Experiences Of The European Quality Award

Introduction:

The model for the European Quality Award includes the whole company and all elements of the new management pyramid (the TQM pyramid). The European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) initiated this Award. This yearly award is recognized as the most successful exponent of TQM in Europe for that particular year. The model for the European Quality Award includes the whole company and all elements of the new management pyramid (the TQM pyramid). The European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) initiated this Award. This yearly award is recognized as the most successful exponent of TQM in Europe for that particular year.

Experiences:

• The Award was applied for by approximately 150 companies which were evaluated by a specially trained assessment committee according to the principles.
• There are three areas which were assessed relatively high, namely people management, the management of resources and business results, while three other areas are assessed rather low, namely people satisfaction, customer satisfaction and impact on society. The average scores lie in the area from around 425 to 510.

Relation between importance (weights) and the scores obtained in European Quality Award 1992:

• It appears that by and large there is no relation between the scores obtained and the weights of the areas.
• This can be expounded in two ways. Either the companies disagree on the weights expressed by the model.
• In that case there will be some auditing work ahead.  
• Another exposition is that the companies in Europe are very far from the ideal situation expressed by the model.
• No matter whether one or the other of these expositions is correct, it gives food for thought that customer satisfaction, which is the area valued highest in the model, scores so relatively poorly as is the case here.
• No doubt this shows that European companies have a long way to go before the TQM vision becomes a reality.