Applying Leadership Criterion of the European Excellence model for achieving Quality Management in Higher Education Institutions

Abstract

For institutions of higher education to be successful in the future, there is the need to deliver excellencein all its operations. This means that there is a real need to develop more effective and efficientinstitutional management practices (Steed et al., 2005). In order to reach this goal, many institutionsare turning to total quality management models such as the European Foundation for Qualitymanagement (EFQM) Excellence Model as an effective and practical tool to support improvementopportunities within higher education establishments. In an introductory text reproduced from the EFQMExcellence Model Higher Education Version (2003), the EFQM Excellence Model itself was to takeaccount of current management thinking, practices and working environment. Here, the Model isdefined as a practical tool to help organizations establish an appropriate management system bymeasuring where they are on the path to excellence, helping them to understand the gaps, and thenstimulate solutions confronting them. It is in this way that a model is seen to ensure quality and remainsdynamic (Steed et al., 2003: 307-319; EFQM Higher Education Version, 2003). According to Saraivaet al., (2003), among several approaches that can be used to guide the implementation of qualitymanagement principles in schools, one that has been followed with success involves the adoption ofexcellence models to support self-assessment practices and continuous improvement.