Since 1946, when the Union of Japanese Scientists and Engineers was formed to help rebuild the Japanese post war economy, the pursuit of excellence has become a way of life for the most successful organisations across the globe.
			In 1951 the Deming prize was instituted to recognise excellence in Japanese companies. By the time Europe and North America had recognised the power of Japanese quality, it was already destroying the competitiveness of their businesses. This realisation first led to the establishment of the Baldridge assessment framework in the USA in 1987. Europe responded with the creation of the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) in 1989 and the creation of the Business Excellence Model. Now known as the EFQM Excellence Model™, it was the first self-assessment tool to place an emphasis on the balanced management of all aspects of an organisation's performance. And, because the EFQM applies the Model's principles of continuous improvement to the Model itself, it is reviewed and refined by the EFQM’s members at regular intervals.This ensures it will still be as relevant in another 50 years as it is today.