Abstract:

Our research paper aims to present the subject of excellence in business organizations in the context generated by nowadays ambiguous and uncertain economic trends, in a society profoundly governed by insecurity, in which the dream of competitiveness and performance seem sometimes to fail. A recent feature of the last years, specific to the business world and not only, is the concept of “performance”. Organizations are increasingly faced with unexpected challenges that require very competent management situations. This places an emphasis on achieving performance in all areas. Organizations are continually concerned either to achieve performance or to maintain performance or to improve performance or to measure the performance obtained. In this way, a new management discipline is created: “Identifying and measuring performance”.  We strongly believe, as research economists, that the future of any type of society including the Romanian one stands in its on-going power to improve itself and better anticipate the need of business organizations. Moreover, the new global economy, characterized by economic liberalization, globalization, constant competition, the transition from industrial economy to knowledge economy information and knowledge, the social and environmental restrictions, the constant need of sustainable development, the global financial and economic crisis have altered the requirements directed to various business entities and diversify their responsibilities to all categories of holders of interest to the society as a whole. In this new economic system, companies can also be seen as “cells” that depend on the health of the body as a whole. Therefore, we cannot speak of the viability of a company in a competitive environment, which is unstable and turbulent, without taking into account the importance of performance. Performance is the only reliable source that can truly ensure the competitive advantage of any nation and excellence represents the key element in the competitive advantage and also in the competitive intelligence process of well functional and well developed business organizations. Our study starts with an introduction in which we presented the place of excellence as well as the main triggers that generate performance in a business organization; we continued with a literature review in which we presented the opinions that academics, researchers and specialists have regarding excellence and performance and their importance; we identified what does measuring performance in the context of the new global economy means; we emphasized the role of the organizational performance as well as the need of knowing and using performance indicators; we provided some guidelines and trends to improve organizational processes management on the road to excellence, starting from the “quality control” to “total quality management” and also the “total quality management” to “managerial excellence”; we focused on a case study of the Romanian’s society in terms of excellence in business organizations, in nowadays turbulent moments generated by the global economic crisis.