Short summary
The European Way to Excellence offers a deep, evidence-based exploration of how European organisations translate the concept of quality management into everyday practice. Grounded in 35 detailed case studies from manufacturing, service, and public-sector organisations, the book examines excellence as a dynamic and context-specific pursuit rather than a universal standard. The cases, developed by professors and co-professors from renowned European universities under the guidance of the authors, provide a rich empirical foundation for understanding how organisations of different sizes, sectors, and national backgrounds define and enact excellence.
At the heart of the book is a comparative, fact-based analysis that asks what “quality management” truly means in a European context. Drawing directly from the cases, the authors analyse how organisations address strategic, operational, cultural, and organisational challenges, and how leadership, governance, stakeholder engagement, and continuous improvement are shaped by their specific environments. The book “examines what quality management and the quest for excellence means to European organisations,” highlighting the diversity of approaches rather than promoting convergence around a single model.
Importantly, the book resists the temptation to prescribe solutions. As the authors emphasise, the focus is on “providing insights, rather than developing ‘recipes’ or ‘how-to’ models.” By remaining “descriptive, not prescriptive,” The European Way to Excellence allows readers to learn from real organisational experiences, patterns, and dilemmas. The result is a nuanced portrait of excellence that supports reflection, comparison, and informed decision-making, making the book valuable for academics, practitioners, and policymakers seeking a deeper understanding of quality management in Europe.
