Five EFQM stars for integrated quality!

A-kwadraat has been awarded a fifth star within the EFQM quality label. EFQM stands for European Foundation for Quality Management, a globally recognized management framework that supports organizations in managing change and improving performance.

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In January, our company was assessed over a three-day period by two assessors from Xelyo, formerly known as the Flemish Center for Quality. More than 130 documents were reviewed and over 20 interviews and focus groups with employees were conducted.

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Strengthening from mission

And the results are impressive: among other things, the final report praises

• the way we work professionally and with commitment to our mission,
• our great capacity for learning and adaptation,
• the continuous stream of improvements thanks to performance indicators directly focused on our mission,
• and our inventive and solution-oriented mindset.

From the report: 

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A-kwadraat provides services to its clients in an extremely professional manner. At the same time, it is an organization that has a deeply moving concern for the weaker members of society. The most remarkable thing is that this is not a balance between two aspects, but that A-kwadraat succeeds in allowing these aspects to reinforce each other, entirely in line with its mission.

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Potential for improvement

EFQM is one of the most difficult, but also one of the most widely used models for integrated quality management worldwide: it provides an overview of an organization's strengths and areas for improvement.

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The assessors see potential for improvement in areas such as

• even more aggressive marketing and sales,
• a systematic link at the tactical level between strategy and operations,
• conscious management of knowledge that is or is not (yet) available in-house,
• and vigilance regarding the impact of complex systems on agility.

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Sustainable value

A-kwadraat underwent its first thorough assessment according to the EFQM model in early 2021. The result was a good report with four stars. With the new assessment, a fifth star has been added.

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Jan Boeckx, managing director of A-kwadraat: 

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“This score places us in the top quartile worldwide, and we are proud of that. But for us, it’s not about being ‘the best’. Our primary goal is sustainable value creation. We want to keep improving in that area. EFQM challenges us in this regard. The five stars confirm that it is possible to combine our sustainable ambition with thorough quality."