The Learner's Log Book (LLB) for the Saudi Airlines Case - Article Example

Write the Learner's Log Book (LLB) for the Saudi Airlines Case II. GENERAL INFORMATION Learner’s Name: ------------------------------------------------------------- ID Number: ------------------------------------------------------------------- Course Title: ------------------------------------------------------------------ Article Title: ------------------------------------------------------------------ Date of Submission: --------------------------------------------------------- Date of Feedback Received: ------------------------------------------------ Provide a summary in your own words of the article you have been requested to read and analyze in the following space. The article selected to read and analyze is the Self-Assessment Using the EFQM Model: The Case of Saudi Arabian Airlines: Saudi Arabian Airline industry is considered as the one of the largest airline industry in the Middle East. It initiated various kinds of programs for the purpose of enhancing the performance and consumer satisfaction. Self- evaluation is considered as one of the most effective method to study the pros of operation and to modify accordingly. This article explains the entire self-assessment procedure adopted by the Saudi Arabian Airline industry using the EFQM model. This particular model examines how Airline industry in Saudi Arabia practiced in the course of a structured methodology with the intention to assess the performance of Cargo Services in a pilot study A ‘ladder of excellence’ was employed to carry out the evaluation and re-organise the outcome.The EFQM Excellence Model, developed by the European Foundation for Quality Management, enables organizations to analyze themselves systematically. All the necessary elements for organizational excellence (process quality, employee satisfaction, customer satisfaction, leadership quality, etc.) are analyzed The EFQM Journey to Excellence (J2E) / Internal Excellence Assessor (IEA-EFQM) Training gives you the skills to organize a self-assessment based of the EFQM Excellence Model, to act as an Internal Excellence Assessor, and to develop, after the self-assessment, a plan for Striving for Excellence. During this training you will learn to identify where your organization is on its journey to excellence, where it could be be and how it can get there. Are you interested to learn how to use the EFQM Excellence Model to identify and drive improvements at your organization? Would you like to learn how to conduct a successful self-assessment based on the Excellence Model? Would you like to act as an Internal Excellence Assessor? Then this training is for you!   Goals This training is aimed at individuals who are seeking to start a business excellence initiative in their organization. Through this training, you will: • Unterstand how to use self-assessment as an improvement tool • Develop a roadmap for your organization's action plan • Develop a plan to engage people within your organization for striving for excellence • Learn about tools and techniques to improve performance • Understand EFQM's Levels of Excellence • Recognize the cultural aspects of Excellence • Learn the skills to act as an Internal Excellence Assessor (apply RADAR scoring, define strenghts and areas for improvement, develop an assessment report, etc.) • Understand the self-assessment process (case study)   Methodology Exercises, discussions and presentations.   Benefits The “J2E” / "IEA" training is designed to get people in an organisation actively involved in using the EFQM Excellence Model to drive improvements and to act as an Internal Excellence Assessor. IV. KEY LEARNING POINTS (100-200 words) Identify the key learning points in the article. EFQM excellence model is developed by the Saudi Arabian Airlines industry to evaluate them methodically. For this the essential ingredients of organizational excellence such as workers satisfaction, quality process, consumer satisfaction, and leadership quality etc are evaluated. Followings are the key learning points in this article. Realize how to use self- appraisal as an improvement instrument in the organization. Learn the object of the tools and method to develop performance of airline industry. Realize the EFQM’S levels of excellence model. Make out the various cultural aspects of EFQM excellence model. Identify the self-assessment procedure in this case study. use self-assessment as an improvement toolWhile you are reading, identify the relevant building blocks of the article and explain them briefly in the following space. Saudi Arabian Airlines industry adopts various quality management techniques to improve the overall functioning of the industry. In order to improve the quality Saudi Arabian Airlines adopted the Self Assessment model in tandem with the European Foundation of Quality Management (EFQM) which is considered as an efficient tool for empowering activities in the direction of business excellence. This article illustrates how Saudi Arabian Airlines has enhanced the performance of Cargo Services is a pilot study. The ‘ladder of excellence’ approach to carry out the evaluation and re-organize the outcome. Application of this theory in the Cargo Services division helped to improve the overall status of the performance of the Division’s. “The EFQM Excellence Model is used as a basis for self-assessment, an exercise in which an organization grades itself in nine different fields. This exercise helps organizations to identify current strengths and weakness for improvement against strategic goals. This grade analysis then facilitates direction and prioritization of improvement plans to achieve sustainable growth and enhanced performance” (The EFQM Excellence Model, n.d., para. 3). The ‘ladder of excellence’ approach is based on identifying a company’s individual outline in comparison to a level of check list of performance.The EFQM Excellence Model, developed by the European Foundation for Quality Management, enables organizations to analyze themselves systematically. All the necessary elements for organizational excellence (process quality, employee satisfaction, customer satisfaction, leadership quality, etc.) are analyzeThis training is aimed at individuals who are seeking to start a business excellence initiative in their organization. Through this training, you will: • Unterstand how to use self-assessment as an improvement tool • Develop a roadmap for your organization's action plan • Develop a plan to engage people within your organization for striving for excellence • Learn about tools and techniques to improve performance • Understand EFQM's Levels of Excellence • Recognize the cultural aspects of Excellence • Learn the skills to act as an Internal Excellence Assessor (apply RADAR scoring, define strenghts and areas for improvement, develop an assessment report, etc.) • Understand the self-assessment process (case study) VI. CRITICAL ANALYSIS (800-1000 words) This is the most important section in your analysis. To complete it successfully, you must consider the following guiding steps: Present arguments coherently, supported by evidence and facts to substantiate on why you may take a particular stance and/ or position towards a particular approach whether against or in support of it; Saudi Arabian Airlines is one of the main airlines in the Middle East and is presently undergoing a method of privatization, making a big change in its history. The Saudi Arabian Airlines has distinguished itself by reliably as well introducing new ways to adapt modern management concepts. This reflects a basic charge in the organizational procedure of the airline to harness and adapt new managerial skills. “Saudi Airlines faces numerous environmental challenges. The country has a very small area of arable land. Water scarcity and desertification are constant concerns. Creeping sands also cause a serious problem, by way of frequent dust and sand storms” (BTI 2010/ Saudi Arabia Country Report, 2009). Generally used Saudi Arabian Airlines evaluation processes are benchmarking, management audit and Self-assessment. Self-assessment is a, regular and systematic evaluation of an organization's actions and outcome compared against the EFQM excellence chart. The self-assessment method helps the organization to distinguish clearly its areas of strength and weakens by in which developments can be made by modulation of actions which are then observed and reoriented. “Self-assessment is considered one of the appropriate audit tools that help organizations to strategically prioritize the organization quality initiatives and change program efforts” (Baabdullah, n.d., p. 1). Self-assessment is different from other customary organizational audit tools in that it focuses on assessment of competencies and competitiveness before conformance to company dealings and rules. Therefore, self-assessment is used to recognize focal areas for development and areas of optimized power. Crucially, it is used to show the reasons of performance gaps. Following are the idea of self-assessment at the Cargo Services Division. • Recognize the overall condition of the Division’s performance. • Define important areas of strengths that are similar to world class management standards. • Define key regions of concern required to modulate to reach world class standards. • Find the baseline of the Division’s present standard and evaluate it with best-in-class. • Assure management commitment to TQM and continuous development within the Division. Self-assessment is a latest phenomenon in the Middle East where majority of the business organizations appear to be highly involved in continuing the business culture and quality. Higher managers have to identify that there are effective self-assessment tools which can help to evaluate the strengths and weakness in a variety of areas and understand whether they are using their value efforts in a correct way. Even though self assessment is a new practice in Middle East, this is not the situation in Japan and most western countries. If the self-assessment is considered an idea, the EFQM model is considered as an instrument to support this idea. It is a non-prescriptive structure of criteria, which distinguishes that there are a lot of methods to attain sustainable excellence. The model consist nine criteria divided into two parts, enablers and results. The five enablers are strategy, policy, leadership, people, resources processes and partnership. The business facilitates alteration of inputs to outputs. The four outcomes are customer results, people results, society results and main performance results; these are the measure of level of outcome or output achieved by the organization. Try to bridge the gap between theory and application. Saudi Arabian Airlines is the Middle East's biggest airlines with over fourteen million travellers carried each year, and an international carrier connecting over fifty cities in four continents. Saudi Arabian Airline has attained ninety percent in its punctually operational performance. In spite of the large number of flights, more than three hundred a day including international and domestic flights maintains 90% punctuality. Before starting the self-assessment program, it is essential to keep a certain profile for the team members, who will handle such kind of project. Best performs are treated as a bench mark for evaluation of other operational divisions. The following qualities are appreciated for selection of the team members: Analysis skills and capabilities General knowledge about the Cargo division business Creative thinking skills and problem solving Ability to understand the self-assessment approach Team work Listening and executing management skills The team is selected according to the structured profile shown above of including representatives from the diverse cargo sections, plus one dependable facilitator for implementing the quality initiatives of the company. Following are the training packages introduced to the team members: Team work and analysis methods. Data collection. Considerate self-assessment theory using the EFQM model tool “The EFQM leader for excellence training is designed to get people in an organization actively involve using the EFQM excellence model to enhance improvements” (Training by ITQM: Reach Higher Levels of Performance – Become an EFQM Certified Leader for Excellence, n.d.).The EFQM Leaders for Excellence Training is designed to get people in an organisation actively involved in using the EFQM Excellence Model to drive improvements. Following the training, participants should be able to start applying the skills they have learned to drive improvement teams or participate in a self-assessment.  Excellence Training is designed for managers who want to understand and apply the EFQM Excellence Model within their working environment. Using real application documents and simple, effective tools, participants will learn how to identify areas for improvement and adopt a structured approach to effectively address them.  The ‘ladder of excellence’ method is implemented by personnel increasing an organization's profile against a check list of performance status. This method was initially developed by a London Company British Gas. A dedicated group from Saudi Arabian Airlines modified the ladder matrix suitable the local surroundings and culture of Saudi Arabian Airlines keeping the EFQM model as a model structure. This team member then prepared a complete data of self-assessment using the ladder of excellence. A comprehensive debate was done among the team members to reach a comprehensive scoring and rating. Then a feedback report was warranted which contains all points debated in the assessment method of the EFQM model. VII. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS (100-200 words) How would you apply the subject matter from this article in a real business situation? The self assessment method in tandem with EFQM excellence model is an efficient management technique to improve the skills of personnel’s in any organization. It articulates various ways of empowering abilities and skills by way of educating the do’s and don’ts in a multicultural society. An airline industry deals with various people of different language and culture. The EFQM training helps to improve customer satisfaction and there by to the advantage of the organization. This system has an in built evaluation at periodied interval to further strengthen and upgrade the work culture. The enablers and results technique identities various factors of the organization in a systematic way and ensures to improve management skills. This training an be utilized to blend a winning and satisfactory work culture. “The five enablers are leadership, policy and strategy, people, partnership and resources and processes, drive the business and facilitate transformation of inputs to outputs. They represent the "how" rather than the "what". The other four results are people results, customer results, society results and key performance results; these are the measure of the level of output and outcome attained by the organization” (Baabdullah, n.d., p. 3). ted (European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) Excellence Model, n.d.). VIII. LEARNING REFLECTIONS (100-200 words) What have you learnt? Critical thinking is about lessons learnt from the analysis. From this article I have learnt the various benefit of implementing the EFQM excellence model of self-assessment in the Saudi Airline industry. It is an excellent model that will help to evaluate the ability to and weakness of the personnel’s of the company or specific divisions of the company. By introducing the self assessment principles in any organization, personnel’s attains a high degree of dedication to job by channelising their effort in an efficient way. The team will understand each others actions and methods and it will enhance the overall performance of any organization. Channelising all individual efforts for the common improvement of the organization helps to attain excellence. This will eventually increase work satisfaction as will customer satisfaction. Reference List Baabdullah, S. S. (n.d.). Self-Assessment Using the EFQM Model: The Case of Saudi Arabian Airlines. Saudi Arabian Airlines. Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Print. BTI 2010/ Saudi Arabia Country Report, (2009). Bertelsmann Stiftung. Shaping Change: Strategies of Development and Transformation. Retrieved October 31, 2011, from http://www.bertelsmann-transformation-index.de/137.0.html?L=1 European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) Excellence Model, (n.d.). NEF. Proving and Improving. Retrieved October 31, 2011, from http://www.proveandimprove.org/new/tools/efqm.php The EFQM Excellence Model, (n.d). EFQM. Retrieved October 31, 2011, from http://www.efqm.org/en/tabid/132/default.aspx Training by ITQM: Reach Higher Levels of Performance – Become an EFQM Certified Leader for Excellence, (n.d.). EUagenda.eu. Retrieved October 31, 2011, from http://www.euagenda.eu/2011/11/29/EFQM-Leaders-for-Excellence-L4E-Training-by-ITQM The EFQM Leaders for Excellence Training is designed to get people in an organisation actively involved in using the EFQM Excellence Model to drive improvements. Following the training, participants should be able to start applying the skills they have learned to drive improvement teams or participate in a self-assessment.  Excellence Training is designed for managers who want to understand and apply the EFQM Excellence Model within their working environment. Using real application documents and simple, effective tools, participants will learn how to identify areas for improvement and adopt a structured approach to effectively address them.  Read More