excellence Model

Society Results: we were asked to give a short talk about Society Results in the Excellence Model to a BQF networking group. We just tried to cover some of the theory, and then how it should be driven to improve the organisation, not just satisfy assessors. You can see here a mind-map of some of our ‘Thoughts on Society Results’.
Excellence Model and Balanced Scorecard alignment: this slide shows one simple alignment between the Model and the Scorecard. We think a key benefit of both tools is encouraging thinking about how results are achieved, and how the organisation's strategy is delivered. The arrows represent the 'Review' for improvement that is appropriate for both. We think the main difference is the timing of use: balanced scorecard is typically used for managing on an ongoing basis, whereas a comprehensive Excellence Model self-assessment is usually carried out annually.
'Initiative Overload': another frequently requested pair of slides. The first shows a random (not comprehensive) selection of organisational initiatives - in the private and public sectors. The second slide shows how the same initiatives can be allocated to the 9 Criteria of the Excellence Model - bringing some order to what can sometimes feel like chaos. It is much simplified, as most initiatives will in fact impact more than the one Criterion we have shown.

Miscellaneous

Management Baloney Generator: based on a shorter buzzword generator we saw many years ago, we've put together a framework with which you can create your own three word (meaningful or meaningless) management phrase. Don't worry about attributing if using this one - it's only a bit of humour!

Archive : old papers about Excellence

The following articles are earlier versions that have been updated and superseded by those shown above in the list of current papers. We know that some students use references to our articles in their work, dissertations, etc, and so we feel it may be helpful to leave some early versions here - they are mainly ones where changes have been more substantive.

“Definitions of Business (or organisational) Excellence ” from 2006
“The Fundamental Concepts of Organisational Excellence - A Blueprint for Success ” from 2006
“How many reasons for not using the EFQM Excellence Model are just excuses? ” from 2006
“The 2006 Companies Act: UK Company Law catches up with the EFQM Excellence Model! ” from 2008
"The Fundamental Concepts of Organisational Excellence - A Blueprint for Success": this was our own brief overview to simplify the Fundamental Concepts on which the EFQM Excellence Model 2010 was based. The 2013 Model itself has simplified the explanations so our version is not really neede now.
"It's assessment, Jim, but not as you know it" : some creative uses of the EFQM Excellence Model, including assessing effectiveness of project design and implementation, and supplier/partner selection. This paper refers to the old Model, but the alternative approaches it talks about are much more widely known now so we have decided to ‘archive’ it.
An Excellence publication in Russian. This article was led by our good friend Dmitri Maslow and his colleague Alex Shestakov, who then invited Derek to join them as authors and contribute some of our thinking. It was published (July 2006) in the journal 'Methods of Quality Management' in Russia, and we thank them for allowing us to use a copy: 'A Useful Model from the EFQM: Preventive Maintenance of a Management System'.
Not a download, but this page seems a relevant home. Derek was invited by leading UK management writer Bob Heller to contribute an article to CEO Today. Written in 2007, it summarised some research that has shown that the Excellence Model can work, and was approved by EFQM. You can read the electronic version on The Thinking CEO website.

The EFQM Excellence Model Companion has been retired!

In autumn 2011 we published our own interpretation of the Model. It was intended to supplement the official Guide to Excellence to the 2010 version of the Model, using our experience to explain in plain language what we saw as the underlying meaning of the criterion parts of the Model. It was well received and we were delighted by the following endorsement:

“What you have done is the most practical interpretation of the EFQM model I have ever seen”
Feedback from one of our long-standing Excellence friends in Europe who has about 15 years experience of the Model.

We are now similarly delighted to see that our simplification of the Model's language seems to have influenced the EFQM, and the core Model review team, as the 2013 version of the Excellence Model uses much plainer language. We have therefore 'retired' our Companion, safe in the knowledge that once again we have been able to influence Excellence for the good.