Leadership Agenda

In the last year established economic frameworks, Governmental proceses and business models have had to change by an amount not previously experienced in living memory.  An outcome is that Regions, Governments and Organisations are now seeking to conclude whats next.... 

What are the post crisis activities that will likely drive sustainable success?  

Or course many academic and business performance models exist but the big question is “have the recent changes been so great as to render them fully or partially invalid or incomplete?”. Time will of course tell, but those who wish to exploit opportunity and act quickly will form views now. This paper attempts to provoke debate on  “what maybe missing or changed in a post crisis environment?” 

To start this debate listed below are the concepts that underpin one widely used performance model (The EFQM model).  The premise of the EFQM Model is that for an organisation to achieve and sustain superior levels of performance, that meet or exceed the expectations of all their stakeholders, it must embed the following aims/beliefs into the ways in which they operate: 

• They need to achievie a balanced set of results that meet both the short and long term needs of all their stakeholders.  
• They need leaders who shape the future and make it happen, acting as role models based on appropriate operational Values and Ethics.
• They need to strive for globally sound economic, social and ecological sustainability.
• They need to  value their people and create a culture of empowerment to aid the balanced achievement of organisational and personal goals.
• They need to operate with the belief that customers are their primary reason for being and so strive to innovate and create value for them by understanding and anticipating their needs and expectations. 
• They need to seek, develop and maintain trusting relationships with relevant partners to ensure mutual success. 
• They need to maintain structured and strategically aligned processes and operate them using fact-based decision making. 
• They need continual and systematic innovation and improvement obtained  by harnessing the creativity of all their stakeholders.

Maybe all above continue to be necessary (?), but in a post crisis world are they sufficient? An emerging belief is that organisations that defy the trend of decline will do so only by mastering a more responsive/timely ability to perpetually transform themselves. 

Many organisations are now in a world where economic value added arises from people who work with their brains as much as their hands.  -A world in which operational efficiency, quality and brand are no longer the barriers to entry they once were. Can it be argued that a  company that is not capable of real and globally valid innovation, is doomed to decline and extinction, the only manageable variable is the speed? 

To survive will most organisations need to  evolve from a foundation based on efficiency and predictability to embrace innovation, adaptability and responsivenes?. Will such needs likely widen the meaning of organisational excellence from ‘flawless, aligned, execution’ of best practice to ‘timely creation and execution of differentiating next practices’ and if so what does this mean for the list above? What is the fresh thinking we need for the next decade?

Lets talk: -What do you think? -Comments and ideas are truly welcomed:

EFQM, (the Brussels based "not for profit" Management Association) acting on behalf of its member organisations, maintains  the  EFQM Model in order to help organisations, measure and recognise their performance.  Our Chris Hakes, along with Geoff Carter, (both also of the EFQM Faculty) represent the knowledge worker stakeholder communities in the so called (EFQM) "Core-team" that is renewing the EFQM model and would welcome your views on what should be incorporated in future revisions of the EFQM excellence model.

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