A longitudinal study of business improvement models: cross purposes or congruity?

The end of the last and the beginning of this century saw an increasing interest in business improvement (BI). BI tools and techniques have their roots in improving quality and the maintenance of quality systems. In response to the decline of the UK’s competitiveness in world terms the Government spearheaded the adoption of interventions including a raft of quality mechanisms. There is a considerable amount of literature describing the application of each of these models, their advantages and disadvantages. However, there is a paucity of studies that comparatively analyse BI models derived from different philosophical and practice based origins. Focuses specifically on the value‐addedness resulting from the adoption and implementation of Investors in People and the Business Excellence Model (BEM). Before addressing the models discusses the environmental factors driving their development and diffusion; describes and critiques IIP and BEM showing the complementary linkages; and discusses a longitudinal study of the implementation process in a hotel context. Concludes with recommendations for BI adopters.