Perceived benefits of national quality awards: a study of UAE’s award winning organizations

2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 50-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
Flevy Lasrado

Purpose Although studies of national quality awards and their benefits in fostering organizational excellence are ample in many countries, such relevant studies are rare in United Arab Emirates (UAE). The UAE launched its Business Excellence Awards for the private and public sectors almost two decades ago. The purpose of this study, therefore, is to shed light on benefits that UAE organizations have experienced through the Dubai Quality Award (DQA) and to understand the adoption of key DQA implementation factors. It also discusses implications and provides direction for future research. This study would be useful for managers considering whether to embark on the path of excellence through the DQA. Design/methodology/approach The purpose of this study is to explore the perceived benefits of participating in a quality award process. A total of 13 organizations that received the award between 2010 and 2013 are studied. This limit was set to include as many organizations as possible while not allowing too much time to have elapsed. Secondary data files were received from Department of Economic Development of Dubai. Data were registered in a MS Excel® spreadsheet by categorizing them according to the description of organizational practice, company name and industrial sector. These were then analyzed to extract the benefits and to capture lessons learned in the process. The data were also analyzed in the light of DQA criteria and key actions were recorded. Findings The study highlighted six major perceived benefits of quality awards in the UAE context and the results achieved by winning organizations on their journey of excellence. This study illustrates the enabler and results sides of the DQA in terms of perceived benefits. The analysis of winning organizations shows that a few sectors have been notably awarded. Although, winning organizations in the past four years fairly represent the trading, finance and retail sectors, the DQA is still not sufficiently utilized by all sector organizations. The represented sectors are mainly service-oriented and demonstrate that the key enabler, customer focus, has been given its due importance. As such, these organizations understand customer satisfaction, customer engagement and customer appreciation. Originality/value This is the first step toward an understanding of the current status of best practices of winning organizations on the road to business excellence through the DQA. This can be further developed by measuring business performances through other methods. This study provides an objective depiction of the current level of best practices and perceived benefits of the DQA. This study would be useful for managers considering whether to embark on the path of excellence through the DQA.

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammed Hamdan Alanazi

PurposeA comparative analysis of the validity of business excellence models (BEMs) has rarely been empirically pursued. In addition to their similarities, BEMs exhibit differences in terms of their criteria, relations and emphasis, and some researchers have claimed that it is because these models tend to represent underlying cultural, economic, or social dynamics, as well as global best practices. Based on three such BEMs (the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA) model, the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) model and the King Abdul Aziz Quality Award (KAQA) model), this paper introduces a four-phase study to analyse these models comparatively.Design/methodology/approachThis paper: (1) conceptually delineates the distinctive natures of and differences between the three models; (2) develops a comprehensive measurement model based on the content of these models; (3) reviews the relevant literature on BEMs; (4) discusses the motivation behind this comparative approach and (5) introduces a four-phase study to comparatively analyse these models.FindingsA comprehensive measurement model and three structural models are developed, but empirical tests have not been performed. This developed approach is introduced here as a first step in the advancement of our understanding of BEMs and their underlying theory.Originality/valueThe range of variability and complexity of BEMs—i.e. a holistic and comparative empirical view of BEMs—have not so far been fully considered, and findings in this domain tend to be inclusive, while some of the underlying relations of these models have not been investigated. This paper contributes to filling these research gaps.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tatiana Salimova ◽  
Su Mi Dahlgaard-Park ◽  
Lyudmila Biryukova ◽  
Julia Palkina ◽  
Natalia Vatolkina

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to review the Russian Federation Government Quality Award (RFGQA) over its 25-year existence. Design/methodology/approach This paper looks into the evolution, model and key provisions of RFGQA, based on the authors’ long-time experience as an Award assessor. Apart from that, methodologically, this study uses the desktop research method, comparative literature review. Findings The research results show that RFGQA over its 25 years has become the most popular approach to the development of organizational excellence for Russian enterprises and organizations, regardless of the sphere of activity. Research limitations/implications This paper presents the core results of RFGQA’s 25-year existence. The comparison of the current Russian Quality Award model with the new European Foundation for Quality Management model is not analyzed. Originality/value This research paper extends current knowledge of national quality awards and presents an original set of information about RFGQA, its methodology and results.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stanislaus Lobo ◽  
Premaratne Samaranayake ◽  
Kenan M. Matawie

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to propose a national framework for promoting business excellence (NFPBE) using a quality management assessment framework (QMAF) with information knowledge communication (IKC) as an enabler.Design/methodology/approachThe NFPBE using the plan–do–check–act (PDCA) cycle is developed, re-enforcing key quality management aspects/areas including national quality awards, QMAF summary and national innovation programmes using a meta-analysis.FindingsThe operationalising of the NFPBE is enabled and supported by an auditing tool to assess the degree of mentoring provided by universities/research institutions/consulting firms to participating firms whose progress will be assessed by the QMAF. It was emphasised that the success of the framework requires the buy-in of national governments to support the programme through stimulus incentives such as government assistance with the costs of research and development, and cooperative research ventures between universities and companies.Research limitations/implicationsThe framework is conceptualised into a process flowchart, which is a blueprint to advancing business excellence in organisations at a national scale. The study is limited to only the conceptualisation of the framework. Therefore, an extended study of the framework implementation/application is required for revealing implementation guidelines.Practical implicationsThe national framework has a propensity to enhancing the business excellence of organisations at a national level. Therefore, quality managers and policy makers could use the framework to understand the quality management shortfalls and consider strategies to achieving business excellence.Originality/valueThis research study proposed a blueprint to advancing quality excellence in organisations at a national level, guided by several quality frameworks.


2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 716-734 ◽  
Author(s):  
Flevy Lasrado ◽  
Christopher Uzbeck

Purpose Organizations worldwide use national quality awards for improving organizational excellence. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) launched its business excellence awards for the private and public sectors almost two decades ago. Within the past dozen years, UAE companies have made considerable progress in introducing and developing their quality management systems. The purpose of this paper is to report the advance of UAE organizations in business excellence initiatives and highlight the contributions of the award-winning organizations in adopting business excellence approach. Design/methodology/approach This research used a qualitative approach to study award-winning organizations. Initially, secondary data were gathered from the Office of Department of Economic Development which is responsible for the administration of the Dubai Quality Award (DQA). Data were entered and categorized according to the description of organizational practice, company name, industrial sector and DQA criteria. The data were then analyzed using NVivo 10.0 software. Findings The DQA fosters and guides the excellence journey of aspiring organizations not only to win a quality award, but to strengthen their quality initiative through an informative assessment report. The DQA model was perceived by all organizations as a useful approach to quality improvement. Winning organizations have exhibited unique programs developed to embrace the DQA factors. Recommendations for aspiring organizations are discussed. Originality/value This paper should help managers to plan their journey toward business excellence and to create greater awareness of excellence frameworks and their usefulness when embarking on the path of excellence. This paper adds to the knowledge of the UAE’s excellence awards scheme and to the knowledge of business excellence best practices deep rooted in multi-cultural organizational environments. It highlights future research avenues for excellence frameworks.


2015 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jose Arturo Garza-Reyes ◽  
Fred Visnevskis ◽  
Vikas Kumar ◽  
Jiju Antony

Purpose – The paper aims to present a review and comparison of the Russian Federation Government Quality Award (RFGQA) with the three major business excellence models, Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA), European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) Award and Deming Prize. Design/methodology/approach – The paper briefly reviews the RFGQA through a desk-top research method. Then, it adapts the comparative approach used in a similar study by Vokurka et al. (2000). Thus, the comparative analysis consisted in contrasting two characteristics of the RFGQA with those of the MBNQA, EFQM Award and Deming Prize, namely, award descriptors (i.e. objectives and criteria) and emphasis placed on excellence criteria (i.e. weighting). The study also includes a mapping assessment to explore up to what extent the RFGQA addresses the criteria of the major models. Findings – Although the RFGQA was designed based on the concept and structure of the EFQM model, the results of the study indicate that there are still differences among them, especially in terms of internal business processes. RFGQA finds more differences with the MBNQA and Deming Prize excellence models than with the EFQM. Practical implications – This research would benefit organisations and managers in Russia, as they will be able to acquire a deeper knowledge on the RFGQA. This may facilitate its awareness and implementation. Originality/value – The paper expands the current knowledge in the area of quality management and models for business excellence, as it is among the very first investigations to have studied the RFGQA model.


2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 305-331
Author(s):  
Nitin Gupta ◽  
Prem Vrat

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to compare some major National Quality Award/Business Excellence Models (NQA/BEM) in terms of the criteria employed and their relative weights. It shows that these models vary both in terms of criteria and their weights. Whereas some of them are changing weights frequently, others are almost static. It employs the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to allocate scores to 12 criteria identified in the model by Agrawal et al. (1998) to propose a modified quality award model similar to that. The six quality award models used in the USA, Canada, Europe, Australia, Japan and India are compared with the proposed model using AHP and their relative rankings are obtained. Design/methodology/approach First, a literature review is done to identify various quality award models globally, with their features being compared. Furthermore, paired comparison technique is used to rationalize the relative weights of proposed 12 criteria, and then AHP is again used to rank this proposed model with six major award models. Findings This paper shows that the six NQA models vary substantially on parameter weights. They do not include some relevant criteria to evaluate the organizational performance holistically. It also reveals how some models have been revising criteria weights very frequently, whereas others are static. In some models, the results get much higher weightage than enablers, and hence the performance may not be sustainable. The modified Agrawal et al. (1998) model is taken as a base model, with weights rationalized in it using the AHP. The rankings obtained using AHP reveal that proposed model scores over the other six prominent quality award models. The result also reveals that for organizational excellence, the quality of people plays a major role in the successful implementation of quality processes. Hence, it is very important to focus on improving the quality of people before expecting improvement in the quality of products and services. Research limitations/implications The paired comparison results are based on the researchers’ own perception and do not consider interdependence among the criteria, which is a limitation of AHP. Analytic network process can be further explored to overcome the limitation. The proposed model has not been tested in a variety of real-world situations, which can constitute a scope for further work in the direction. Practical implications The proposed model framework and weightages evolved using AHP can provide a universally acceptable quality award model framework. The companies can adopt it with or without modifications to address their contextual adaptation. It can possibly become a standard model framework globally. This model does not capture the measurement of the softer aspects that impact the people quality. As people play an important role in the success of the implementation of any practice, hence measurement of people quality is another important aspect that can be further studied and researched. Originality/value This comparative study & analysis of National Quality Award/Business Excellence Models using AHP is presented for the first time. The authors have not come across any such studies in their literature review. This paper is an original conceptualization of the application of the AHP on the various Quality Award model parameters, and it has been submitted exclusively to JAMR for publishing.


2015 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 118-123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren Trees

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present enterprise social networking and gamification as two potential tools to help organizations engage Millennial employees in collaboration and learning. Design/methodology/approach – The research provides general descriptions of enterprise social networking and gamification approaches, shares data on adoption of these approaches from APQC’s “2015 Knowledge Management Priorities Data Report” (based on a January 2015 survey of 524 knowledge management professionals) and includes four company examples adapted from APQC’s Connecting People to Content and Transferring and Applying Critical Knowledge best practices studies. The methodology for APQC’s best practices studies involves screening 50 or more organizations with potential best practices in a given research scope area and identifying five or six with proven best practices. APQC then conducts detailed site visits with the selected organizations and publishes case studies based on those site visits. Findings – Enterprise social networking platforms are in place at 50 per cent of organizations, with another 25 per cent planning to implement them by the end of 2015. By providing near-immediate access to information and answers, enterprise social networking helps Millennials learn the ropes at their new workplaces, gives them direct access to more knowledgeable colleagues who can assist and mentor them, and helps them improve their business outcomes by reusing knowledge and lessons learned across projects. Younger workers can also harness the power of social networking to create a sense of belonging and build their reputations in large, dispersed firms, where it is particularly difficult for them to gain visibility. A recent APQC survey indicates that 54 per cent of organizations either currently employ gamification to encourage collaboration or expect to implement it within the next three years. The rush to gamify the enterprise is, at least in part, a reflection of employers’ desire to satisfy Millennials and make them feel connected to a community of co-workers. Although games appeal to a wide range of age groups, Millennials grew up with digital interaction and tend to prefer environments that emphasize teamwork, social learning and frequent feedback – all of which can be delivered through gamification. Originality/value – The value of this paper is to introduce the value of and relationship between enterprise social networking and gamification platforms to human resource (HR) professionals looking to increase engagement and retention rates for Millennial employees.


2015 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-78 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paulo A. Cauchick Miguel

Purpose – In recent decades, a framework for management performance has proven to be an important management practice for achieving organisational performance excellence. In this sense, the purpose of this paper is to analyse how a specific company manages to achieve performance excellence through the attainment of the Brazilian National Quality Award. Design/methodology/approach – The study adopts a case-based approach using a single unit of analysis that might be considered a revealing case. The company studied is one of the largest companies in the information and financial analysis sector in Latin America and is part of a major worldwide corporation. Semi-structured interviews with senior managers and document analysis were used for data collection, with content and inductive analysis performed a posteriori. Findings – The main results outline the approach adopted by the company for each performance excellence award criterion and highlight some of the relevant organisational practices, especially those related to the nature of the company’s businesses. The findings show that the top management has been an essential driving force in transforming the managers at all levels into agents of improvement at the studied company. Additional key points are the deployment of the company’s “shared values” throughout the company and the implementation of a medium- and long-term comprehensive strategic plan focused on the award criteria. The company’s strategic system has been a driving force of its success. Research limitations/implications – For a more extensive empirical validation, further replications using other samples are needed to ensure the external validity of these findings. Originality/value – This paper is one of the few published studies discussing business excellence in emerging economies, which is not observed very often in developing markets. In addition, the paper focuses on promoting a culture of quality, a less common phenomenon in the economies of developing countries than in those of developed nations. Finally, this paper may be useful for practitioners and academics interested in the subject of quality and performance excellence.


Technovation ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 14 (10) ◽  
pp. 657-678 ◽  
Author(s):  
T.Diana L.v.A. de Macedo-Soares ◽  
S.G.R. Chamone

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gururaj Upadhyaya ◽  
Subrahmanya Bhat K

PurposeThe purpose of this empirical study intends to explore the contingency effect of the adoption of some specific quality initiatives (QI), on the correlation of some performance measures (PMs) with the “interacting” QI and quality award (QA) models through the continuous improvement (CI) journey of Indian QA winners.Design/methodology/approachA survey questionnaire was administered to the Indian Quality Award winners. Data collected from a survey were followed by validity and reliability analyses of the instrument. Hypotheses were tested using Spearman's correlation test and Fisher's Z-test.FindingsSome specific QI that affected the correlation between PMs and research questions representing the interaction among QI and QA models during different stages of the CI journey of organizations were identified. PMs that correlated with interacting QI and QA models through the above stages of CI journey were also identified.Practical implicationsA preliminary inference on QI to be adopted and the PMs to be focused upon during the different periods of CI journey of Indian organizations was arrived at. This could help practitioners in proper choice of QI and to focus upon “realistic” PM through different stages of the CI journey of organizations.Originality/valueThis study attempts to fill the gap of scarce holistic studies on the long-term performance implications of interacting QI and QA through the CI journey of organizations.


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