Sustainable Business Excellence Research Articles

Bridging excellence, knowledge management and sustainability: Introducing the ‘Knowledge Management Excellence Model 21′, a model for sustainable development goals alignment

This paper aims to introduce a new sustainable business excellence model, called Knowledge Management Excellence Model 21 (KMEM21), a theoretical framework that combines Knowledge Management and Business Excellence Models (BEMs), proposing an approach applicable to organizations to directly contribute towards achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The paper through a qualitative-exploratory methodology makes an analysis and benchmarking, emphasizes the integration of Knowledge Management and three specific Business Excellence Models (Management Excellence Model (MEG) from Brazil, Baldrige Excellence Framework, and EFQM). This integration uncovers relationships between organizational concepts associated with Knowledge Management and BEMs, which contributes to new insights in the literature regarding these concepts' interplay. BEMs are presented as tools that can catalyze the power of Knowledge Management towards achieving SDGs. However, it's noted that the existing BEMs might not be adequate, as the goal extends beyond organizational improvement and excellence to encompass sustainable development aligned with SDGs. The article suggests that specific organizational concepts, identified through a literature review and aligned with Knowledge Management and BEMs, can be selected as indicators associated with the constructed KMEM21 and the SDGs. These indicators are intended to form a bridge between the new model and the SDGs. However, given the comprehensive nature of the theory, model development, application, result acquisition, and analysis, the article's primary contribution will be in its focus on elaborating the instrument and technique, demonstrating the creation of a theoretical framework for the SDGs. Future works will showcase the application of the proposed KMEM21 method in five Brazilian organizations, members of Global Compact, to compare the achieved objectives and the results obtained with the organizations' performance and their sustainability reports.

Introduction to the special issue Contemporary Issues in Sustainable Business Excellence

Introduction to the special issue Contemporary Issues in Sustainable Business Excellence

Building Sustainable Business Excellence Through Knowledge Management, Innovation, Learning Agility, Talented HR, Organizational Culture as Mediator

The purpose of this research is to analyze the effect of knowledge management, learning agility innovation, talented HR on corporate culture, then analyze the influence of knowledge management, innovation, learning agility, talented HR and corporate culture on the company's sustainability business excellence. In this study the approach used is a quantitative approach. This approach relies more on numbers in the form of scores as an analytical framework where the scores are obtained by the survey method. The population in this study were all BoD-1 level employees (equivalent to Entity Directors General Manager), BoD-2 level (Manager equivalent) and BoD-3 level (Assistant Manager equivalent) at PT XYZ with a sample size of 150 respondents whose data was processed using structural equation modelling. The results of this study indicate that knowledge management has no effect on sustainability business excellence, knowledge management has a significant effect on organizational culture, innovation has a significant effect on sustainability business excellence, innovation has a significant effect on organizational culture, learning agility has no effect on sustainability business excellence, learning agility has a significant effect on organizational culture, Talented HR has a significant effect on the sustainability of Business Excellence, Talented HR has a significant effect on Organizational Culture, Organizational Culture has a significant effect on the sustainability of Business Excellence.

A Study on the Key Factors of CSR Indicators for Tenderers in Procurement Screening Using the Delphi Method and DEMATEL-Based Analytic Network Process

European Union public procurement law increasingly allows countries’ authorities to take corporate social responsibility (CSR) into account in public procurement decisions. Up to 2022, few public procurements were determined by these key factors of CSR scoring items. It is worthy to study whether there is consistency in tenderers’ views on CSR indicators and factors. In this study, 10 experts working in companies from different government entities were invited to participate in a questionnaire survey. In this study, a DEMATEL-based analytic network process (DANP) was applied to find out the weights of each indicator. Our finding shows the important criteria selected for tenderers were measures to support “work–life balance” for employees and “salary increase for employees”. These are important responses to the problems encountered by companies in CSR practices and can be used as a reference to enhance corporations’ CSR goals or pursue future sustainable business excellence.

Assessing the relationship between digital transformation and sustainable business excellence in a turbulent scenario

The Covid-19 pandemic has globally affected most of the industrial sectors, pushing public and private institutions to invest in digital transformation at a pace never experienced before. In such a turbulent scenario, companies, and especially small and medium-sized enterprise, must dynamically respond to this environment by undertaking a strategic transformation which involves changes in the organisation structure through the right digital interface and mechanisms to creating qualitative customer relationships and capturing value. Business success over time is built on leadership, people-based management, continuous improvements, management based on facts and constant customer focus. The evolutionary path of a firm’s business model driven by digitalisation describes its maturity. This paper aims at assessing the relationship between digital business model maturity and the sustainability of business performance over time. The results of an online survey involving the executives of 162 small and medium-sized enterprise operating in the tourism sector of five different continents have been analysed to test this relationship. Through a Structural Equations Modelling approach, the study found statistical evidence of the positive effect of digital business model maturity on sustainable business success. In this manner, this study contributes to academic literature by linking the concepts of digital transformation, digital business model maturity and sustainable business excellence.

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.

DEVELOPING A SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS EXCELLENCE MODEL AND DISCUSSING KEY FACTORS

To achieve sustainable growth and maintain competitive advantages, many companies consider the sustainability of society and the environment, and adopt the business excellence (BE) framework of quality awards to promote total quality management (TQM) activities. This study used the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award’s (MBNQA) business excellence evaluation standard as the main body, supplemented by the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes (DJSI). It proposed scoring criteria for the sustainable business excellence model, and discussed the degree of cause and correlation between evaluation criteria. The key factors were explored to provide companies with a reference for the pursuit of sustainable business excellence.

Executive coaching effectiveness: towards sustainable business excellence

In order to bridge the gap and provide organisations with practical assistance in dealing with the effectiveness of executive coaching for sustainable business excellence, the main purpose of this paper is to explore the complexity of executive coaching by proposing a comprehensive executive coaching framework that examines the important constructs and the entire impact of executive coaching effectiveness in Malaysia. Based on the extensive review of the current literature, coach-centric constructs, coachee characteristics, quality relationship and organisational support with coaching effectiveness are investigated through 320 questionnaires. The objective-driven model, which focuses on the extent to which coaching objectives have been met, was used to measure the effectiveness of executive coaching. The main results of the structural equation modelling analysis demonstrate that organisational support, coachee characteristics and quality relationship significantly influence coaching effectiveness. These findings provide a basis for the advancement of the executive coaching and human resource management (HRM) research literature. The practical implication of this study could be useful for HRM managers, who want to enhance leadership capabilities through executive coaching engagement that support their organisational performance. This Malaysian study will build upon the existing knowledge by investigating the factors contributing to executive coaching effectiveness from the coachee’s viewpoint.

A proposed model for sustainable business excellence

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to develop an excellence model that combines noble ends and noble means to achieve sustainable business excellence (SBE).Design/methodology/approachThe general framework of existing excellence models is used to develop the new model. Relevant literature on business excellence and current business and economic trends such as constructive capitalism, conscious capitalism, shared value, values-driven organizations and corporate governance are used to develop the basic concepts of the model. The criteria and the assessment method of the model are then developed based on the basic concepts.FindingsThis paper proposes a model for SBE. This model is aligned with conscious capitalism, constructive capitalism, shared value, values-driven organizations and corporate governance. The paper includes a comparison between this model and the most popular excellence models.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper paves the way for more empirical and theoretical research on stakeholders’ business excellence models.Practical implicationsThis model can be adopted by different national and international excellence awards. The adoption of this model can improve the benefits of shareholders, partners, customers, employees and the society at large. Implementing this model may be effective in transferring knowledge about conscious capitalism, values-driven organization and corporate governance to corporations worldwide.Social implicationsThis may contribute to protecting the environment and reducing economic inequalities that have caused political and social instability.Originality/valueExcellence models have been widely used with significant success all over the world. Although these models paid attention to customers and employees, they still reflect traditional capitalism that focuses on shareholders’ value. This model is aligned to new economic trends that foster sustainability and improve benefits of all stakeholders.

Supply chain collaboration and innovation capability: the moderated mediating role of quality management

With the establishment of a collaboration supply chain mechanism enterprises can obtain greater opportunities to prosper within the current highly competitive business environment. These enterprises can then obtain sustainable competitive advantage and business excellence based on superior supply chain capabilities and improvement of operating costs, product quality, and innovation capabilities. The objects of this study are the upstream, midstream, and downstream suppliers of the supply chain for Taiwan’s optoelectronics industry. A total of 454 effective questionnaires were recovered. The relationships of supply chain collaboration, supply chain capability, and innovative capability were tested through a structural equation model. Furthermore, quality management was used to explore the existence of the effect of moderated mediation in the research model. Finally, it was found that supply chain collaboration can directly and indirectly have a positive influence on innovation capability, and the effect of moderated mediation does exist in the research model.

Roadmap for business analytics implementation using DIPPS model for sustainable business excellence: case studies from the multiple fields

Roadmap for business analytics implementation using DIPPS model for sustainable business excellence: case studies from the multiple fields

Roadmap for business analytics implementation using DIPPS model for sustainable business excellence: case studies from the multiple fields

Today the organisations are increasingly adopting analytics for breakthrough business results. There are enough talks about potentials of business analytics, software solutions on analytics and data visualisations. However, very few success stories are published and easily available in public domain. The focus is required to translate potentials of analytics into the breakthrough business results. This paper proposes discover-innovate-predict-perform-sustain (DIPPS) model for the business excellence through analytics. It also presents success stories of big data analytics and industrial internet of the things (IIoT) from the multiple fields for the breakthrough business results. The hypothesis testing indicates that the organisations deploying the DIPPS model have higher success rate and the probability of achieving their analytics goals.

Proposing a new modus operandi for sustainable business excellence: the case of Greek hospitality industry

The importance of tourism to Greece, the criticality of the hotel sector to its growth and the relationship between turbulent business environment and sustainability provide the rationale for this study. The target of this paper is to propose a new modus operandi for achieving sustainable business excellence under a turbulent environment. Drawing from the existing literature, a framework is proposed that investigates the relationships between intellectual capital, leadership, services quality, supply chain, hotel impact and strategy. The model was tested using a sample of 84 high class hotels in Greece and analysed with the structural equation modelling. The various factors incorporated in the proposed model were measured using valid scales adapted from previous studies. The results confirm that leadership excellence positively affects intellectual capital. It is also found that intellectual capital has a positive effect on services quality, supply chain, hotel impact and strategy. The implications of the findings and avenues for future research are delineated in the study.

A multicriteria model on calculating the Sustainable Business Excellence Index of a firm with fuzzy AHP and TOPSIS

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide an integrated methodology for benchmarking the sustainability of organizations. The fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (FAHP) and technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) methods have been used for this purpose. The FAHP is used to determine the weights of the criteria by decision makers, and the rankings of the alternatives are determined by TOPSIS. The proposed instrument is used to calculate the Sustainable Business Excellence Index (SBEI) and its potential impact on the formulation of firm strategy. To demonstrate the applicability of the model, illustrative examples are presented. Design/methodology/approach – After a careful literature review, a sustainable business excellence framework is created and a fuzzy system is developed to assess firms’ sustainability. Finally, the SBEI is computed. Findings – The results indicate that the suggested fuzzy approach is feasible for benchmarking the sustainability of organizations. It allows the decision makers to express their opinion regarding the importance of criteria and evaluate each alternative and then have this input coordinated in a quantitative fashion. Research limitations/implications – Practitioners and consultants can use the instrument for conducting quality management benchmarking within and across organizations. Researchers can use the instrument in future studies for further theory development in this area. Originality/value – As far as the authors are aware, no previous study research has assessed the SBEI of an organization with fuzzy sets. As such, it responds to a number of contemporary challenges in the business excellence theory, most importantly the broad need to identify agile organizations.

Evaluating Internal Technological Capabilities in Energy Companies

As global competition increases, technological capability must be evaluated objectively as one of the most important factors for predominance in technological competition and to ensure sustainable business excellence. Most existing capability evaluation models utilize either quantitative methods, such as patent analysis, or qualitative methods, such as expert panels. Accordingly, they may be in danger of reflecting only fragmentary aspects of technological capabilities, and produce inconsistent results when different models are used. To solve these problems, this paper proposes a comprehensive framework for evaluating technological capabilities in energy companies by considering the complex properties of technological knowledge. For this purpose, we first explored various factors affecting technological capabilities and divided the factors into three categories: individual, organizational, and technology competitiveness. Second, we identified appropriate evaluation items for each category to measure the technological capability. Finally, by using a hybrid approach of qualitative and quantitative methods, we developed an evaluation method for each item and suggested a method to combine the results. The proposed framework was then verified with an energy generation and supply company to investigate its practicality. As one of the earliest attempts to evaluate multi-faceted technological capabilities, the suggested model can support technology and strategic planning.

Organisational paradigms and sustainability in excellence

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to focus on how organisations can benefit from adopting an organic paradigm of management to maximise the benefits of quality and business excellence strategy. Mechanistic approaches do not offer long-term sustainability and do not facilitate learning and innovation. Insights from research on business excellence award-winning organisations show how they embed quality into their culture for long-term sustainability. Design/methodology/approach – This paper provides both a conceptual review of two organisational paradigms and relates this to the findings of a qualitative study of Australian Business Excellence Award winners. Interviews with company managers and case material from the organisations provided the information relating to strategies for sustaining business excellence. Findings – Organisations using a business excellence framework and those who have reached award status have adopted a range of approaches to maintain and sustain their performance. These include measures relating to leadership, processes, people, communication and strategy. Specific strategies focus on embedding, relentless driving values and engagement of people throughout. These support ongoing learning and innovation and fit the organic organisational paradigm. Research limitations/implications – Insights into how organisations sustain their use of business excellence frameworks show how business excellence principles can be embedded into organisations so that it becomes “the way we do things around here”. Originality/value – This paper offers insights into key issues faced by organisations that have already achieved high levels of performance on the business excellence frameworks and how they sustain this.

A theoretical study of the relation between TQM, assessment and sustainable business excellence

This work aims to create a map for academics, researchers, and those interested in business excellence. In the first place, the authors make a reference to the evolving path of business excellence and its relations with total quality management (TQM). Subsequently, the study examines the soft factors of TQM and their role in sustainability. A properly designed assessment procedure supported by an information system outlines the situation of the organisation and can help it to be improved. The authors propose a conceptual framework for performance assessment. To win a business excellence award, great amounts of effort, money, time, and personnel are required. Adopting a business excellence framework is a task that requires commitment, communication, and co-operation. A clear vision, an appropriate culture and willingness to change can facilitate the implementation of such a framework. Nowadays, crises affect many organisations around the world. In such a situation, change is a crucial factor for survival and success. However, change in a turbulent environment cannot be managed only by the traditional approaches to excellence, because they are mostly valid when the environment is stable. In view of this fact, a framework for sustainable business excellence is proposed here.

A model for sustainable business excellence: implementation and the roadmap

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to develop a holistic model for reviewing business excellence (BE) concepts from a systemic perspective and to propose an implementation guideline intending to fill the gap between theory and practice of systems thinking in quality management.Design/methodology/approachThe research is an exploratory investigation into the business excellence implementation based on systems thinking. After an exhaustive review of literature about BE implementation frameworks, critical barriers and success factors, system‐based integration models and change management models, a methodology was developed which describes the process of designing and implementing a sustainable BE.FindingsThe outcome of this research is a roadmap of BE implementation for sustaining organizational excellence obtained from a meta‐model proposed in this study.Practical implicationsThe findings of this study are relevant to all different sized organizations, in different sectors and industries, for managing dynamic and complex processes in order to guarantee a sustainable BE.Originality/valueThe paper presents a unique roadmap for implementing BE in the light of systems thinking; such a roadmap has not been addressed in previous publications. When used properly, this roadmap can direct organizations toward sustainable excellence.

Managing challenges in sustaining business excellence

Purpose – This paper aims to identify important challenges to sustaining business excellence amongst award‐winning companies in Australia.Design/methodology/approach – Companies which had won Australian Business Excellence Awards were chosen as cases for this research since they had used the excellence framework over many years and, having achieved significant results, now potentially faced issues in sustaining a high level of performance. Interviews with key managers, published materials and information provided during industry visits were used as the primary information sources in the study.Findings – Findings suggest that the primary challenges include; leadership support, drive and consistency throughout the organisation and communicating strategy and making it meaningful for people at all organisational levels. These were addressed in a variety of ways in the companies.Research limitations/implications – Companies which are successful at business excellence experience challenges which require ongoing...

EFQM Model for Self-Assessment

European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) was designed for the purpose of promotion of widely acceptable management accesses for European organizations that lead toward sustainable business excellence. Business excellence implementation requires total leadership devotion and acceptability of core concepts. EFQM Model for self-assessment represents a unique model that is generic and applicable to every organization. EFQM Model offers a unique insight of organization level of business excellence. Model represents a key driver for performance improvement in organization. This paper is concerned with the level of business excellence of organizations in Sibenik – Knin County. The research for this paper was conducted among small, medium and large organizations in Sibenik – Knin County. The research goal is to define the level of business excellence in organizations based on EFQM Model for self – assessment. The research will show satisfied level of excellence among organizations in Sibenik-Knin County.