Achieving Business Excellence, Quality and Performance Improvement

Overview

This valuable briefing identifies all the areas critical to developing an effective performance improvement process. It is a practical guide to the use of business excellence models and frameworks, quality standards, benchmarking tools, self-assessment programmes and the latest performance improvement initiatives.

To achieve continuous improvement, organisations must be able to answer three fundamental questions:

• Where are we now?
• Where do we want to get to?
• How do we get there?

The question ‘where are we now’ is most effectively answered by a rigorous self-assessment programme using an appropriate model or framework. The self-assessment process examines an organisation’s performance against key
performance criteria and establishes a baseline of performance supported by
objective evidence.

In order to understand ‘where do we want to get to’ organisations must have a clear vision of the future, but, more importantly, must establish and communicate the strategy and specific actions which will deliver this ‘vision’. This Report will show you how.

Who should buy this Report?

• CEOs and company directors
• Project managers
• Sales and marketing managers
• Performance improvement managers

And all heads of departments seeking to get more performance from the team, systems and department

Content

Introduction to knowledge management

• Introduction
• Definitions of knowledge management
• The language of knowledge management
• Drivers for knowledge management
• Knowledge management activities

Knowledge Management – the systems dimensions

• Introduction
• Technical perspectives on knowledge management
• The Internet,‘intranets’ and the World Wide Web
• Virtual communications and virtual relationships

Knowledge management – the systems dimension contents

• Introduction
• People management policies and practices
• in the knowledge environment
• Motivating and rewarding knowledge workers
• Recruitment, retention and succession planning in a knowledge environment
• Impact of knowledge management on the role of managers
• Training and development in a knowledge environment
• Team working in a knowledge environment

Knowledge management – the organizational dimension

• Introduction
• The cultural challenge of effective knowledge management
• New organisational forms in the knowledge economy
• Identifying knowledge resources – knowledge audits
• Transferring knowledge – a ‘merger’ case study

 

APPENDICES

Appendix 1: Case studies:

• Ford Motor Company
• Inez Limited
• Winchester City Council

Appendix 2: Summary checklist:

• Introduction to knowledge management

Appendix 3: Summary checklist:

• Knowledge management – the systems dimension

Appendix 4: Summary checklist: *Knowledge management – the people dimension

Appendix 5: Summary checklist: *Knowledge management – the organisational dimension

Appendix 6: References

Appendix 7: Further reading

The authors

Colin Chapman, FAQMC, MIQA, is Senior Partner within The Blackwell Partnership, a leading management consultancy firm. The partnership are British Quality Foundation Registered providers of consultancy and training, and specialise in the use of The Business Excellence Model for continuous performance improvement.

Dennis Hopper FHCIMA, is an Associate of The Blackwell Partnership, proving specific guidance on the issues facing the catering and hospitality industries. He is also a British Quality Foundation approved assessor against the Business Excellence Model and has extensive experience in leading performance improvement programmes within many industry sectors.