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The purpose of this paper is to describe how managers from a network of organisations formed and operated as a team to work on a benchmarking project. The project had the dual purpose of enabling learning for the participants, and identifying leading practices in strategy deployment.

The participants were managers with responsibility for strategy deployment. Data were collected from case studies of seven diverse New Zealand organisations that were undertaking performance improvement using the Baldrige performance excellence model. The unit of analysis for the case studies was a strategic initiative that the organisation had deployed. Secondary sources were also used to identify leading deployment practices.

Despite the different sectors, sizes, and cultures of the participating organisations their strategy deployment issues were similar and the managers were able to share experiences and cooperate effectively. Over 50 leading deployment practices were identified. Seven dimensions of strategy deployment were determined. A framework for strategy deployment was developed.

The framework aids the analysis and classification of strategy deployment practices. Future research using longitudinal studies could evaluate the effectiveness of leading strategy deployment practices and identify circumstances that lead to the success or failure of strategy implementation.

The framework highlights the management skills required for effective strategy deployment. It is applicable to a wide range of organisations.

The paper provides and example of network benchmarking and how it was managed. This will be of interest to organisations that are part of an existing network, or that wish to create a similar network. No benchmarking studies of strategy deployment were found in the literature.

The New Zealand Benchmarking Club (NZBC), a multi‐organisational network, aimed to improve the performance of member organisations through best practice benchmarking. The purpose of this paper is to critique the NZBC self‐assessment process, report the scores for self‐assessments from 2000‐2002, and present an analysis of the 2001 self‐assessment data.

A questionnaire measured the improvement rate of NZBC organisations through annual self‐assessments against the Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence (CPE). Training was provided for facilitators in each organisation, who supported teams of four to six persons who completed the self‐assessment. Correlation coefficients of pairs of CPE categories and items were used to identify strong relationships between them.

Self‐assessment data from 2001 identified 57 strong relationships between different CPE categories and items. The strongest correlation identified (0.94) among CPE items was found between “customer focused results” and “financial and market results”. Acting on the self‐assessment results, management initiatives were implemented and scores in 2002 showed significant improvements over 2001.

Future research involves case studies and longitudinal studies of annual data to identify possible causes of the strong relationships found.

Results indicate the benefit organisations obtain from sharing best practices, resources, and self‐assessment experiences. The practices required for effective administration of self‐assessment in a network are given.

An example of self‐assessment in a multi‐organisational network, and how it was managed. Of interest to organisations that are in an existing network, or wish to create a similar network. No studies of self‐assessment in a network were found in the literature.

To examine the processes used by custodians of business excellence frameworks (BEFs) internationally to review and revise their frameworks, and to present the findings of a review of the design of the Australian business excellence framework (ABEF).

A literature review, three surveys, and a series of focus groups and key informant interviews were conducted. The study involved input from 16 countries and was part of a larger study of how BEFs are designed, reviewed, promoted and deployed within and across nations.

The role of stakeholders in business excellence model design and development, the processes involved in framework review and enhancement, and the frequency of minor and major review activities and who led them are presented. We found there was widespread support for the design of the ABEF amongst stakeholders. This review of the ABEF design and its appropriateness to the Australian business environment are discussed.

While the primary focus was on the Australian context, the findings draw upon a range of international sources and hence are of relevance to all BEF custodians.

The findings from the project were used to redesign the ABEF, and are expected to help inform national business excellence strategies worldwide.

The paper updates the current situation regarding the review of BE frameworks in 16 countries, with a focus on Australia.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the international use of business excellence (BE) models and the practices used by BE framework (BEF) custodians to encourage use.

A literature review, three surveys, a series of focus groups and key informant interviews were conducted. The study involved input from 16 countries and was part of a larger study of how BEFs are designed, reviewed, promoted and deployed within and across nations.

Only two of 16 BEF custodians had a formal measurement system in place to objectively measure the use of BEF by organisations over time. The use of the Australian BEF was lower than previously estimated at 1.3 percent and global use between 4 and 15 percent of organisations. The three most effective practices for assisting organisations in applying BE were tours of best or good practice organisations, publications on BE, and on‐line service/database of BE information.

While the primary focus was on the Australian context, the findings draw upon a range of international sources and hence are of relevance to all BEF custodians.

The findings from the project were used to redesign the ABEF, and are expected to help inform national BE strategies worldwide.

The paper updates the current situation regarding the utilisation of BE in 16 countries, with a focus on Australia.

Recent operations management research suggests that adopting and implementing the right practices are essential to attaining “world‐class” performance. The purpose of this paper is to report the leading operations management practices and the strategy deployment framework that emerged from a qualitative study that addressed the question of how managers implement strategy in an organisational excellence environment.

Group work with managers responsible for implementing strategic initiatives was followed by case studies of seven organisations via in‐depth semi‐structured interviews. A survey questionnaire strengthened the validity of the constructs of strategy deployment that were identified in the case analyses.

In total, seven strategy deployment constructs were identified and linkages between them are described. The 50 leading deployment practices indicate a mix of hard and soft management skills applied across the seven constructs.

The leading deployment practices have the potential to raise the performance of organisations by improving the implementation of strategic initiatives. The framework is relevant to the deployment of both corporate and business unit strategy such as manufacturing or operations, and should be of interest to managers in these areas.

Researchers have noted for more than a decade that no generally accepted framework of operations management practices has emerged for strategy implementation. Most strategy studies have focused on strategy formulation, content, or on project/programme management. There have been few multiple case studies of leading strategy deployment practices in diverse organisations from both private and public sectors.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the development of new model farmer cooperatives set up with Aid agency assistance in Shandan County, Gansu Province, China, focusing on enterprise management and training, and the monitoring and evaluation issues and outcomes.

The paper is a case study of two projects that integrated participatory monitoring and evaluation (PM&E) methodology into both field practice and institutional development. The project evaluation data were collected from semi‐structured interviews, observation and secondary sources.

The cooperatives increased community income through collectively improving members' production and marketing capabilities. As well as economic benefits, the Shandan cooperatives show improvements in social collaboration that include enhanced inter‐ and intra‐family relationships, community harmony and raised status for women.

The cooperatives have only operated since the new co‐op law was enacted 1 July 2007. While the findings are preliminary, planned ongoing evaluation for the Shandan co‐ops will review the sustainability of the economic and social gains made.

The lessons learned from the participatory approach to improve rural cooperative development in Shandan County are relevant to researchers and practitioners, and can be applied by rural communities throughout China.

Although the new style cooperatives have the potential to improve the rural economy, leading to poverty reduction and social development, there have been few case studies of the establishment and progress of these enterprises in China's poorer regions.

THE NEWS will doubtless appear in the May issue of the Record, and several days after that they will send me a press release just in case the Record's prose style has defeated me, announcing that the LA's president‐elect for 1978 is to be Godfrey Thompson, Guildhall Librarian (City of London) and currently Treasurer of the la, as well as a member of our editorial board since its inception. (I had therefore better make it clear that it wasn't Godfrey who told me, or indeed anyone else on the board.)