EFQM Vocabulary

B

Benchmark: A measured achievement used for comparison with other TDS Centres or similar organisations and target setting purposes.

Benchmarking: A systematic comparison of approaches with other relevant organisations (TDS Centres, or other) that gains insights that will help the TDS Centre to take action to improve its performance.

 

C

Change management: The approach during which changes within a TDS Centre are implemented in a controlled manner, by following a pre-defined framework or processes to support the achievement of the strategic goals. Change management enables the transition from a current state into a desired future state.

Continual improvement: The on-going improvement of processes, which leads to the achievement of higher performance levels through incremental change.

Core competence: A well performed internal activity or capability that is central to the TDS Centre competitiveness, profitability or efficiency.

Creativity: The generation of ideas for new or improved products, services, processes, systems or social interactions.

Critical success factors: Limited number (usually between 3 to 8) of characteristics, conditions, or variables that have a direct impact on the effectiveness, efficiency and viability of a TDS Centre.

Customer: The recipient of products or services provided by the TDS Centre.

Customer results: Measures and results that indicate the level of customer satisfaction and loyalty. Includes actual perceptions of the customer, which may be obtained through external surveys, etc., and also measures and results that will tend to predict trends or influence customer satisfaction and loyalty such as complaints levels, late deliveries, cancelled orders, etc.

 

E

Empowerment: The process by which people or teams are able to take decision making responsibilities, and operate with a degree of autonomy in their actions.

 

F

Fundamental concepts of excellence: The set of key and proven principles upon which the EFQM Excellence Model framework is based.

 

I

Innovation: The practical translation of ideas into new products, services, processes, systems or social interactions.

 

K

Key processes: The processes that are of the utmost importance for the TDS Centre since they deliver and support the strategy and drive the value chain.

Key results: Overall strategic operational results of the TDS Centre. Key financial and non-financial outcomes which demonstrate the success of the organisation’s deployment of their strategy, such as productivity, return on investment, performance of key processes, etc.

 

L

Leaders: The people who coordinate and balance the interests and activities of all who have a stake in a TDS Centre.

 

M

Management system: The framework of processes, related performance/result indicators and process management and improvement systems used to ensure that the TDS Centre can fulfil its Mission and Vision.

Mission: A statement that describes the purpose or “raison d’être” of a TDS Centre, confirmed by its stakeholders. The Mission specifies why the TDS Centre exists.

 

P

Partner: An external party the TDS Centre strategically chooses to work with, in order to achieve common objectives and sustained mutual benefit.

People: All individuals employed by the TDS Centre (full time, part-time, including volunteers), including leaders on all levels.

People results: Trends and satisfaction levels of all employees of the TDS Centre. It includes both the perceptions of the people, which may be obtained through surveys, focus groups, etc., and internal measures and results that will tend to predict or influence people satisfaction.

Perception: The opinion stakeholders have of the TDS Centre.

Process: A set of activities that interact with one another because the output from one activity becomes the input for another activity. Processes add value by transforming inputs into outputs, using resources.

Product: A distributed good which is an outcome of a production process that passes through a distribution channel before being used.

 

R

Radar logic: A dynamic assessment framework and powerful management tool that provides a structured approach to questioning the performance of an organisation.

 

S

Society: The social infrastructure outside the TDS Centre that can be affected by the TDS Centre.

Stakeholder: Person, group or organisation that has direct or indirect stake or interest in the TDS Centre because it can affect it or it can be affected by the TDS Centre. Examples for external stakeholders are owners (stakeholders), customers, suppliers, partners, governmental agencies and representatives of the community or the society. Examples for internal stakeholders are people or groups of people.

Strategy: A high level plan describing the tactics by which a TDS Centre intends to achieve its Mission and Vision.

 

V

Values: Operating philosophies or principles that guide a TDS Centre´s internal conduct as well as its relationship with the external world. Values provide guidance for people on what is good or desirable and what is not. They exert major influence on the behaviour of individuals and teams and serve as broad guidelines in all situations.

Vision: Description of what the TDS Centre attempts to achieve in the long-term future. It is intended to serve as a clear guide for choosing current and future courses of action, and along with the Mission it is the basis for strategies and policies.