Leading business excellence

The EFQM model

The European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) Excellence Model was formerly known as the Business Excellence Model.

It is used to improve an organisation's performance by identifying

• a set of enablers
• the results that are achieved through those enablers
• processes for achieving these results

The EFQM model has five enabler criteria and four results criteria.

The enabler criteria cover everything an organisation does.

The results criteria cover what an organisation achieves.

Enablers cause results. Leadership is one of the five 'Enabler' criteria and is recognised as the key to achieving excellence.

At the heart of the EFQM Excellence Model is a business improvement cycle, based on the logic of RADAR:

Results - organisational goals financial, operational, and perceptions of stakeholders

Approach - integrated set of approaches to deliver the required results now and in the future

Deployment - deploy the approaches in a systematic way to ensure full implementation

Assessment and Review the approaches followed based on monitoring and analysis of the results achieved and ongoing learning activities. Based on this identify, prioritise, plan, and implement improvements where needed.

Leadership in the EFQM Excellence Model is defined as:

Leadership in the model covers four sub-criteria. These require leaders to:

Develop the mission, vision and values and be role models of a culture of excellence

Be personally involved in ensuring the organisation's management system is developed, implemented and continuously improved

Be involved with customers, partners and representatives of society

Motivate, support and recognise the organisation's people.

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