Implementing an updated strategy and 3 year plan at EFQM
Since the end of 2009 EFQM has been reviewing its strategy in the context of a changed world, with the objective of clearly defining our Mission, Vision and Values for the next three years. We have been able to call on the support of members to guide us, and use the resources of the EFQM Framework and tools to structure our work. As we have been promoting the use of the EFQM Model as a valuable input to setting strategy, this is what we have done in our own case: start with the intended results and work out the enablers that will help us to achieve them.
The updated and clarified strategy and three year plan, which was the result of consultations with representatives from the members based around a Self-Assessment and the recommendations of internal working groups, were officially launched at the Learning Edge in Glasgow in June, where Pierre Cachet presented the key conclusions and solicited feedback from members. The key objectives are:
- Increasing membership engagement
- Expanding Members network
- Strengthening our relationship with Partners
- Working closely with influencers (e.g. European Commission, International bodies)
- Enhancing our Brand
These are to be delivered through the four service areas: Sharing, Training, Assessment, and Recognition. For each of these, we can illustrate work underway to deliver the strategy.
In the area of ‘Sharing’ (in which we aim to help members “Discover, implement and create good practices) we are committed to producing regular benchmarking reports, such as those recently published on how various organisations measure customer perceptions and people perceptions. To promote face to face contact a number of services will be reinforced – including refreshing and extending the ‘Communities of Practice’ which unite members into small working groups motivated to share learning on a topic such as People Engagement, Innovation and the Voice of the Customer as well as industry groupings such as Postal, Education or Telecom sector. An annual Executive Roundtable is designed to attract high level participation on themes of relevance to the EFQM network.
As an example of the new steps for this renewed focus, the Community of Practice –Voice of The Customer – is a particularly active group which has already hosted sessions at Microsoft and Fujitsu Services and will next explore “Understanding and obtaining customer loyalty” at Nokia in September 2010.
With “Assessment”, EFQM is active in extending the number of organisations using the Excellence Model, beginning with advice on how to make a first Self-Assessment. The ‘Olympic Test’, developed last year, is to be promoted as an efficient way of building an EFQM based review of the organisation. The new teaching and reference materials for the EFQM Model 2010 are being translated and deployed around the world.
“Recognition” plays a valuable role in helping organisations set externally assessed milestones to achieve their long term change management objectives. The EFQM Excellence Award is one of the highest accolades an organisation can achieve: we aim to make a clearer path from the initial steps of Committed to Excellence and the levels of Recognised for Excellence. Examples of the work in progress to support this objective are the creation of a ‘Master Assessor’ training course and a structured EFQM Assessor guide.
The ‘Training’ offer is to be positioned within a concept of ‘Development Paths’ – showing how different profiles of individuals within the organisation can follow one or more EFQM training programmes to reinforce their skills and enhance their career development. A new ‘Leaders for Excellence’ course has been well received and the various versions of the ‘Pegasus’ leadership programme offer practice based training on how to make EFQM approaches work within real organisations.
With the objective of “Enhancing our Brand” a number of innovative communication formats are already being used – such as wiki based collaborative development of learning materials, networking on Facebook and LinkedIn to specific EFQM groups, and we are aiming to increase our presence at various professional forums. An annual ‘road trip’ to members and important local influencers is now a regular part of the calendar, as are our consultations with ‘EFQM Valued Professionals’ – a group of individuals who help us to improve and propagate our Mission “To energise leaders who want to learn, share and innovate using the EFQM Excellence Model as a common framework”.
Our Vision: “A world where European organisations are recognised as the benchmark for sustainable economic growth” has been structured into a strategy map which outlines its consequences in relation to Customers, Processes, Innovation and Learning, and the intended Financial outcome – which, as a member owned organisation is to “achieve sustainable financial equilibrium”.