Impact of implementing the fourth generation of excellence system on Dubai government entities’ performance

Abstract

Business Excellence Models (BEMs) are currently widely adopted by organizations and Award Management Programs (AMPs). Organizations implement BEMs to have an integrated framework to enhance and achieve sustainable excellent levels in their performance. AMPs adopt BEMs to present their view of a model representing what excellent organizations would do to achieve their outstanding results based on certain concepts or inner values of the Award. Studies exploring the relationship between adopting a BEM with the organizational performance have generated mixed outcomes. Researchers related that to the design of the studies, the specifics of the organizations and other reasons. The objective of this study is to assess the impact of adopting the newly launched Fourth Generation of Excellence System (4GES)-based model on the performance of Dubai Government Entities (DGEs) participating in Dubai Government Excellence Program (DGEP) Award. This represents a unique case in the literature since the DGEs were adopting a different BEM before their adoption of the 4GES-based model, which was the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM), based model. A literature review on the methodologies of assessing the impact of BEMs on organizations’ performance was conducted and appropriate methodology to achieve the objectives of this study was selected. This was based on conducting a survey to assess the impact of the areas of difference between the 4GES-based model and the EFQM-based model on the performance of DGEs. Results of the study were discussed and it was concluded that implementing the 4GES-based model had a positive impact on DGEs, other conclusions benefiting both organizations and AMPs were drawn. This study is important since it is the first study to assess the impact of adopting the 4GES-based model on organization’s performance. It is important for both AMPs and organizations to know which feature or element of the BEM affects the performance most.