Not using RADAR? Missed opportunity!

‘To measure is to know’, the saying goes. True words, because what is the point of setting up management systems if you do not know how effective they are? Which manager does not want to know how the organization is doing and where improvements are needed? Fortunately the EFQM Excellence Model provides us with this practical tool that every organization can use every day: RADAR!

Question your performance
RADAR stands for Results, Approach, Deployment, Assessment and Refinement. As part of the EFQM Excellence Model, RADAR is used by assessors as the scoring mechanism for the EFQM Excellence Award and other recognition or assessment schemes. However RADAR is a tool that can be used by everyone. The RADAR logic provides any organisation, not just the ones in pursuit of sustainable excellence, with a structured approach to question their performance and enable them to make a robust assessment of their ‘degree of excellence’. In other words: it helps organisations to identify possible improvement opportunities.

Illustratie: Ivo van Leeuwen.

Backbone
On high level RADAR states that an organisation needs to determine the results it is aiming to achieve as part of its strategy. It needs to plan and develop an integrated set of sound approaches to deliver the required results both now and in the future and deploy the approaches in a systematic way to ensure their implementation. And last but not least, based on the analyses of the results achieved and on-going learning activities organisations can assess and refine their approaches and deployment.

Opportunity
Any type of organization can integrate these components into their business management system in order to develop a culture of excellence, to create consistency in their management style, to identify good practices, to boost innovation and to improve business results. The advantages are obvious. Not to use RADAR = a missed opportunity!

Sustainable soft drinks giant?

Sustainability is not just about the fate of the planet, but also about the well-being of the people on it. And then we should not just regard shareholders and employees, but also think about consumers. This raises an interesting question: can a producer of unhealthy products be called a sustainable company? Coca-Cola for example.

Obesity
One of the most powerful brands in the world is Coca-Cola. The range is huge and its consumption too. But this consumption isalso controversial: 100 ml Coca-Cola contains 42 kilo calories and 10.6 grams of sugar.
We live in a world where obesity is a growing problem. In this context, companies like Coca-Cola – where the business model is based on sugar – have come under intense scrutiny. Coca-Cola has responded with making smaller cans, providing better information and producing new, less unhealthy, product varieties (Light, Zero). "We are committed to bring people together to help fight obesity", said Stuart Kronauge, the General Manager for Coke's North America Sparkling Beverages division. But is that enough?

Quality management
Individual offices of Coca-Cola implement their own quality management systems. Like the Coca-Cola Ýçecek factory in Ankara, the fifth largest plant of Coca-Cola in Turkey. It was built in 1973 as the first large-scale production facility in Turkey. The factory has a good reputation in the field of quality management: it is continuously strives to improve. Over the yearsmany quality tools have been implemented, such as Lean 6 Sigma, Maintenance Excellence and Kobetsu Kaizen. The factory,equippedwith a number of ISO certificates, has received several prizes ánd won the Turkish National Quality Award. The implementation of the EFQM Excellence Model in the plant attributed to winning this National Quality Award.

More than efficiency & effectiveness
In 2012, the trophy cabinet of the Coca-Cola plant in Ankara filled up further with winning the EFQM prize for Taking Responsibility for a Sustainable Future.* However the fact that a plant of Coca-Cola would receive this particular prize of EFQM I find odd. The expectation of this fundamental concept is that an organization has a positive impact on the world around them, in economic, environmental and social terms. But facilitating obesity does not fit this description for me.

* In the 2010 version of the EFQM Excellence Model the Fundamental Concept (FC) was called Taking Responsibility for a Sustainable Future, but meanwhile, in the current model, the EFQM Model 2013, the FC is called Creating a Sustainable Future.

Are you a global role model for the New World of Work?

To decide how, when and where you work, that's the New World of Work in a nutshell. Technological innovations make flexible working possible, but the actual realization lags behind. A missed opportunity, so this year EFQM organizes its Good Practice Competition around this theme. Any organization with inspiring examples around the implementation of the New World of Work is welcome to join. The winner can count on international recognition.

Less cost, more productivity 
 The New World of Work is becoming more widely known and that is not without reason: when implemented correctly, it leads to lower costs. Employees get more responsibility and feel more involved, which ensures higher productivity. Moreover, employees are more satisfied because they are provided with the freedom to organize to their own work-life balance.

The New World of Work can lead to less
traffic jams (Mariorda, Wikimedia Commons).

Game and glide
One of the pioneers in the New World of Work is Google. Google wants its employees to feel comfortable and ensures there is room for relaxation, there is a TV room, you can play games and various departments are linked by means of a slide (!). The office is always open and not without reason: people are always there. You can devote 20% of your working time to your 'own' projects, but you need to come up with the ideas for that yourself.

Advantages and pitfalls
Awareness with regards to flexible working will take flight the coming years. In the United States alone the number of ‘virtual employees’ is estimated to rise to 63 million Americans (now: 34 million) by 2016. The benefits are obvious, but there are also pitfalls: communications could be disrupted, the social cohesion of staff could diminish and inspired home workers run the risk of getting a burnout. This is all the more reason to learn from each other and work together to find the answers.

Join!
The EFQM Good Practice Competition is designed to recognize leading organisations in the New World of Work and share what works through our network. It is open to any organisation – global or local, private or public sector, large or small. So if you have innovative initiatives that have delivered tangible benefits for your organisation and stakeholders, then join he EFQM Good Practice Competition and inspire over 400 international business leaders.

What can we learn from the most sustainable company in the world?

‘Sustainability’ is a buzzword. More and more companies are integrating it into their business plan. This seems to be a good development, but it does not say anything about whether the sustainability ambitions are actually realized. Words are not always translated into action. However, there are inspiring examples of companies that do well. Meet 'the most sustainable company in the world': Umicore!

Clean capitalism
At Corporate Knights Inc they must have thought: ‘to measure is to know’. Since 2005, each year they execute a comprehensive 'sustainability assessment'. Following this in-depth analysis it becomes clear which companies in the world can claim the title ‘clean capitalism’. During the World Economic Forum in Davos on 23 January last the latest sustainability champion was announced: the company Umicore with headquarters in Belgium, was honoured. Umicore was named most sustainable company in the world in the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations index.

The Umicar Imagine during the World Solar Challenge 2011 

in Australia (Wikimedia Commons).

Well-timed action
Umicore is a materials technology company, which produces highly efficient solar cells for instance. The biggest plant of Umicore in Hoboken, Belgium, is a leading member of EFQM community and uses the EFQM Excellence Model to manage the plant. Sustainability is an integrated part of their business model and not an artificial add-on. The rationale: early anticipation of the expected shortage in precious metals. Already some years ago, based on a comprehensive analysis of the commodity market the Umicore Vision 2015 was designed. At the core of this vision lies taking responsibility towards people, the planet and society at large. Some attention points are:
• Provide a safe and healthy working environment for employees;
• Implement ethical and safe production methods in developing countries;
• Monitor harmful side effects of production;
• Involve employees, neighbours, customers and authorities in business activities.

Excellent practice
The EFQM Excellence Model is deeply rooted at Umicore in Hoboken. By responding to future developments in time and using the EFQM Model as their management model, they have shown that users of the EFQM Model are indeed able to achieve sustainable excellence. As I believe that truly excellent organisations will make the world a better place, I am Umicore very grateful for this!