Reference models and competitiveness: an empirical test of the management excellence model (MEG) in Brazilian companies

This study analyses how robust the management excellence model (MEG) is as a guide for implementing best practices from different reference models to achieve greater quality and excellence in management. The study starts by discussing the model's assumptions and purposes and how it has been applied to a diverse and large group of Brazilian companies with the expectation of improving business performance. The study is based on 389 independent assessments of 8 MEG criteria in 52 Brazilian companies participating in the Minas Quality Award (PMQ) in the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil, between the 2008-and-2011 cycle. From a theoretical background, 13 proposed hypotheses were tested using the structural equation model (SEM) with a partial least squares (PLS) estimation. Empirical tests support the conceptual framework of MEG, positioning leadership and information management as forces that lead to the strategic management of people, markets, processes, and societal concerns, which in turn are strong predictors of business performance.