This paper discusses key factors that contribute to building organizational excellence and quality in most award winning companies in Australia. There are many rankings of organizations in terms of most satisfying and rewarding places to work. However, there is no data regarding how management of these world –class organizations maintain their greatness and their competitive advantage in the market.

Australian Business Excellence Framework (ABEF) is about managing organizations and utilizing organizational strategies as a guide for improving core elements. Many organizations adopted a quality management as its framework of excellence to provide guidance to their employees. They have been trying to improve some aspects of the organization such as: process improvement, customer focus, management by data and facts, adding values, building partnership and innovation. However, there are challenges involved in pursuing excellence.According to researchers, some critical quality factors managers use are:

1. Recognizing the importance of Total Quality Management (TQM)
2. Understanding the relationship between TQM and ISP 9000
3. Incorporating quality objectives into the planning process
4. Implementing and ensuring TQM at every level of organization

(Sebastianelli & Tamimi, 2003)

Other studies have pointed out that quality sustainability is achieved through focusing on:

1. Senior management
2. Driving force
3. Human infrastructure
4. Management systems to drive and monitor
5. Audits and assessments
6. Quality framework
7. Mapping customer satisfaction
8. Information technology to bind systems and provide information

All studies support that execution and leadership are the most vital key drives of successful performance management systems. Top management needs to be committed to implementing strategy – supports and drive at senior levels, as well as middle managers. It is vital in driving excellence in organizations using consistent messages of corporate strategies from the top level to bottom level of organizational hierarchy. This creates culture that promotes business excellence, an approach compared to simply functional and specialist skills that meet the role of profiling. Therefore, these organizations transit to value based structures that provide employees with more freedom in making decisions as long as they are in support of organizational values. Employees need to have access to data and information so they can better identify the needs of the customer, as well as a way of receiving customer feedback in respect to products and services. It should be utilized as a part of improving customer services and help to build improved infrastructure in providing However, there is a need for self- evaluation and accountability for its employees in organizations. Effective communication and knowledge of how to use information in decision making processes, as well as the organization has to do with facilities training and development. All of this will benefit the employees and customer satisfaction. Organizations face many challenges to facilitate an improved leadership support, drive, and uniformity throughout the organization and communicating strategy and making it meaningful for its employees at all levels.

Alan Brown. (2013). Managing challenges in sustaining business excellence. International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, Vol. 30 Iss: 4, pp.461 – 475 DOI: 10.1108/02656711311308420