A model for sustainable business excellence: implementation and the roadmap

Roadmap to enhance the insertion of social sustainability in logistics systems

Purpose

This article aimed to propose and validate a roadmap to enhance the insertion of social sustainability practices in logistics activities considering the scenario of companies operating in Brazil.

Design/methodology/approach

The initial construction of the aforementioned roadmap was based on a detailed literature review and the fine-tuning as well as validation of it was carried out through a Delphi process developed with professionals specialized in the area of logistics and sustainability.

Findings

As main results, it is highlighted that the validated roadmap includes actions ranging from meeting and adapting legal issues related to sustainability, through the initial diagnosis of the company, motivation and awareness of the importance of social sustainability, followed by encouraging the inclusion of social sustainability practices in logistic activities, and finally, the identification of opportunities for improvement and establishment of execution plans within the organization. The phases and actions of the validated roadmap converge towards restructuring and redefinition of the organizational culture oriented towards meeting sustainable guidelines, and also contemplate the dynamics of seeking continuous improvement throughout all levels and sectors belonging to a given organization.

Originality/value

The originality of this study lies in the fact that the roadmap focuses on the inclusion of social sustainability practices in logistic activities, since, according to the literature, social aspects are still relegated to the background when compared to environmental and economic aspects.

The Impact of ICT Support and the EFQM Criteria on Sustainable Business Excellence in Higher Education Institutions

The problem of sustainable business excellence has been investigated according to different aspects in different fields. For a more detailed analysis, it is necessary to develop an integrative sustainable business excellence model, respecting the baseline model of business excellence according to the European Foundation of Quality Management, with the possibility of defining the relationships and levels of significance of different variables. The primary goal of this paper is to present a developed integrative model to simulate the effects of information and communication technologies, and quality and effects of leadership improvement, as independent variables, on sustainable business excellence in higher education institutions, as a dependent variable. The model was developed by applying dynamic system techniques and evaluated by using statistical methods. In the sample of 17 Serbian and 21 Russian universities, the authors analyzed the information and communication support, leadership and quality, and their impact on sustainable business excellence. According to the simulation analysis, it was concluded that the EFQM model of self-assessment could help produce a more customer-oriented culture in HEIs, through ICT support, leadership and quality criteria enhancements.

Relationship between ISO 9001:2015 and operational and business performance of manufacturing industries in a developing country (Indonesia)

Previous research has emphasized the need to further investigate the impact of ISO 9001 on company performance in the manufacturing sector of developing countries. Indonesia is one of those developing countries where the implementation of ISO 9001 is yet to be adequately researched. The Indonesian automotive manufacturing industry is still unable to compete with Malaysia and Thailand even though many companies have implemented ISO 9001. This study aimed to examine the relationship between ISO 9001 and operational (productivity, customer satisfaction, and product quality) and business (sales growth, profit rate, and market share) performance of Indonesian automotive component manufacturing industries. It also aimed to identify major obstacles in the effective implementation of ISO 9001. Multiple linear regression analyses about operational and business performance were employed for this purpose. The sample size comprised 50 automotive component manufacturing industries located in the Jakarta, Bogor, Tangerang, and Bekasi region of Indonesia. The study demonstrates that the implementation of the ISO 9001:2015 quality management system has a significant positive impact on the operational performance as well as the business performance. Additionally, the operational performance has a significant positive impact on the business performance. This study also reveals the major obstacles in the effective implementation of ISO 9001 in the manufacturing industry, which include a lack of qualified personnel, inadequate training, employee resistance, and lack of commitment among top-level management executives. It offers clear implications for managers who focus on elements that will enhance the effectiveness of ISO 9001 implementation by choosing the correct strategies, allocating sufficient resources, and improving their firm's performance. The novelty of this study lies in filling the existing research gap, which involves a detailed examination of the relationship between the implementation of ISO 9001 and the company's performance, particularly in manufacturing industries of developing countries.

TQM implementation practices and performance outcome of Indian hospitals: exploratory findings

Purpose

This paper explores and interprets the linkage between total quality management (TQM) practices and organizational performance measures for improving the healthcare firms’ performance. Indian healthcare firms are aware of TQM practices and their benefits, but the awareness level varies among the firms and staff. The study looks into the effectiveness of quality awareness to meet quality performance in Indian hospitals.

Design/methodology/approach

A questionnaire based on previous research was circulated among the managers and medical staff. The model linking TQM and organizational performance is analyzed with structural equation modelling and confirmed the hypotheses stated. Interpretations to improve hospital performance are made.

Findings

The study identified ten relevant TQM factors and confirmed their importance towards the improved organizational performance of Indian hospitals. Top management initiative, continuous process improvement and team work are the most contributing TQM factors. Differences in the awareness levels by the management staff and medical staff are attributed. The managers and medical staff are aware of the benefits of TQM towards firm performance, but it is to be improved further.

Research limitations/implications

Cross-validation and interpretation are affected due to the limited sample size. Longitudinal study is recommended to explore the individual hospital as specific cases. Larger sample size is suggested as an extended work to overcome the demographic and infrastructural limitations of the firms included.

Practical implications

The management is more interested in TQM, but there is lack of awareness among the staff. The quality awareness and customer focus by medical staff are the most weakly loaded factors, and the weaknesses can be remedied by the lead role by the hospital management in providing proper training and thereby improving the attitude of the medical staff.

Social implications

Effectiveness of hospital operations is highly dependent on customer focus. Properly communicated, committed and trained staff with good-quality awareness can better implement TQM and thereby improve hospital performance. Lead role by the management is very important, and the paper lists ways to attain these outcomes.

Originality/value

Very little is reported from the Indian healthcare sector linking TQM and outcome performance. The quality awareness, customer focus, communication and learning by the medical staff are to be improved, and the paper suggests ways to link TQM more effectively to improve the performance in hospitals. These findings may be useful to the managers, medical staff and researchers in healthcare to bring better results.

Let's get everyone involved! The effects of transformational leadership and organizational culture on organizational excellence

Purpose

This paper posited a dynamic relationship between transformational leadership, organizational culture, and organizational excellence in order to develop a better understanding of the casual linkages between these three areas.

Design/methodology/approach

The research methodology includes a multi-item scale questionnaire survey which included 448 samples from United Arab Emirates (UAE) with an average response rate of 61.1%. The hypotheses were tested by applying structural equation modeling (SEM) and path analyses. Analyses used the Mplus software package.

Findings

The key finding in this study suggests that creating the involvement culture provides the all-inclusive participation and holistic engagement from employees, which consequently leads to organizational excellence.

Research limitations/implications

The study is more focused on particular type of leadership and can extend to other types of leadership as well the other regions. The study extends the findings of previous studies that suggested authoritative was essential initially but that this would change with the emerging culture.

Practical implications

Managers should foster an involvement culture and adopt transformational leadership style in order to reap the benefits of the quality management approaches.

Originality/value

From existing research on leadership in QM context, we adopt transformational leadership in connection with organizational culture and organizational excellence. The originality of the study lies in its quantitative approach to test an already demonstrated phenomenon about the relationship between transformational leadership, organizational culture and business excellence. This study significantly contributes to the literature on QM by discovering that organizations with transformational leadership styles and involvement or adaptability cultures can perform well and achieve organizational excellence.

Awareness of strategy execution barriers in decision-making process: moderated mediation analysis

Although many studies have discussed the strategy execution process and the reasons for its ineffectiveness, there is a need to consider the relations and interactions between the factors that hinder strategy implementation. The purpose of this article is to explore the interrelations between the strategy execution barriers by considering six factors and understanding the influence of these factors on a company’s performance measured by its achievement of strategic goals (as one of the strategy execution measures) and its revenue dynamics (as a financial measure). In order to achieve the research goal, structural equation modelling was performed for the path analysis. The research sample, which consisted of 150 companies of different sizes and from different industries, was selected from the population of companies registered on the Warsaw Stock Exchange. The initial model of relationships was modified to create the final model from which insignificant paths had been removed. Our main finding is that the strategy implementation process should be perceived as a set of integrated factors, which should be analysed from an aggregated perspective in decision-making process. We believe that, rather than focusing only on the efficiency of final results, attention should be paid to ensure the effectiveness of all the factors aggregated in one construct and hence that it is necessary to regard the implementation process as an execution-as-learning concept. As revealed by our study, the awareness of strategy execution barriers directly impacts the achievement of strategic goals and indirectly impacts the revenue dynamics.

Sustainable business models: a literature review

Purpose

The demand for resources for development also increased corporate pressures for sustainability. Consequently, it is necessary for organizations to adopt measures addressing the need to implement a new business model, which allows a management team concerned about the economy and the optimization of resources to make sustainable business models a strategic interest of the organization. The purpose of this paper is to analyze sustainable business models and the applied practices to operationalize them.

Design/methodology/approach

This study was conducted through a systematic review of the literature to identify the sustainable business models addressed in the literature, and what practices are applied to operationalize these models.

Findings

The data show that sustainable business models have an approach centered on the direct participation of stakeholders, especially the user, in the process of creating sustainable value. Overall, they offer a high level of technology-based business models that prioritize the use of clean energy, material maximization and energy efficiency, with an emphasis on repair and maintenance rather than on disposal and scheduled obsolescence, as well as an emphasis on natural and renewable processes, the reuse of waste, environmental stewardship, product transformation into technological artefacts for users, and products for services and results.

Research limitations/implications

The study’s contributions provide a more detailed understanding of sustainable business models and what practices can be adopted by companies to make the business truly sustainable. This paper contributed to the discussion of the research on sustainable business models and their operational practices.

Originality/value

The analysis promotes insights into new opportunities for companies to integrate their traditional business models with sustainability, contributing to the application of sustainable practices within the managerial scope. Companies that operate sustainable business models need to be aware that collaborative, sharing and networking models can deliver positive results for sustainable business models.

Assessing the impact of organizational culture on achieving business excellence with a moderating role of ICT

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to discover the impact of different dimensions of organizational culture (mission culture, adaptability culture, involvement culture and consistency culture) on business excellence results criteria (customer results, people results, society results and business results) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and explore the moderating role of information and communication technology (ICT) use in both service and manufacturing industries.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected by questionnaire from 448 managers in nine companies that have won the Sheikh Khalifa Excellence Award in the last three years. Structural equation modeling was used to examine the data.

Findings

Organizational culture is significantly related to business excellence. However, these effects varied for different business excellence criteria. Three organizational culture types had a significant positive role in achieving excellent customer-related results. All four types of organizational culture had a positive role in achieving excellent people-related results. Only two culture types had significant role in achieving excellent society-related results. Business results were positively related to a balance between the four types of organizational culture. ICT use moderated the relationship between organizational culture and results related to customers, people and business, but not society.

Research limitations/implications

This study had some conceptual limitations. In particular, it considered the organizational culture as four types in the research model, but without structuring the indices under each type. It also had some methodological limitations. It was cross-sectional and used a self-administered questionnaire, which means that no causal relationships can be implied, and there may have been some bias in responding.

Originality/value

This is one of the first studies that investigate the relationship between organizational culture and business excellence in UAE excellence award-winning companies.

Business excellence in a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous environment (BEVUCA)

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine how companies can achieve business excellence in a highly volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) environment. Within the literature about business excellence, there is a lack of understanding of the impact of today’s high VUCA on achieving business excellence. A new business concept, business excellence in a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous environment (BEVUCA), will be illustrated so as to bridge this gap by considering the overall VUCA influence and the influences of each specific term individually.

Design/methodology/approach

The research incorporated a systematic literature review for three knowledge areas, namely: VUCA, business excellence and the management integration of quality and risk. The later knowledge area was reviewed because such diverse management thinking can help to achieve BEVUCA.

Findings

The research provided a definition for a new business concept and the systematic literature review identified 18 critical success factors so as to manage and excel under a high VUCA business environment. Finally a conceptual framework was developed for integrating quality management and risk management thinking so as to achieve BEVUCA.

Originality/value

BEVUCA can be used to close the current gap in the body of literature by providing a link between VUCA and business excellence, and hence advancing the discussion in these areas. Additionally, the BEVUCA conceptual framework can be used as guidance in integrating quality management and risk management to achieve the identified critical success factors.

A conceptual continuous improvement implementation framework for UK manufacturing companies

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to review current continuous improvement implementation models and frameworks, and present a new conceptual framework tailored specifically to the needs of UK manufacturing companies.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper details the in-depth review of 20 existing models or frameworks for continuous improvement implementation, demonstrating the need for a new industry and region specific solution. Through the incorporation of previous findings from literature, coupled with the positive aspects of the current offerings, a new conceptual framework for continuous improvement implementation in UK manufacturing companies is presented.

Findings

The paper demonstrates the need for industry and region specific frameworks and demonstrates that current models and frameworks do not completely fulfil the objective of the research. A new continuous improvement implementation framework is therefore presented in a user friendly format, comprising positive aspects of previous models and frameworks where applicable.

Research limitations/implications

The focus of the research is limited to the UK and the manufacturing industry. It is therefore not clear the applicability of the framework presented to other regions and industries. The framework presented is also conceptual at this stage and requires validation through interview and application.

Practical implications

The framework presented will provide senior managers wishing to implement continuous improvement an understanding of the high level process, as well as awareness of their role within the roll out. Overall, the framework provides a clear guide whilst also allowing for individual tailoring of the elements contained to the needs of the company.

Originality/value

The paper presents a new conceptual framework; the first to be tailored to the needs of UK manufacturing companies. The framework has also been demonstrated to be a more robust solution than those currently in existence.

The impact of total quality management on service company performance: evidence from Spain

Purpose

– The purpose of the paper is to explore the impact of total quality management (TQM) factors on performance dimensions of service companies.

Design/methodology/approach

– A research project was designed in the Spanish services sector. Companies that had already participated in activities with regard to business excellence were randomly selected and approached through a structured questionnaire, yielding a sample of 151 responding companies. By analyzing TQM implementation and company performance through the exploratory factor analysis, specific TQM factors and performance dimensions are extracted. The TQM factors that significantly influence the performance dimensions are determined through multiple linear regression analyses.

Findings

– According to the findings, the factors describing TQM implementation in service companies concern quality practices of top management, employee quality management, process management, employee knowledge and education and customer focus. Similarly, the performance dimensions revealed concern financial performance, operational performance, customer satisfaction and product/service quality performance. The TQM factors concerning customers, employees and top management significantly affect the performance dimensions.

Research limitations/implications

– The subjective data were collected from quality managers of a small-sized sample of companies operating in a European Union country and belonging to different services sub-sectors. Based on these limitations, future research studies are recommended.

Practical implications

– By focussing on specific TQM factors, a service company can improve its performance dimensions. In doing so, it can lay the foundations not only to survive but to be competitive in the current global scenario that is characterized by an economic downturn.

Originality/value

– This paper describes a reliable TQM model that can be implemented in the services sector and a means by which a service company can improve its performance.

Deploying business excellence – success factors for high performance

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to improve the understanding of how organisations successfully deploy business excellence (BE) by comparing the tools and strategies implemented by organisations at different levels of BE maturity.

Design/methodology/approach

– The study used a combination of a questionnaire, discussion groups and interviews with respondents including private sector organisations across India, Japan, Republic of China, Singapore and Thailand. These countries were selected due to them being considered as having the most advanced BE organisations in Asia by the Asian Productivity Organisation (APO) that commissioned the study. Once triangulated, the quantitative data were analysed through use of the IBM SPSS Statistical software package.

Findings

– The study has shown that on average, organisations with higher BE maturity outperform their less mature counterparts. The study also revealed that organisations with a high BE maturity were more likely to use specific tools and were more likely to use some of these tools more effectively. Finally, the study identified differences in strategic approaches to BE between organisations with high and low BE maturity.

Research limitations/implications

– Only five Asian countries were considered due to resource limitations. However, the study of 74 organisations represents one of the most comprehensive to date with 30 of these organisations being award winners.

Practical implications

– The findings offer guidance to those organisations wishing to progress from a low level of BE maturity to a more advanced level. The findings have already assisted the APO and its 20 member countries in the development and implementation of strategic interventions at a regional and national level.

Originality/value

– No other study in Asia has been conducted on such a large sample of BE-orientated organisations. The study was also unique in its focus on the tools and strategies that should be used for successful BE deployment. In addition, the study is one of only a few in Asia that has studied the results of BE on organisational performance.

Benchmarking of TQM practices in INGOs: a literature review

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to aggregate significant part of debates in the field of International Non-Governmental Organizations (INGOs) toward performance improvement by benchmarking of the Total Quality Management (TQM) practices, and to propose TQM-Benchmarking model as a seed for future research in the context of INGOs.

Design/methodology/approach

– TQM practices for INGOs were first identified based on critical synthesis of the literature for both, existing for-profit TQM literature and the INGOs field-specific quality and accountability frameworks, initiatives, and practices (Jordan introduced as an example) followed by solicitation of the opinions of experts and colleagues through personal interviews and focus group discussions to define the proposed TQM-Benchmarking model.

Findings

– TQM-Benchmarking model of six practices vital to INGOs performance are proposed by this review including leadership and management commitment, beneficiaries focus and participation, partnership management for sustainability, human resource (HR) focus, process management and learning and continuous improvement, and use of quality information.

Originality/value

– While TQM practices succeed in improving performance of for-profit organizations, this review proposed TQM-Benchmarking model with field-specific practical pillars of performance improvement in the INGOs.

Culture-based design and implementation of business excellence

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to develop an approach for implementing business excellence (BE) based on prevailing corporate culture and to propose relevant gates to monitor the corporate culture in the way to excellence.

Design/methodology/approach

– This research demonstrates a culture-based perspective of implementing BE. After an exhaustive review of literature, the relation between BE and corporate culture was clarified and a methodology was developed, which describes how BE projects can be performed successfully in the context of an existing culture instead of adapting the culture.

Findings

– The outcome of this research is the main concept for culture-based implementation of BE. Furthermore, five culture gates were designed to control the effect of BE measures on the corporate culture in long period of time. The findings indicate how BE can be implemented without considerable efforts to change the culture.

Practical implications

– The findings of this study are relevant to all different sized organizations in different sectors and industries for achieving outstanding results and maintain this capability permanently in the organization.

Originality/value

– This paper presents a unique approach for implementing BE in the light of prevailing corporate culture; such an approach has not been addressed in previous publications.