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For businesses a major drawback of self‐assessments based on quality award models is the amount of precious time and effort they require. Based on work with a major European service company, a ‘quick’ approach has been developed by Aarhus School of Business. In the second of two articles, Jens Dahlgaard and Jakob Eskildsen explain its new method for scoring business excellence and compare it with established approaches.

The full meaning of quality and quality management concepts can be only understood within the framework of systems thinking. The need for a new paradigm, based on systems theory, is even more evident when the attempt is made to extend quality management concepts from the material level of economic transactions to the immaterial level of social relations, to create value for people, organisations and societies.

On the basis of previous papers by the author, where the connection between quality and value was explored, this paper recalls some basic principles of systems thinking in relation to social systems, focussing then on the theme of quality management in the systems thinking perspective.

The problem of redesigning TQM models in the systems perspective is addressed. Starting from a model of the organizational system and its environment, a logical representation of quality management models in the systems perspective is given.

The paper visits quality management concepts in the light of systems thinking.

Current models of organizational excellence are appropriate for the private organizations. It is evident that if an appropriate model is not adopted, the process of excellence in the organizations fails and some dimensions of the organization get affected by unpredictable damages. This research aims to identify an appropriate excellence model for public organizations.

First, a comprehensive literature review was conducted to identify the excellence criteria and models. Second, the models were through an expert-oriented questionnaire, analyzed by the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) technique. Participants were experts in the two domains of excellence models and public sector management. A sample of 15 experts was selected using purposive sampling. In order to emphasize on reliability, 10 questionnaires were adopted for analysis.

The findings showed that the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) model is the most appropriate model for excellence measurement in the public organizations based on the five selected indices.

The identification of a model for measuring organizational excellence for public sector can significantly contribute to existing literature on excellence measurement.

The concept of quality is revisited to evidence its applicability beyond the product and economic transaction level, to cover every kind of human and social relation. A very important extension indedd in this globalization era, where an increasingly interconnected world badly needs rules and means to improve quality, both at economic and political level. To that iam, some commonplaces about quality need to be exposed to criticism and the close connection between “value” and “quality” concepts must be highlighted. Generalization of the quality related concepts could appear to be just a theoretical issue were it not for the fact taht it opens the door to the extension of “quality management” concepts to every kind of organization: from the company to the state to the planet. “Managing for quality” appears to be a fundamental issue for all human‐made systems.

Total quality management (TQM) models claim to set the criteria for organisational excellence. In fact, some of them have been plainly named “excellence models”. However, while some of those criteria are ethically neutral, others have big ethical and social implications that deeply affect the nature of enterprises. This paper aims to discuss the human and social implications of TQM/excellence models and the impact that ethically‐relevant criteria have had – or not had – in more than ten years of use. The application of excellence model concepts to social and political organisations is also considered, and the case for the European quality vision is mentioned. The conclusive question is “Are excellence models changing corporate culture and executive behaviours, or are deeply rooted corporate cultures and executive behaviours going to change the models in the long run?”

The European Business Excellence Model (EBEM) is nowadays a familiar framework, used for a spectrum of purposes, with the most frequent aim from its full deployment being the attainment of organizational success. The EBEM's requirements, however, involve abstruse management concepts and thus, there is, frequently, a significant variety within the suggested approaches to face the criteria requirements. Although, such integrated business excellence models should not necessarily be of a very prescriptive nature, allowing for deployment latitude among sectors and types of businesses, a more homogeneous understanding of the suggested approaches to the requirements might be a welcome basis by both academics and business professionals. This paper aims to resolve some of the questionable concepts associated with the practical deployment of EBEM.

Integration of the known literature, stemming from both published articles and best practices already made available, to form a well defined framework of suggested approaches to the EBEM's requirements is the approach taken.

The findings associated with the first requirement of Sub‐Criterion 1a of the EBEM (“leaders developing the Mission, Vision and Culture”) are reported here.

Most of the relevant information describing current, applicable business practices is not yet publicly available, and has to be deduced mainly from responses to questionnaires/interviews.

Specific frameworks of suggested approaches for the well known EBEM's requirements have not, as yet, been made available in the literature.

The purpose of this paper is to combine systems thinking, lean management, value methodology and Six Sigma concepts into an integrated quality methodology using the TALEVAS model.

TALEVAS is an acronym for Tandem‐Lean‐Value‐Sigma, as each element correlates to a best practice or concept mentioned by intent. The model is based on two theories: “The rising pendulum system” and “The seven rules of quality driving” proposed in this paper.

Four key performance drivers are identified using the model. These are: communication, investigative correction, innovation, and synchronization.

The integrated methodology can be deployed by any type (product‐or‐service based) or level (small, medium or corporate) of an organization in order to gain a competitive advantage in the market. Further, there is a possibility that recent cases of product recalls could be reduced or avoided by companies through implementing a TALEVAS Quality approach.

The paper displays the interdependence between the quality concepts by model analysis. This reflects a more holistic approach to quality required by organizations to raise the bottom line, reduce costs, promote value, and provide consistent products to customers.