Abstract
ABSTRACT Organizations in various sectors of diverse domestic and global industries (profit and not-for-profit) (public or private) such as business, education, government, healthcare, military, religious, etc. operate in very competitive environments that require the highest levels of excellence in operational standards. Indicators of outstanding organizations (germane to a particular industry) may tend to use measurements such as an entity’s certified audit reports; competitive advantage; financial indicators, market share; growth, expansion and/or retention; profitability; shareholder investment returns; stakeholder engagement and customer satisfaction surveys. Benchmarks to achieve these standards may also be found in gold star instruments such as the Malcolm Baldridge Award, Good-to-Great Organizations and Industry Best Practices. The basis for this qualitative exploration was instigated by sentiments that Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) local conferences may also aspire to emulate standards of excellence that are expected and exemplified in other exemplary organizations. Three critical questions this study will address are: (1) What are possible criteria and standards of organizational excellence and effectiveness? (2) What comprises an organization’s effectiveness system? (3) What are the attributes of an effective and efficient organization? A qualitative design was utilized with data for this study selected, collected and analyzed (coding, patterns, trends and themes) from extensive open-ended questionnaires to targeted populations of NAD and Union conference CEOs (Chief Executive Officers/Presidents), CAOs (Chief Administrative Officers/Executive Secretaries) and CFOs (Chief Financial Officers/Treasures) N=30 throughout Canada and the United Stated of America (USA) with a participant response rate of N=13 or 43%. Discussion, Implications, Conclusion and Recommendations are also discussed.
Highlights
Organizations in various sectors of diverse domestic and global industries such as business, education, government, healthcare, military, religious, etc. operate in very competitive environments that require the highest levels of excellence in operational standards
Three critical questions this study addresses are: (1) What are possible criteria and standards of organizational excellence and effectiveness? (2) What comprises an organization’s effectiveness system? (3) What are the attributes of an effective and efficient organization? A qualitative design (Elsbach and Bechky, 2009; Eriksson and Kovalainen, 2008; Tharenou, Donohue and Cooper, 2007; Nardi, 2003) was utilized with data for this study selected, collected and analyzed from extensive open-ended questionnaires to targeted populations of North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists (NAD) and Union conference CEOs (Chief Executive Officers/Presidents), CAOs (Chief Administrative Officers/Executive Secretaries) and CFOs (Chief Financial Officers/Treasures) N=30 throughout Canada and the United Stated of America (USA) with a 43% response rate of N=13 realized
The Adventist criteria and standards for operational effectiveness, efficiency and excellence should exceed the world’s; and must be higher because we are told by God, who is the head of the Church in the person of Jesus Christ, that we are to the be head and not the tail (Deuteronomy 28:13 KJV), the light of the world and the salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13-16 KJV)
Summary
Criterial of Excellence in SDA Local Conferences In a prior research study (See Appendix C, Table 5) conducted by Brown (2005), the criteria for determining which local conferences were identified as exemplary; meaning performing in an exceptional manner with excellence, was determined by asking the “experts” who were categorized as higher organization administrators (CEOs/Presidents and CFOs/Treasurers) serving in the Division and Union conferences located in the North American territory; primarily Canada and the United States of America These entities are entrusted with the responsibilities of overseeing the operations of the local conferences in the SDA organizational system (North American Division Working Policy (2015-2016).
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