The first International Benchmarking Conference «The Best World Practice of Quality Management. Russia Case – 2006»Developing and deploying benchmarking and business excellence programmes to improve a nation’s competitiveness
Dr Robin Mann, Director, Centre for Organisational Excellence Research, Institute of Technology and Engineering, Massey University, Private Bag 11 222, Palmerston North, New Zealand, Tel no: +64 6 350 5445, Fax no: +64 6 350 5604, Email: r.s.mann@massey.ac.nz, www.coer.org.nz, www.worldcongressnz.com.
Benchmarking and business excellence are recognised as key approaches to improve the competitiveness of organisations. There is now substantial evidence that organisations which use businesses excellence frameworks to guide their improvement efforts achieve enhanced business results. Similarly there are many independent case studies and much research that shows the benefits of benchmarking.
The presentation will discuss the various issues that need to be considered when developing and deploying benchmarking and business excellence programmes to improve a nation’s competitiveness. Various services and programmes that have been used to encourage and assist organisations in applying benchmarking and business excellence frameworks will be described and their strengths and weaknesses highlighted. An approach which involves the provision of an integrated set of services that can take organisations forward from "awareness" to "use" to "advanced or world-class performance" will be proposed.
The presentation will focus on the author’s experience of formulating, implementing and managing major programmes in business excellence and benchmarking in the UK, NZ and UAE. This will be supported by data obtained from the Global Benchmarking Network, information from clients of a website resource designed to assist best practice benchmarking (www.bpir.com) and findings from the “Beneath the Surface” project. The Beneath the Surface project was undertaken on behalf of SAI Global (the custodians of the Australian Business Excellence Framework (ABEF)) in 2005. It involved a comprehensive review of the design of the ABEF and SAI Global’s business excellence services. The project methodology included a survey and follow-up interviews with sixteen international custodians of business excellence frameworks (BEFs). To the author’s knowledge it represented the first international review of how countries deployed their business excellence frameworks to maximise their awareness and use.
Presentation content:
· What is benchmarking and business excellence?
· What evidence is that business excellence and benchmarking leads to long-term and sustainable business success?
· National strategies for business excellence – what works?
· Tips on how to apply benchmarking and business excellence approaches
· Benchmarking made easy – Demonstration of the BPIR.com
DR ROBIN MANN’S BIO
Dr Robin Mann is the founder and Head of the Centre for Organisational Excellence Research www.coer.org.nz, the Chairman of the Global Benchmarking Network www.globalbenchmarking.org, and Associate Dean of TQM and Benchmarking at the e-TQM College in Dubai www.etqm.net. Robin has been responsible for starting the Centre’s services such as the New Zealand Benchmarking Club (formed in May 2000) and the Business Performance Improvement Resource, www.BPIR.com, (launched in April 2002). In 2004 and 2005, Robin led a project to review the Australian Business Excellence Framework on behalf of SAI Global the framework custodians. In 2006 he has been the Program Consultant on the Sheik SAQR Government Excellence Program in Ras Al Khaimah, UAE. Prior to arriving in New Zealand in November 1998, Robin was the founder and manager of the Food and Drinks Industry Benchmarking and Self-assessment Initiative in the UK, and previous to this he worked as the Process Improvement Manager in a large food manufacturing company. Robin obtained his PhD at Liverpool University in 1992. It was one of the first PhD’s worldwide on Total Quality Management.
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