Patrícia Moura e Sá

Measuring leadership excellence

In Kanjis Business Excellence Model leadership plays the prime role for the creation of excellence in an organization. In this paper, we investigate why leadership is the prime and how leadership excellence converges from the core values of the organization. In order to do so, we start by discussing the concept of leadership and reviewing the main theories developed in its study. Then, we identify the fundamental competencies of leaders in a quality organization. Supported by an extensive literature review, we propose a structural equation model for leadership. To illustrate its application, we present a simplified example. Given the criticality of leadership, the emergence of a model that expands the understanding of the leadership construct and its measurement is of major importance for organizations to pursue business excellence. The purpose of this paper is to make a significant contribution in this regard and open the debate to further discussions and refinements.

The development of an ideal kindergarten through concept engineering/quality function deployment

This paper summarizes the application of quality planning tools to the development of an ideal kindergarten, built from the needs and perceptions identified for different sorts of customers (children, teachers and parents). For that purpose, intensive fieldwork was conducted on site at a rich sample of seven kindergartens, including 62 exploratory interviews. By adopting concept engineering and quality function deployment techniques, the several stakeholders were given the chance of freely expressing their ideas and expectations about an ideal kindergarten. In order to explore all the richness associated with all the qualitative data collected, tools such as MPM, KJ and Kano analysis were applied. Then, using the Pugh methodology, we built and determined an ideal kindergarten concept. Finally, the House of Quality was built to define the kindergarten specifications, identify adequate measurement instruments and assign targets to the most important parameters. The combined and creative use of these approaches resulted in a strongly customer-oriented kindergarten that actively encourages the involvement of the whole community and family generations in educational activities, and promotes interaction with its surrounding environment.

Leadership for excellence in the Portuguese municipalities: Critical success factors, measurements and improvement strategies

There is a large consensus in the literature that leadership is the most critical aspect for successful implementation of TQM (Dale et al. , 1997; Deming, 1986; Oakland, 1999; Senge, 1990; Zairi, 1995, 1999) and, ultimately, to achieve organizational excellence. Therefore, leadership is the prime aspect of Kanjis Business Excellence Model (KBEM) (Kanji, 1998). Given the criticality of leadership, a new model for measuring leadership excellence was developed (Kanji & Sá, 2001), based on an extensive literature review. This model, which expands the concept of leadership embedded in KBEM, was empirically tested and validated in the Portuguese municipalities. A brief analysis of key leadership responsibilities in implementing TQM initiatives (Dale et al. , 1997; Darling, 1999; Dering, 1998; Prabhu & Robson, 2000a, 2000b; Senge, 1990; Zairi, 1999) points to the need to develop new leadership profiles in the public sector (Hartley & Allison, 2000; Korac-Kakabadse & Korac-Kakabadse, 1998; Morgan & Murgatroyd, 1994; Rago, 1996; Skelcher, 1992) and in the local government in particular (Gabris et al. , 2000; Gaster, 1996; Jones, 1999; West et al. , 1993). The leadership model developed incorporates the critical success factors thus identified. Based on these constructs, measurement scales were created and the resulting questionnaire administered to the Portuguese municipalities. Eighty-five municipalities participated in the study. The paper reports the main results of this application, which broadly confirm the structure of proposed model and demonstrate that the leadership roles and competencies identified have, in fact, a positive impact on leadership excellence. From the findings, possible improvement strategies are discussed.

Finding the path to organizational excellence in Portugese local government: A performance measurement approach

Performance measurement is essential to support the quest for Organizational Excellence. To be effective, the performance measurement system must be based on the drivers of success. A literature review and previous empirical research suggest that Total Quality Management principles and core concepts are the drivers of Organizational Excellence. Moreover, because Organizational Excellence implies the simultaneous satisfaction of the various stakeholders, performance has to be measured taking into consideration their distinct views. This paper presents a new performance measurement system that is holistic, comprehensive, valid, reliable and easy to use, and reports the results of its application to the Portuguese municipalities, discussing the lessons that can be learnt from the assessment exercise. With the purpose of testing and validating the measurement system proposed, data were collected from political leaders, managers, employees and citizens. By using a performance measurement system based on the critical success factors and by measuring their relative impact on an aggregate performance measure, municipalities have a sound basis for implementing successful improvement strategies. Owing to its mathematical foundation and sound methodology, the system provides decision- makers with valuable information on where the major problems lie and how efforts can be directed towards the areas that have a greater impact on performance. The performance system proposed will thus help municipalities to find their path to Organizational Excellence.

Kanji's Business Scorecard

The balanced scorecard was first devised by Kaplan and Norton (1992, Harvard Business Review, Jan.–Feb., pp. 71-79) as a measurement framework that was expected to overcome some of the deficiencies of traditional performance systems. It gives a holistic view of the organization by simultaneously looking at four important perspectives (financial, customer, internal processes, innovation and learning). Apart from being a measurement framework, the balanced scorecard achieved recognition as a strategic management system. The new approach to performance measurement suggested in the balanced scorecard is consistent with the initiatives under way in many companies: cross-functional integration, continuos improvement, customer–supplier partnerships and team rather than individual accountability. In this sense, it fits well into the quality management philosophy, embracing some of the business excellence principles of Kanjis Business Excellence Model. Nevertheless, the balanced scorecard, as presented by Kaplan and Norton, is not without limitations. The causality links suggested among the four perspectives are particularly problematic and ambiguous. Additionally, it fails to recognize explicitly the contributions of important stakeholders, such as employees and suppliers. Taking into account the potentialities and limitations of the traditional balanced scorecard, we propose the development of a new framework integrating the elements of Kanjis Business Excellence Model (Kanji, 1998, Total Quality Management, 9, pp. 633-643) and taking advantage of the strengths of its sound methodological support. The business scorecard may be improved by integrating the total quality management principles and critical success factors that constitute Kanjis Business Excellence Model. The Kanjis Business Scorecard (KBS) we present in this paper is not only a conceptual model, but also a measurement model. Furthermore, Kanjis approach has the potential to give a deeper understanding of how achievements in the different areas feed each other to form a cycle of continuous improvement. Finally, the implementation of KBS can help organizations to develop, cascade and implement a strategy for business excellence.