Attitudes to self-assessment and quality awards: A study in small and medium-sized companies

This paper reports the findings of a study of seven small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the North West of England to assess their reaction to the proposed European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) Model of Business Excellence for SMEs. Among the findings is that the development of the model to suit the characteristics of SMEs is along the right lines but more needs to be done in terms of language simplification, format of the model and simplification of the application document. SMEs are, in general, aware of the existence of the EFQM model but do not fully understand how they can derive benefits from self-assessment against its criteria. To them, selfassessment is perceived to be used only when applying for an award, which is something for large organizations only. SMEs need to be introduced to the concept of total quality management (TQM) before the model is used, and while the model might do this there is a need for more simplified guidance prior to its use. It is also pointed out that education in the philosophy of TQM and continuous improvement is extremely important to SMEs, and should be delivered by bodies which fully understand their needs.