Business excellence is an international initiative. As the guardian of Singapore’s business excellence initiative, SPRING Singapore has developed and strengthened its international networks through the years. SPRING Singapore is actively involved in the Global Excellence Model (GEM) Council, as well as the Asian Productivity Organization.
Global Excellence Model (GEM) Council
SPRING Singapore is a member of the Global Excellence Model (GEM) Council. The members of the GEM Council are the guardians of the Excellence Models across the world. Through a formalised approach for sharing their knowledge, experience and information, the GEM Council has created a global fraternity in the field of Excellence. As the administrator of the Singapore Quality Award (SQA), SPRING Singapore’s affiliation with the GEM Council ensures that the SQA framework reflects the world’s best validated management principles and practices.
The business excellence model underpinning the SQA is based on universally accepted standards that are found in the United States’ Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award, the European Quality Award, the Australian Business Excellence Award, the Japan Quality Award and the South African Excellence Award. As a symbol of world-class business excellence, the SQA encourages organisations to strengthen their management systems and capabilities to enhance their competitiveness.
Click here for more information on the GEM Council.
Asian Productivity Organization
The Asian Productivity Organization (APO) was established in 1961, with the mission of contributing to the sustainable socioeconomic development of Asia and the Pacific through enhancing productivity. Its vision is to be the leading international organisation on productivity enhancement, enabling APO economies to be more productive and competitive by 2020.
Click here for more information on the APO.
In 2009, SPRING Singapore was designated by the APO as its Centre of Excellence (COE) for Business Excellence. This has enhanced the synergy amongst APO member economies. The objectives of the APO COE are as follows :
- To assist APO member economies in developing and strengthening their business excellence and quality award initiatives
- To provide greater value to organisations participating in such initiatives through sharing of expertise and international recognition
As the APO COE, SPRING Singapore has carried out a wide variety of activities aimed at meeting the above objectives. These activities support the APO COE’s strategies, which are as follows :
- Facilitate best practice sharing and profile of leading organisations participating in national business excellence or quality awards programmes in the region internationally
- Develop the competence of business excellence stakeholders (e.g. assessors, consultants etc) in APO member economies
- Enhance capabilities of APO member economies in managing their business excellence or quality award initiatives
- Initiate research on business excellence to identify needs, develop appropriate approaches, and assess impact
- Sustain the leadership of the COE by strengthening its capability in business excellence