Defining an Ireland of Excellence

Throughout most of my business life I have been involved in a number of “Excellence programmes” which have been given many different names.

Investors in people

EFQM

TQM

Lean

ISO 9000

Etc

From my experience it is all about people, process and performance. All elements are linked together.

Excellence is the state or quality of excelling. Particularly in the field of business and organisations, excellence is considered to be an important value, and a goal to be pursued.

It is so all encompassing that it is difficult to know where to start. See what Aristotle had to say on the matter.

“Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but we rather have those because we have acted rightly. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit. “

So really we are trying to create habits that bring about excellence.

As is often said it’s not about doing things right but doing the right things.

The big challenge we have is that” Excellence” is a word used in pretty much every sphere of business, professional and public life.

Retail Excellence Ireland

Excellence Ireland Quality Association

Business Excellence Ireland

FAS Excellence Through People

National Disability Authority Excellence through Accessibility Award

ICT Excellence Awards

Failte Ireland Optimus Awards Celebrating excellence

As such the word has become diminished because of over use and a lack of delivery.

The systems , processes, procedures and templates for delivering excellence are long established. You don’t need to re write the text book.

What is missing is “Leadership and Vision”. Look at the piece below:

What are the Taoiseach’s Public Service

Excellence Awards?

The Awards are held every two years to recognise and reward examples of

excellence in the delivery of public services and/or administration, directly

by public servants.

Applications are invited from projects or initiatives that show

one or more of the following:

_ Improvement to services delivered to the citizen and business customers,

including through engagement with customers;

_ Innovation and creativity, through flexibility, team working, partnership

and eGovernment; and / or

_ Increased effectiveness and efficiency, including better use of resources

and shared services.

Who can apply?

Applications are now invited, in Irish or English, from public servants in

organisations within the Public Service. This includes:

_ Civil Service (Government Departments and Offices);

_ Education Sector (Schools, VECs, Third Level Institutions,

Bodies such as State Examinations Commission, etc.);

_ Health Sector (HSE, Emergency Services, Public Hospitals, etc.);

_ Justice Sector (Garda Síochána, Irish Prison Service,

Courts Service, Probation Service, etc.);

_ Local Government Sector (County and City Councils,

Town Councils, etc.); or

_ Other Public Service (Defence Forces, Utility Regulators,

Non-Commercial State Bodies, etc.).

The above list is not exhaustive and you can confirm your eligibility by

contacting the Department of the Taoiseach (details on the back page).

All applications should ultimately be approved for entry by the head of the

public body in question.

How will the recipients be selected?

A selection committee will be established to agree

the specific assessment criteria and evaluate all

applications received.

This committee will have an independent chair and will

include members with experience of the Public Service.

The Awards recipients will be announced early in 2010.

Transforming Public Services

The Taoiseach’s Public Service Excellence Awards are

organised as part of the Transforming Public Services

(TPS) programme. One of the central aims of the TPS

programme is to ensure that the citizen – the customer –

is at the centre of the Public Service.

As you can see the key issue, problem is not in defining Excellence or where to apply it. Unfortunately that has been done nearly in every sphere of public life; however it is just window dressing.

It fails in execution, delivery, and leadership.

I have seen enough charters, mission statements, and quality policies to last a life time.

If the top table, team, don’t lead by example it’s all for nought. The emperor has no clothes.

The systems for excellence are there, tried and tested. No reinvention needed.