Benchmarking: a tool for facilitating organizational learning?

This article looks at benchmarking as a tool for promoting performance improvement and the ‘learning organization’ ideal. Specifically, it considers some of the ways the European Foundation for Quality Management Excellence Model and self‐assessment approach are being applied within the UK public service. Further, the article introduces ‘Dolphin’, a new self‐assessment tool based on the Excellence Model, and describes how the tool can be applied in practice. Finally, whether benchmarking can aid organizational improvement, organizational learning and establish the basis for a ‘learning culture’ is discussed. Copyright © Crown Copyright 2002. Recorded with the permission of the controller of Her Majestry's Stationery Office. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.