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September 2012

www.efqm.org

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Pierre Cachet, Chief Executive Officer, EFQM

Dear Members, Dear Partners, Dear Friends, Dear Readers,

Before looking into the future, I’d like to take a moment to look to the past. Which memories do you

recall when you think back of your journey inside an organisation?

When I think about my last 3 years at EFQM, many different moments stand out. When I joined, I

found the Foundation was at a tipping point. Decisions had to be made: an internal re-structure was

necessary; a new model being developed and needed to be rolled out; relationships with our

partners to be strengthened, just to name a few…

But I can mainly think of good moments. For instance, the enthusiasm and the pride of the people

from Award and Prize winning organisations. Allow me to stress the word PEOPLE, and not the

managers. Several organisations even invited their entire team at the award ceremony to celebrate

their achievements. I also remember the engagement I’ve seen, from all types of organisations,

companies, school, hospitals and NGOs, who do their best to fulfill the expectations of all their

stakeholders. Our members show an understanding of the eco-system and its key role in their

development. They act considering a long term view, and they believe, together with EFQM, in the

strength of good practice sharing.

I’d like to thank all of you. It has been a pleasure to get to know you and your organisations. The

time has come for me to say goodbye. I’m passing on the flag. I am going back to rejoin EDF in Paris,

where my mission will be to review the project management system.

I’m pleased to introduce my successor, Mr. Marc Amblard in this edition of Excellence in Action. I’m

sure EFQM’s future is in good hands. Also, I am fully convinced that the opportunity for European

companies to recover is in adding more value to their products and services in all dimensions,

financially, but also in terms of the environment, the social contribution and ethical standards

adopted. So I wish that our Model and our tools can be of increasing value to European organisations

as the core of their management system. Furthermore, I hope that the public authorities in Europe

understand that promoting Excellence must be a key lever in their action for economic growth, like

Jacques Delors and the EU commission did at the end of the eighties.

I wish you all the best,

Pierre Cachet

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So, first things first, how does it feel to be EFQM’s

new Chief Executive Officer?

I’m very excited and thrilled to join this highly

renowned organisation and even prouder to take its

helm. I very much look forward to working with our

members and partners as well as with EFQM’s board

and staff. The EFQM Team makes for a very

enthusiastic group of experienced, diverse and

motivated people. I can’t wait to become an active

stakeholder.

I am also proud to follow Pierre Cachet’s footsteps.

Indeed, he has spearheaded significant improvements at EFQM during his 3 year tenure. Pierre has

done a fantastic job and I’m eager to continue what he has accomplished.

What are your motivations?

During my 25 year-long career I’ve worked mainly for global corporations in many parts of the world.

My focus in the last few years has been on strategy, business development and performance

improvement. Taking EFQM’s leadership gives me the chance to share the experience accumulated

over the years with the aim to help companies improve their performance. And the EFQM Excellence

Model offers the ideal framework to progress towards business excellence.

What made you choose an organisation like EFQM?

Today we are facing weak markets in most of Europe, fierce competition from emerging economies

and a high pressure on public spending. In this challenging environment, I strongly believe that

organisations have much to gain by looking outside and learning from others in order to become

stronger and perform at a higher level. This is EFQM’s raison d’être, with its extremely valuable

toolbox and network of leading organisations. Indeed, the EFQM Excellence Model, along with its

assessments and best practice sharing, has proven its contribution to higher performance. That’s why

I decided to join the Foundation.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your past business experience?

As a citizen of both France and the US, I first trained as a mechanical engineer and later obtained my

MBA in the US. I’ve almost always worked in global industrial organisations, in France and in the US.

These were in the automotive industry (PSA, Valeo and Renault) and more recently in the rail

industry (Alstom). In the first half of my career, I had operational positions in export sales, project

management and manufacturing. In the second half, I focused on development and strategy, building

industrial JVs around the world, managing a product portfolio and finally leading strategy.

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What strengths do you bring with you to EFQM?

I believe that my international experience and network will be valuable assets to EFQM. The key

functions I have occupied have given me a chance to accumulate a lot of hands-on experience on

operations, strategy and organisation. I will bring all of it to EFQM.

What do you feel are the key challenges European organisations need to address in the coming

decade?

The very difficult economic environment I described earlier forces organisations, whether private or

public, to alter how they operate. The resulting higher pace of change combined with the current

poor visibility calls for more agility. The increased competition from emerging economies combined

with their growing markets may require adjustment in product and service positioning for more

customer value added. Talent management is also becoming increasingly critical. In the end, leaders

must create the optimal conditions to secure a sustainable future for their organisations and

corresponding stakeholders.

How do you think EFQM can support organisations in this?

First, assessments performed under EFQM’s umbrella shed light on areas presenting potential for

improvement. Then, sharing best practices is a critical component to helping companies address the

challenges identified. Personally, I have been involved in several benchmarking activities, and I have

experienced great benefits. EFQM counts leading organisations among its members. This offers a

unique opportunity for other organisations to increase their performance by sharing what works.

EFQM’s value added to small and large, public and private organisations has repeatedly been proven.

What are you hoping to achieve in your first year at EFQM?

I will try to correct my industrial bias by getting to know EFQM members from the service and public

sectors. I also want to meet significant members and partners, regardless of their size. With them, I

intend to see how the Model works for them, understand their needs and document how EFQM can

add further value to its members. Ultimately, with that knowledge in mind, I want to refine EFQM’s

roadmap with our Board.

Finally, I also have some personal objectives. My wife and my two children all moved to Brussels last

week. Establishing our lives here in Brussels will be another challenge in the year to come, and that

will no doubt be an exciting one!

Meet Mr Amblard will officially join EFQM on the 17th of September.

Both, Mr. Pierre Cachet, as well as Mr. Marc Amblard will be joining us at the EFQM

Forum in Brussels on the 9th and the 10th of October (www.efqmforum.org). They are

looking forward to meeting you.

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5 great reasons to join the EFQM Forum

1. Find out how to capitalise on the diversity of your workforce, including managing an aging population. Understand how you can capitalize the experience and talent from your people. Speakers: Robert Bosch, Vlerick Leuven Gent Management School, Pom+

2. Discover the power of technology and its impact on our way of communicating, our way of working. Speakers: Virgin Media, and Peter Cochrane, one of the world's most respected and sought-after speakers on technology.

3. Find out how the EFQM Model 2013 changed and learn from Senior Executives and Board Members on how they are using this management framework. Speakers: BMW, Grundfos, and Umicore.

4. Learn about the European Commission’s vision for Europe. Understand how markets will change. Speakers: Julie Meyer, one of the leading champions for entrepreneurship in Europe; Coca-Cola, the European Commission and others.

5. Get to know Europe’s best performing organisations: the nominees for the EFQM Excellence Award: Coca-Cola, BMW, Grundfos, VAMED, Pom+, JSC Medicina, Mutualia, B.Braun Avitum Hungary, Wakefield and District Housing, Hospital Galdakao-Usansolo, Dzierzoniow Town Hall, and Bursa Nulifer.

Join the likes of Cargill, European Investment Bank, Philips, Ricoh, T-Systems Multimedia Solutions, GC Europe, and the Volvo Group. Learn from the expertise and network with 200+ professionals, and +15 speakers.

For more detailed information on the programme, the speakers, the logistics or to register please visit www.efqmforum.org.

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You’ve just been nominated as highly

commended in our social media competition.

Congratulations! What does this prize mean

to you?

It's a fantastic achievement; we were all absolutely

thrilled when we heard the news. Being Social by

nature we immediately shared the exciting news

on our internal communication platform so the

entire Company could see the tremendous

progress we have made. Being recognised by

EFQM for our creative approach to Social Media is

a real credit to the individuals within the team and

all the hard work and commitment they have put

in over the last 12 months.

Virgin media is very active in the Twitter

world, how has the way you tweet changed

over the last years?

The way we tweet today has not changed since we

started our journey on Twitter; we simply listen

and join the conversation in a human way. We

wanted to maintain this personal approach as we

continued to grow. Each individual team member

brings their own style, humour and creativity but

the underlying tone remains very much on brand

and in line with our values.

What is the impact of Twitter on your brand?

Twitter has really changed the game for brands; it's

no longer about broadcasting communications, it's

about tapping into our customers passions and

creating content and conversation that is relevant

to them, in order to prompt them to learn, share

and participate. Being active on Twitter allows us

to get closer to our customers, it allows us to

engage during the user experience and ultimately

it provides the platform for us to be Virgin.

How important do you think it is for

companies to be active on social media

platforms?

It really depends on your products and services,

your brand and ultimately the voice of your

customer. If your customers are already talking

about you, then at the very least companies should

be listening. Social Media platforms can provide an

incredibly rich source of unstructured and often in

“Our journey has been about coordinated organic growth. There is no blue print for Social Media. It very much depends on your products, your services, your brand and ultimately the voice of your customers. Our first challenge was how do we develop these new and emerging channels and integrate them in our day to day operations without losing the creativity and the personal touch. One thing that is clear - Social Media provides the platform for us to engage and enhance the customer experience.”

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the moment, feedback which can help shape one’s

thinking.

What does Virgin Media hope to achieve?

We want to be recognised as a social brand, we

want to grow through customer advocacy and we

want to become a social business on the inside too.

The world, the way we communicate, social

media… they are all constantly evolving. How

do you see Twitter and the way people use it

change in the future?

Compared to the more traditional channels,

Twitter volumes are still relatively low so I think we

will see a significant shift over the next few years

as Twitter becomes a mainstream communication

channel. We are already seeing a number of

customers using Twitter as their primary contact

channel and we are also starting to see customers

interact with each other, this change in behaviour

will create some interesting opportunities I'm sure!

And finally, what can we expect to hear from

you at the EFQM Forum?

We have had an incredible journey over the last 12

months and we have lots of highlights to share,

however I also want to talk about the future and

some of the challenges we face as we look to

expand the team next year. I'm really looking

forward to my first EFQM Forum, roll on October!

The Future Model During this session, the Members of the Core Team will introduce the latest update of the EFQM Excellence Model. Be amongst the first to find out:

What’s driving change? What’s changed? How will the changes help ensure your organisation is Fit for the Future?

We will also be joined by 3 speakers from some of our leading members to share their experience: What’s driving change in their sector? What are the key challenges they face? How their organisation has benefited from implementing the EFQM Excellence Model?

Our guest speakers are: Lars Aagaard, Group Executive Vice President, Grundfos Andreas Wendt, Director General Plant Regensburg, BMW Remy Reul, Business Excellence Manager, Umicore

For more information: www.efqmforum.org

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T-Systems affiliate Multimedia Solutions develops Internet-based solutions for large corporations and mid-sized companies. The company's approximately 1.200 employees serve customers from all industries by translating web innovations into services for the digital business and social ecosystem. These include solutions for e-commerce, intranet and Internet portals as well as web IT management. For the tenth year in a row, the company took the top spot in the Internet Agency Ranking 2012.

An interview with Stefan Mendelsohn; Strategy & Excellence leader

What was the process like?

After studying general information and the strategic document of T-Systems Multimedia Solutions, the team

of assessors created first hypotheses about possible strengths and weaknesses on the first day as well as an

interview schedule for the whole week. Second day was interview day: About 20 discussions with several

managers and employees were out

to test the hypotheses. On third

day, the assessors have derived first

results and planned additional

interviews to clarify inconsistencies

or to get additional information. All

results were presented on the last

day in several workshops. Oh, and in

between it was time for the

assessors to show them the

beautiful old town of Dresden and

try "German Sauerkraut".

Can you share one of the

challenges the assessors looked at?

How have they been able to help?

One of the strategic challenges was the restructuring of the organizational structure of our company. The

team of assessors confirmed that we have set the goals right. However, improvement was noted: The

restructuring of the organizational structure was indeed well managed as a project, but the use of change

management associated with it, seemed expandable. The EFQM team also pointed out that communication

and information needs do not fit together in some respects - staff and management here seem sometimes at

cross purposes.

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Why did you choose the host the Strategic Assessment Programme?

The Strategic Assessement Programme is a neutral assessment of the current status and a perfect way to

receive external feedback on previously defined strategic challenges. The interactive workshop with all

assessors and interviewees at the

end of the week is a great

opportunity to discuss areas and

ideas for improvement and to

benefit from the experiences of the

whole assessor team. Last but not

least the Strategic Assessment

Programme helps us to work with

the EFQM model and to keep in

touch with the EFQM network.

What did you learn?

We do many things right, but maybe

sometimes we do too much at once:

We have many key industries, focus areas, focus solutions and so on, that sometimes our focus is lost. It is

not enough just to say yes to a major issue - but no to hundred other interesting'.

Would you recommend this assessment programme? Why?

It is always amazing how quickly the assessors - this time even more operational managers than EFQM

professionals - can empathize with the central issues of T-Systems Multimedia Solutions and come to a

systematic assessment of strengths and areas of improvement within a few days time. Most notable among

them were the experiences from other companies, because not every challenge is T-Systems Multimedia

Solutions specific. The assessment programme was a success for us.

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At EFQM, we are dedicated to help organisations improve by uncovering ideas

and opportunities to grow. We draw upon the knowledge and experiences of

the leaders in our network to deliver such solutions. Organisations come to us

for assessments because of our ability to build a team of experts, a pre-

requisite for receiving high-valuable and actionable feedback on your

performance.

During this assessment programme, your organisation will benefit from a team

of professionals assessing your main strategic challenges. At the end of this

exercise, your senior management team will have access to concrete and

actionable solutions. An EFQM Facilitator will be coaching you and the

assessors over the entire period, including support for you to define the three

main focus areas.

Gain external feedback

Undergo a business healthcheck

Challenge your assumptions

Generate ideas to increase your performance

Benefit from a professional coach

Work with a team of experts

Understand what is needed to achieve

your strategic objectives

This experience is specifically interesting for high-performing organisations with a passion for business

excellence. We can specifically advise EFQM recognised organisations or Award Prize winners, seeking to

excel, to go through such an assessment.

Cost Strategic Assessment Cost Member: € 5000 Cost Non-Member: € 10 000

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“In our globally acting division with 16000 associates the structured

approach of EFQM enables us to set impulses in a targeted way to reach our

goals. The focus on the enablers that really count improves our

competitiveness.”

Gerhard Steiger, President Chassis Systems Control

Bosch Chassis Systems Control (Bosch CC) division develops innovative components, systems, and functions

in the field of vehicle safety, vehicle dynamics, and driver assistance.

Their 16 000 dedicated employees are located around the globe, from Australia toward Asia and Europe via

South Africa to North and South America.

Bosch is well known for their social responsibility initiatives thanks to the people who work for them. Bosch

associates live for the values and act accordingly to them, becoming ambassadors for the company who

engage in social entrepreneurship at local levels.

The Model helps Bosch CC to focus management attention for running change and improvement

activities and to learn if they are continuously and sustainably improving their business.

External assessments at global and local levels provide feedback and external, objective perspective

for future change of Bosch.

Bosch CC uses the Model as a tool to lead their global organisation and frame their strategies. This

helps to set and follow common targets and sustain corporate culture in all locations worldwide.

Participation to EFQM Excellence Awards brings external recognition – Bosch CC is the first company

which submitted as a global business for the EFQM Awards.

The Model is supporting an increasing motivation of the associates. Associate Satisfaction has

improved to benchmark level with a share of 90% being proud to work at Bosch CC.

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Organisations can join the EFQM member community and enjoy some exclusive benefits such as access to

free assessment and improvement tools, participation to events, themed webinars and good practice visits.

To learn more about our member community, feel free to contact us or to join one of the free introduction

meetings at our offices in Brussels.

As a member of EFQM, you will enjoy the following exclusive benefits:

Expert advice and support for your organisation’s journey towards excellence.

Access to the EFQM Knowledge Base is a database containing a number of free to download

assessment, management and improvement tools; as well as Good Practices identified from the last

3 years of the EFQM Excellence Awards.

Members receive a discount of 20% on EFQM Products & Services, including Training, Publications

and Recognition.

There are themed events and webinars throughout the year, with Good Practices and new tools

being shared and explained by EFQM and member organisations.

For more information, please e-mail info@efqm.org

We published a new Good Practice case study on our website!

How can you answer to all requirements from your stakeholders? DIGAME is the answer.

Red Electra developed a service and shares their best practice with you…

Sharing ideas throughout is definitely a challenge. One that many organisations face today.

Schenker introduced a world-class system.

Find them on our Knowledge Base! Enjoy the reading!

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EFQM is committed to help organisations drive improvement through the use of the EFQM Excellence

Model, a comprehensive management framework used by over 30 000 organisations in Europe. For the last

20 years, we manage the development of this Model, incorporating the experiences and learning from these

organisations to ensure it reflects reality.

To help you implement our Model, we provide training, assessment tools and recognition. But our real talent

comes from gathering good practices and integrating those within our portfolio. EFQM, a not-for-profit

membership Foundation, aims to share what works, through case studies, online seminars, working groups,

conferences and thematic events. We nurture a network of world-class organisations and their leaders who

share our passion for business excellence.

We believe that the EFQM Model is a common framework that helps us all to improve our businesses.

Sharing our member’s enthusiasm, their motivation and the results they achieve; that is what we work for at

EFQM.

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Avenue des Olympiades 2 5th Floor B-1140 Brussels – Belgium Tel : +32 2 775 3511 Fax : +32 2 775 3535 Email : info@efqm.org http://www.efqm.org