Abstract
The failure to contextualise the implementation of business excellence models has challenged many global companies’ strategy deployment in Africa. This failure served as inspiration for this study and the review of intellectual structure, which is one of the most effective techniques to analyse a topic from various angles over time. The lack of publications in the literature on the implementation process and also the lack of African context representation in topics related to the implementation of business excellence models are of concern. Therefore, the aim of this research was to investigate the considerations during the implementation of business excellence models and to develop a guideline for practice to support organisations in a specific context.
Initially a conceptual guideline was developed from the literature findings, following three stages, namely a review of literature on business excellence implementation, a comparison of business excellence guidelines in the literature to highlight key considerations and gaps in the available guidelines to shape this study's guideline and lastly, the combination of findings of stages 1 and 2 to develop a conceptual guideline. To validate the accuracy of the guideline’s intended use, top management was engaged in practice and organisational agility was the key outcome of the validation. To verify its relevance in the context of Africa, qualitative methodology focused on interviews with implementation experts and other stakeholders to explore their experiences and interpretations of the implementation process. The research approach was also guided by the requirements of this study which intended to acquire an in-depth knowledge of what to consider during business excellence implementation.
The verification of the guideline in the context of Africa as a case study area led to the identification of 14 areas of improvement to enhance the conceptual guideline and advance the body of knowledge. The pre-implementation phase involves establishing the organisation's readiness for activity-level implementation in order to support the organisation in aligning the reasons, objectives and context regarding the selection of the business excellence model of their choice. The implementation phase entails validating business requirements that are action-oriented and valid in their context in order to support the organisation in aligning global expectations or business excellence models with the local context. Lastly, the post-implementation phase involves assessment to measure the success of the implementation process; continuous improvement and learning feedback loops supported by capabilities of agility will support the organisation in positioning capable resources in order to address external threats and capitalise on opportunities through learnings.
The intention through this study was to provide a guideline to implement business excellence models; it was not to provide a simulated model, but rather a verified model in practice. The guideline contributes to business excellence model implementation practices as it provides practitioners with a basis and a clear roadmap when implementing business excellence models in a specific context. In addition, this research provides further social, economic and cultural considerations, guiding principles in usability and other realities that may be important when implementing business excellence in a specific region.