Government excellence

Abstract

Organizational excellence models, and related national quality awards, have been developed by many governments around the globe to make their country ’ s organizations, including large and small businesses, health-care facilities, schools and government agencies more customer-focused and competitive in the larger economy. Although these models and awards programs vary by country, in general, they involve a robust set of criteria in areas such as leadership, planning, information systems and human capital. Organizations complete a self-assessment based on the relevant criteria and then they are evaluated and scored by a team of experts on how well the organization deploys processes in these areas, their associated results and their systems for learning and improving processes and results. Organizations that receive the highest scores are typically recognized with some level of excellence award during an annual ceremony, sponsored by the government, and best practices from honorees are promoted, shared and often incorporated into the criteria. The UAE is currently in the fourth cycle of its journey toward government excellence.