Get into action!

It starts with awareness. Change is impossible without understanding the relevance and possibilities of sustainable management. The practical conversion takes place after the awareness; how will you implement sustainability? Where do you start? What means do you deploy and how do you create a basis?

Fundamental

The basis of the 'sustainability' subject is getting wider for companies in the Netherlands, as proves research by the BZW (Brabants-Zeeuwse Werkgeversvereniging). Sustainable management is in the top 3 of many priority lists, but how do you take care of it? Incorporating sustainability always means change management, it is therefore fundamental and mostly leads to a hesitant start. This is where we come across the first pitfall; endless talks, discussions and thinking without making concrete steps. It is better to just get into action and start the process.

 

Improvements & Savings

Those who know their company processes, also know what their impact is on the environment; what raw materials and resources are used and how much waste they create. Make 'more efficient working' a main goal. This often leads to quick process improvements and savings, which motivate you to continue. Expand your knowledge of sustainability, and you will soon notice new areas for improvement. A positive cycle in the right direction has been created.

Embedding

There is no standard blueprint that paves the way towards sustainability. There are a number of logic steps though, and implementing structure is the first one. Set goals, work on certification and consult with customers. Make this a policy and give your staff members the space to make their own creative contributions. The entire organization is to embrace sustainability; it has to be embedded in the 'hearts and minds'...

 

Inspiration & Motivation

In contrast to what most people think, sustainability is not something large departments necessarily have to implement. Just take a look at ASML, one of the world's most sustainable companies. A company with a 5.7 billion Euro turnover (2011) that made the conscious choice to take its responsibility for both the social and environmental part. A team of only 4 part-time staff members started mapping sustainability. 
Not by enforcing it top down, but by inspiring, motivating and securing. Sustainability is given a practical interpretation at the departments of the company itself, for example by working with an environment management system (ISO 14001).

It is clear: sustainability does not have to be unnecessarily difficult. It is just a matter of choosing and doing.

Go with the flow or stay behind

The EFQM Forum 2012 was organized last October 9 and 10. Under the name 'Fit for the Future', the challenges and chances that await us over the next 20 years were discussed. We are living in a dynamic, changing world where both raw materials and time are scarce, so how do we deal with that? How do we create excellence for our organization?

New base
On behalf of the European Commission, Reinhard Buescher had a shot: 'There is no easy solution available for the current crisis. We need a new industrial base in Europe, a strong, sustainable and solid one. Mainly technological innovations enable us to structurally change society.'

Futurologist Peter Cochrane even heighted this: 'We cannot get any smarter or work harder from a biological perspective, we have reached our max.' Luckily, he was there to offer a solution as well: 'Technology can help us save the world.' A beautiful example of such innovation is the 3D printer. We can already use them for medical goals.

Flexible life
‘Research proved that 92% of all creative work-related ideas are invented outside the office', as says Marc Buellens (Professor of the Vlerick Leuven Gent Business School). The mind is flexible and needs a flexible organization. Or: it's finally time for 'The New World of Work'. Finally indeed, because not much has changed since its introduction in 1954 (Peter Drucker - Management by objectives), not counting the small number of exceptions.

But in the year 2012, we live in a time where smartphones, tablets and laptops have become common property. We live in a global village, can work everywhere and it's therefore unnecessary to join the traffic jams every day. Moreover, employees don't see the point of it, generation Y leading the pack. This generation – that first thinks of a virtual meeting place when they hear the term 'social network' – is exceedingly suitable for flexible forms of labour based on autonomy and own responsibility.           

Remarkable results
The Belgian Mobistar has now embraced The New World of Work, as became clear at the Work@Home,Home@Work Bbest Conference at October 8 2012. A large part of the staff was offered the chance to (partially) work from their own homes. Of course a number of rules was set, but there was more than enough space for one's own initiative within these rules. This lead to more motivation, less 'traffic jam distress' and a better 'work-life balance'. The results were also positive to Mobistar: there was a significant improvement of both productivity and cost efficiency.

Network society
Regardless of being an employer or employee: it's time to open your eyes. Only 5 years ago, Twitter and Facebook were still relatively unknown. In 2009, only 10% of the Dutch inhabitants had a smartphone, in the year 2012 over 60%. In only 2 years, the knowledge recorded on the web will double every eleven hours(!). A network society based on premium technology is the future. It is just a matter of going with the flow, or staying behind... 

  

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On our way to a sustainable earth

People, Planet, Profit… Practice?
It has become a true vogue word by now: sustainability. The press regularly publishes on our planet's vulnerability, increasing food prices and the scarcity of raw materials that is drawing near with rapid strides. An appealing story, because it relates to all of us. But are all these reports really effective? What, for example, are our ladies and gentlemen of the cabinet actually doing? 'Sustainability' is even a scarcely used term during election time...

Work to be done
Also in the Ltd. The People, Planet & Profit triangle made its entry into the Netherlands, but how about the Practice? More and more small-scale concrete, useful initiatives take place, but to what extent is this relevant for companies with profit as their main target? Research performed by Deloitte proved that only a handful of multinationals 'succeeded developing and preserving a sustainable company strategy'. So there's work to be done...

The sun's power

Heads up for the small group of people that do succeed. An inspiring example is Bertrand Piccard, he set up a unique project with Solar Impulse; an aeroplane driven by solar energy. Plane constructors didn't see the point of it - 'it is impossible' - but a man like Piccard doesn't really care. So he was the first to make an intercontinental journey with a 'solar plane'. The videos say more than a thousand words.


Hearts and minds
It's no surprise for those who follow my blog; I've been engaged in management improvement by means of the EFQM Excellence Model for years now, and - as a result - sustainability. Because only when the internal management is settled, we control the effect of our actions on our environment to the max. That is important, because the cliché really is true; sustainability has an effect on the future of us all.  So I keep fighting to get sustainability in the hearts and minds, both on the business and private area.

Surprises
The day I write this blog, it's ‘10/10’, or Sustainability Day. A perfect moment for a fresh start; I will use this weekly blog to report on current developments, special meetings and interesting events. From Veldhoven to Abu Dhabi, and from inspiring gurus to the greengrocer around the corner; the way to a sustainable planet is full of surprises. I would love to share my experiences with the world, to Improve4All. 

Sustainability Mission EFQM Forum 2011

Next week the EFQM Forum 2011 will take place. On 25 & 26 October the Crème-de-la-Crème of the EFQM Community will gather at the distinctive futuristic BMW Welt conference center in Munich, Germany. Finally the EFQM members (and also other interested parties) will be discussing the topic “Taking Responsibility for a Sustainable Future”, as our annual Forum will be centred round the theme “People, Planet, Profit”!

Must admit I am very happy to finally have my favourite Fundamental Concept on the menu. And as far as I am concerned this is long overdue too.

Let me provide you with evidence J. The graph below shows the scoring per Criterion of the EFQM Excellence Award applicants 2007 to 2010. Here you can see that Criterion 8 Social Results scores lowest of them all. The graph shows the average scores and highest scores per Criterion. The highest score is for Criterion 9 Key Results with 90 points. The highest score for Social Results does not get above 73 points. On the averages all criterion score between 58 to 62 points, except again Social Results, the average for this Criterion is only 45 points! 

Now without proper investigation and analysis we can only speculate on the causes behind this phenomenon. Might it be the EFQM Model itself where we could find some answers and areas for improvement? Or maybe we should look for something in the assessment-approach? Maybe it is the level of awareness around all that is connected to sustainability that still needs to find a critical mass in our EFQM Community?

These are all questions I am walking around with. I will take up the opportunity to approach one or more representatives of applicant organisations that participated in the EEA this year to review and reflect with them on this matter. Possibly I might even tackle some people from the organisation winning the EEA Award this year and see what they think!

Although I am not without purpose much, I suppose I will be a woman with a ‘sustainability mission’ at the EFQM Forum this year. Please beware!

J2E gets you going!

The EFQM Model is not for wimps. One needs to persist and invest time and effort to improve the performance and the organisation in a sustainable way. It is great when things (and obviously the business results) start going your way! Finding the way to get started is sometimes a challenge … this is where the EFQM Journey to Excellence (J2E) training course will get you off to an even better start.

When it comes to successfully implementing the EFQM Model in an organisation everyone throughout the organisation needs to be involved and fully engaged. Line managers and process owners don’t need the same level of understanding of the EFQM Model as the excellence professionals in the organisation need to have. What these line managers and process owners need to understand is simply how to apply the Model in a practical and common sense way with simple tools and techniques. This is what will add value to the workplace. The J2E-course is specially designed for line managers and process owners who are going to support the organisation with implementing the Model. The J2E-course is a 3-day interactive training course created to help attendees understand where they are on their journey towards excellence, where they would like to be and how to get there. At the end of the course, they will be more motivated and will better appreciate what is required to set out on the journey, not just in terms of tools and techniques, but also in terms of cultural development.

Will you win?

Last October BBest launched the first Excellence Award program in the Benelux based on an evaluation with the EFQM Model. The Benelux Excellence Award is an official part of the EFQM Excellence Award program and as such the ideal ‘try out’ opportunity for organisations planning to go for the EFQM Excellence Award. The goal of the BEA-program is to identify organisations that have made considerable progress on their ‘Journey towards Excellence’ and recognise these organisations with an award, the Benelux Excellence Award.

Any company, organisation or operational unit in Belgium, The Netherlands and Luxembourg can enter into the BEA-program regardless of their size and sector of activities (public, private or not-for-profit). Applicants will be requested to prepare a submission document as preparation for the assessment team. The actual performance of the applicant will be evaluated through a ‘Recognised for Excellence’ type of assessment with the EFQM Model. A small team of experts will execute this assessment. All applicants will receive an assessment feedback report detailing their strengths and areas for improvement. Also a score on the achieved level of Excellence at that time will be provided. However to have a ‘fighting chance’ to actually win the award please be aware of the fact that is it expected that applicants have a mature quality management system in place already for some time. The management system should either based on ISO or a sector specific quality system derived from the EFQM Model, or obviously directly based on the EFQM Model itself.

Candidate organisations for the Benelux Excellence Award 2011 can contact BBest directly to enrol into the program and need to keep in mind that they should also be able to have the EFQM-assessment done ultimately by September this year.

An award will be presented to the company or organisation that has been rated to be the best in his category:

Not-for-profit – small organisations

Not-for-profit – big organisations

Profit – small organisations

Profit – big organisations

In October 2011 during the next annual BBest conference the awards will be presented. Will we be handing this beautiful award to you maybe? Hope so!

Don’t miss my article in magazine Kwaliteit in Bedrijf, a renowned Dutch quality magazine. The magazine will publish my Business Excellence Award article in their March issue.

Let’s take a look in the mirror

Previously I talked about the use of the EFQM Model in the context of an EFQM-assessment. But the EFQM Model can also be used as a model for management to run their business. Through a process called Self-Assessment (SA) an organisation can get a comprehensive view on their overall fitness at a certain point in time. It is actually not much more than taking ‘a good look in the mirror’ called EFQM Model. What you see provides you with feedback on the effectiveness and efficiency of all the approaches the organisation. This feedback is invaluable when determining or refining the future strategic direction of the organisation and consequently identifying the necessary improvements to make it happen.

Depending on the method used for executing the SA the investment in resources will vary. Regardless of the method used the result of the process is a list of the organisation’s Strengths (Ss) and Areas For Improvement (AFIs). It is not uncommon for an organisation to identify more than 200 items, nor is it uncommon that several and/or the big ‘challenges’ on the list were already on the radar of the senior management team.

There are managers (and consultants) who are disappointed with this process, because they feel there is an imbalance between the input and the output of the process. The (sometimes big) investment in resources does not make up for creating this very long list of Ss and AFIs, many ‘they knew about anyway’… One can look upon this point in various ways, but let me bring up a few things I find important to mention on this point. 

Firstly I sincerely hope the identified Ss and AFIs do not come as a surprise to management, at least not the majority of them, otherwise they would have been quite out of touch with their own business. However I do agree that listing all these detailed Ss and AFIs, as this is a part of the process, is not the most exiting activity. EFQM has various support tools available, but a good help here is the solution Ricoh has offered to the EFQM Community recently. To support their SA-process Ricoh developed and implemented a SA-method and tool called the Business Excellence Matrix (BEM). Apart from identifying and creating the list of Ss and AFIs, the output of BEM-approach is also an Enabler Map.

Secondly, but maybe I should have mentioned this first, the creation of this comprehensive list of Ss and AFIs is not an aim in itself. This list is the basis from which the organisation selects the priority topics that will help to define or refine their strategy and make sure the organisation is progressing towards reaching its vision.

And thirdly when the SA-process is set up and executed the right way it creates an enormous buzz in the organisation. Involving people from various levels in the organisation creates a feeling of empowerment among employees. In my personal experience people that have been involved in a Self-Assessment do not need much encouragement to take ownership of any action or project agreed as a result of that process. This makes deployment quite a bit easier!

I can put more points forward, but I leave it up to you now to maybe surprise me with one or two interesting things about your own the Self-Assessment experiences. What surprised you when you took a good look in the EFQM Model mirror?