EFQM RECOGNITION

BECOME A GLOBAL
ROLE MODEL
EFQM
LEADING
EXCELLENCE

EFQM is a not-for-profit member based foundation with over 25 years’ experience of

supporting organisations to drive sustainable excellence, create a culture of continuous
improvement and achieve outstanding performances. Custodian of the EFQM Excellence
Model, a framework providing a holistic view of any organisation, EFQM has become a true
centre of competences with over 2000 trained assessors, a community of experts and over
30,000 organisations using the Model worldwide.

Always at the forefront of trends, EFQM aims to lead the global Excellence movement
among its network and beyond, and to provide the highest added-value to its customers
through products and services carefully designed to deliver the best results. With a
diversified portfolio ranging from publications to training courses, assessments or sharing
events, EFQM is the partner you need to grow your organisation but also your team.
WHAT IS EFQM
RECOGNITION?
EFQM recognition schemes motivate your people
to drive the organisation towards continuous
improvement and a culture of excellence, whilst
creating international acknowledgment for your
professionalism and your relentless focus on progress.

Recognition schemes are all about celebrating achievement and creating enthusiasm for progress.
They are a great way to motivate and encourage systematic improvement. They provide a focus
for learning and training. They provide achievable milestones during a long term programme and
demonstrate progress to your people, suppliers and customers.

BENEFITS:

• Motivate your people

• Find out how good you are
• Create a culture of sustainable excellence
• Engage with customers, partners and staff
• Benefit from international recognition
• Improve your competitiveness

“The Prize is a proof for us that we are on the right track. It shows us that we
have a competitive advantage with our flexible production process and that we
meet the expectations of our customers. The Prize both motivates and drives us
to continuously improve ourselves.”

BMW Regensburg (Germany) - EFQM Global Excellence Award Winner 2015

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 LEVELS OF
EXCELLENCE
The EFQM Levels of Excellence is a scheme that
provides organisations with a challenging and
independent assessment of their performances
against the EFQM Excellence Model at any
point of their continuous improvement journey.
The recognition at the end of the process
celebrates hard work and motivates people to
keep striving for Excellence.
The scheme starts with Committed to
Excellence and culminates with the EFQM
Global Excellence Award which recognises Role
Model organisations globally.
Committed to Excellence
CREATE PASSION AND COMMITMENT
Committed to Excellence is developed to
introduce you and your organisation to business
excellence. Going through one of the two
options your organisation will receive a valuable
feedback and recommendations to the next
steps for your journey towards excellence.
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Recognised for
Excellence
CHART YOUR PROGRESS
Recognised for Excellence provides externally
validated analysis of your organisation’s
performance and recognises your achievements.
It provides you with a framework to increase
your competitiveness, productivity and
efficiency. You will understand how well your
current management practices are delivering
the results and you will discover learning and
improvement opportunities.
EFQM Global Excellence
Award
FOR HIGH PERFORMERS
The objective of the EFQM Global Excellence
Award is to recognise Global Role Model
organisations, whether private, public or non-
for-profit. These are excellent organisations
with an indisputable track record of success in
turning strategy into action and continuously
improving their performance.
 The perfect step to start your
continuous improvement
journey!

Committed to Excellence OPTION 2 - THE ASSESSMENT

If you opt for the assessment method, you will need
WHAT IS IT?
to prepare a short submission document. 2 EFQM
Even the longest journey starts with a single step.
Assessors will then spend 1 day on-site to complete 6
The EFQM Committed to Excellence is designed to
themed interviews. They will assess you and produce
help ensure that the first step is a step in the right
a feedback report against the 9 criteria of the EFQM
direction. Many people think that implementing
Excellence Model.
the EFQM Excellence Model is a long, complex and
expensive process. However, that isn’t necessarily
If you succeed scoring over 200 points, you will receive
true. Implementing the Model can be as simple or as
the Committed to Excellence 2 Star recognition.
complex as you choose to make it.

WHY APPLY?
EFQM's Committed to Excellence is a recognition
• Focus on strategically important projects
scheme that helps you introduce an excellence initiative
• Improve your organisation's performance
into your organisation and deliver improved results. It is
• Instil a culture of continuous improvement
an action-based learning project that entails identifying,
• Involve your people at all levels
prioritising and implementing improvement projects
• Receive value adding external feedback
using the EFQM Excellence Model and RADAR logic.
• Be internationally recognised

OPTION 1 - PROJECT VALIDATION

The Committed to Excellence Programme is a simple
The Project Validation option consists of two stages.
& easy step for organisations or units who are just
In the first, you conduct a simple Self-Assessment
beginning to explore ways to improve their business
against the EFQM Excellence Model, from which
approach. A typical profile of an applicant organisation
you will define 3 improvement plans as a result of
looks as follows:
a prioritisation exercise. In the second stage, an
independent EFQM Validator reviews the outcomes
• They have experience of introducing improvement
delivered from the improvement projects and provides
initiatives but change is managed ad-hoc, now
structured feedback. The process has 3 steps and lasts
interested in taking an organisation-wide perspective.
9 to 12 months.
• They measure their performance using mainly internal
measures with little use of external comparisons as
At the end of the validation, you will receive a feedback
the basis for target setting.
report detailing the strengths and opportunities for
improvement observed. If you can demonstrate you
Any organisation or business unit can apply at any
managed the improvement projects in a structured
time, regardless of their location, size or sector. EFQM
fashion and you have made clear progress, you will
can help you to start with the Start Simple One-Day
receive the EFQM Committed to Excellence recognition.
Workshop.

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 Recognised for
Excellence
RECOGNITION LEVELS
CHART YOUR PROGRESS
3 Stars
Recognised for Excellence is based on an
• Has demonstrated its ability to lead changes
external assessment of your organisation’s
• Some good management practices are in place
overall performance and achievements. By
and impact positively on the results of the
applying the EFQM Excellence Model, you
organisation
will understand how effective your current
management practices are delivering the
4 Stars
strategic objectives you have defined.
• Performs well in a number of areas and takes
Recognised for Excellence will help you to
change seriously
discover learning & improvement opportunities.
• Get things done and can demonstrate it has
invested in some of the practices that will lead
If you apply for Recognised for Excellence,
to success
you need to create and submit a Management
• Results are improving
Document that consists of the Key Information
and Key Results of the organisation and the
5 Stars
Enabler Map. 3 – 7 EFQM Assessors will
• Is a high performing organisation where
then spend 3 – 5 days on-site to complete
change is managed
interviews. They will assess you and produce
• Improves, refines and simplifies the practices it
a feedback report against the 9 criteria of the
uses to achieve its goals
EFQM Excellence Model.
• Achieves results in line with the strategy

WHY APPLY?
DOCUMENTS NEEDED
• Create enthusiasm and encouragement for
• Signed application form – available on
improvement
www.efqm.org
• Develop organisational culture of excellence
• EFQM Management document with
• Simple process that delivers independent
- Key information & Key Results
value-adding feedback
- Enabler map
• Improve performance
• Create sustainable excellence for your
FEEDBACK
stakeholders
• Builds a clear understanding of the
• International recognition that will enhance the
organisation, its strategy and challenges
value and image of your organisation
• Helps the organisation to focus on what is
important for its future
WHO CAN APPLY?
• Stimulates the identification of practical next
The Recognised for Excellence is designed for
steps and how to improve
those organisations or business units that are
• RADAR scoring
well on their way to organisational excellence.

A typical profile of an applicant organisation:

• Most important results have been improving
for 3 years and have some external
comparative data to put them into context
• Major processes are defined, controlled,
regularly reviewed and some
improvement in approaches over time can be
demonstrated
• Have assessed themselves against the EFQM
Excellence Model and have confidence to
score above 300 points
“Winning the EFQM Award makes us extremely proud
because it is an important recognition for us on our
“Journey towards Excellence”. After having been awarded
the EFQM Prize in the category “Managing by Processes”
clear
two years ago, this year’s Award demonstrates that we
have developed our excellence approach even further
over the last two years. Being, therefore, perceived as
a continuously improving organisation is a tremendous
acknowledgment and a big motivator for us.”

Robert Bosch GmbH, Bari Plant (Italy) – EFQM Excellence

Award Winner in 2014

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EFQM Global Excellence
Award
WHO CAN APPLY?
The objective of the EFQM Global Excellence
The Award is open to any organisation but
Award is to recognise best performing
applicants must have received 5 Star Recognised
organisations globally, whether private, public
for Excellence recognition trough EFQM or one
or non-for-profit. It recognises sector leaders
of our National Partner Organisations or have
with an indisputable track record of success in
demonstrated an equivalent excellence level.
turning strategy into action and continuously
improving their organisation’s performance.
Each organisation applying for th EFQM Global
Excellence Award needs to be qualified by
The EFQM Global Excellence Award is supported
EFQM before being allowed to enter into the
by one of the most rigorous assessment
process.
processes. To identify the nominees, a team of 5
– 9 international experienced managers spend
DOCUMENTS NEEDED
one week on applicants’ site, or an average of
• Signed application form – available at
500 hours per applicant; reviewing documents,
www.efqm.org
interviewing and analysing the organisation
• EFQM Management document with:
against the EFQM Excellence Model. The
• Key information & Key Results
feedback from the assessor teams are then
• Enabler map
presented to an independent jury that decides
• Good and Role Model Practices
the level of recognition for each Nominee.

FEEDBACK
WHY TO APPLY?
• Focuses on the organisation, its strategy and
• Enhance your brand image and reputation
challenges
• Find out how good you are and discover your
• Helps the organisation to focus on what is
true potential
important for its future
• Motivate and energise your people
• Stimulates the identification of practical next
• Receive independent, stakeholder focussed
steps and how to improve
value-adding feedback
• RADAR scoring
• Announce your success and join the Winners’
club

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EFQM
Avenue des Olympiades 2
1140 Brussels, Belgium
Tel +32 (2) 775 35 11
Fax +32 (2) 775 35 35
www.efqm.org