Move beyond ad-hoc problem solving and discover the path to sustained performance. This article outlines the Centre for Organisational Excellence Research (COER) roadmap, detailing how to combine structured methodologies, independent validation, and shared learning to build a robust benchmarking capability. Learn how to design excellence as a living system, not just a destination.
The Centre for Organisational Excellence Research (COER), New Zealand, recently concluded an extraordinary visit to Colombo, Sri Lanka, marked by intensive training and strategic collaboration. Partnering with the Asian Productivity Organisation (APO) and Sri Lanka’s National Productivity Secretariat (NPS), our team delivered a series of Technical Expert Service (TES) training sessions aimed at advancing business excellence across the nation.
OrganizationalExcellenceSpecialists.ca announced the official release of the Top 25 Best Managed Colleges and Universities in the World (2025). The report identifies the leading colleges and universities across the globe that have achieved consistently high standards across multiple indicators, including student and faculty satisfaction, financial stability, teaching and research quality, and trust in outcomes.
The September 2025 edition of COER News (Centre for Organisational Excellence Research) is here, and it reflects the spirit of collaboration across borders. It’s packed with stories and events that will spark ideas, fuel ambition, and connect you to the global movement of excellence.
United States Secretary of Commerce, the Honorable Gina Raimondo, today announced the 2024 winners of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the highest award for performance excellence presented in the nation and the only award presented by the President of the United States.
Dubai Quality Group celebrated excellence & innovation, honoring 131 winners at its prestigious awards ceremony. The event celebrated achievements in medical excellence, AI, innovation, and women’s empowerment, highlighting the diverse talent and groundbreaking work happening in the UAE and beyond. The ceremony also featured the signing of a significant MOU and recognized the contributions of the award judges and assessors.
To counter strategic myopia, the blog suggests implementing Business Excellence (BE) models like EFQM and the Baldrige Performance Excellence Framework. These models offer structured management practices to help organisations navigate the balance between short-term achievements and sustainable growth by fostering innovation, customer focus, and operational effectiveness.
The blog highlights that BE models guide organisations to look beyond immediate gains and focus on long-term value creation and adaptability. Criteria such as leadership, customer focus, and operational effectiveness within these models enable organisations to evaluate areas that might be overlooked when there’s an overemphasis on short-term gains.
This blog post examines how MESA Products Inc., a three-time Baldrige Award winner, used the Baldrige Excellence Framework to achieve extraordinary success. The post explores MESA’s journey and provides insights for other organisations looking to improve their business models and sustain growth.
The Baldrige Excellence Framework is a structured approach to organisational performance management. It results in:
– Delivery of ever-improving value to customers and stakeholders, contributing to ongoing organisational success
– Improvement of the organisation’s overall effectiveness and capabilities
– Learning for the organisation and people in the workforce
In today’s dynamic business landscape, organisations must continuously re-evaluate their business models to remain competitive in their markets. Below are a few recent examples of leading organisations that have successfully adapted their business models to keep pace with technological advancements and shifting customer preferences.
It has now been one week since Dr. James Harrington passed away at the age of 95. He was a giant among quality professionals, having published over 50 books and inspired thousands through his presentations and articles in leading publications on quality and business improvement. Jim had a distinguished career, working for IBM, Ernst & Young and Systemcorp, where he led and developed significant quality and project management related initiatives before starting his own highly successful management consultancy, Harrington Management Systems.
Research from the Centre for Organisational Excellence Research (COER) reveals that the landscape of business excellence awards is undergoing a major transformation.
COER’s 2023 research indicates there are 39 countries that have an active national business excellence award (or awards) with an additional 3 active regional awards covering more than one country, refer to Table 1. This contrasts with 57 countries having an active national business excellence award and 4 regional awards reported in 2021 (Ghafoor and Mann, 2021). Awards were deemed active if they were held in 2021, 2022, 2023 or there was evidence they were being planned for 2024.
The findings presented provide compelling evidence that implementing business excellence frameworks worldwide leads to significant performance improvements. Organizations from 15 countries cited goals like becoming world-class and continuous improvement as key drivers. Dubai seen enhancements across various indices after adopting excellence government-wide. Customer satisfaction in Dubai rose 35% according to its Happiness Index. Additionally, an analysis of Dubai Quality Award winners found widespread benefits were achieved, with over 70% realizing considerable gains across multiple areas like profits, quality and employee engagement. The results demonstrate pursuing excellence yields clear, measurable advantages for public and private sector organizations around the globe.