Search

The aim of this paper is to model and interpret the results obtained from the assessment of the Level of Excellence of Slovak service organizations using the criteria of the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) excellence model. The Gompertz logistic function is effectively employed to fit the incremental improvement and predict the values of future Levels of Excellence. The EFQM model is usually used to improve organizational development and performance. The study focuses on the problem of the slow growth or even stagnation of Slovak service organizations towards Excellence. The questionnaire method was used to assess the Level of Excellence of the selected organizations, and the approach of measuring efficiency as a ratio of results and enablers was used to evaluate the organization's ability to transform inputs into outputs. Data were collected from 30 service organizations over a period of 20 years. The first finding of the study is the demonstration of the applicability of the Gompertz function to model the evolution of the Level of Excellence. The accuracy of the model is very high, and this predisposes this function to be used to forecast the scores of organizations over time. Examining efficiency yielded a second finding, that organizations were failing to capitalize on the effort put into translating it into results. After the first few years of growth, efficiency stagnates and then even declines. This suggests that the application of the original EFQM excellence model has reached the end of its ability to improve the effectiveness of organizations as a whole. Individual firms may have been growing or declining, but the average service score across the country had no longer the capacity to improve anymore. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to contribute learning, knowledge creation and knowledge transfer obtained through a web-based role-play simulation environment as an intelligent approach towards organisational change. Such change occurs in the organisation during its transition to a new version of the ISO 9001:2015. Design/methodology/approach – This paper is based on a literature review and the experience of the authors and a team of international teaching and research staff, as well as on information obtained from satisfaction surveys. Findings – The actual version of the web-based Management System Role-Play Simulation (MS-RPS©) considers the changes in structure and terminology of the ISO management system standards, enables the creation of a predictive strategy regarding organisational culture, minimises the negative impact of the change and helps people adapt more quickly to it. Research limitations/implications – The study is limited to the complexity of an actual system and the possible verification of empirical results. Another limitation is the measurability of any real enhancement achieved in the quality, safety and sustainability of production, as well as the business continuity and social responsibility of an organisation. Practical implications – One benefit of the training is the thorough knowledge that players within organisational management can gain in a short period. Reduced resistance to change is also stressed and the complexity and dynamism of the internal environment considered. Originality/value – MS-RPS© is based on original web-based software. The primary model has been developed at the Technical University of Košice. It was tested by students, but also by managers and other employees in several industrial organisations, as well as services, over 20 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]