Development of an operational excellence framework for organisational performance improvement in the Sudanese aviation industry

Purpose: This study aims to investigate the critical success factors (CSFs) for the successful implementation of operational excellence (OE) by the organisations in the Sudanese aviation industry. Besides that, this study intended to determine the resulted impacts in the improved organisational performance and competitive advantage and quantify the benefits. Design/methodology/approach: The CSFs of OE were provided and dissected to reveal their integrated components and importance levels. The factors include leadership, people management, continuous improvement, operational strategy, and asset optimisation. The impacts (outcomes) were further categorised into four categories, namely financial results, quality of products or services, efficiency, and satisfaction. The outcome groups were presented, while the weight of each outcome was highlighted. Findings: With the OE’s conceptual framework, the CSFs to achieve OE were identified. From the five main factors, the expert panel members suggested that the leadership factor was the most important factor to achieve OE in the Sudanese aviation industry. Ranking the five CSFs and 40 subfactors provided a better understanding of the Sudan situation, specifically the effective implementation of OE philosophy. Research limitations/implications: The findings of the subfactors reported in this study were not enough. As a result, future studies must focus on the detailed descriptions of subfactors related to each of the critical factors. Practical implications: The efficiency in the organisations is generated and enhanced when they become efficient in reducing time wastage, raw materials, and unnecessary processing, and energy used in transportation, storing, and operating plant. Besides, the state of effectiveness is achieved when the organisation achieves its long-term goals through increased customer satisfaction and proves its reason for being. OE is critical as it assures both the efficiency and effectiveness of organisations. Originality/value: Past research have relatively over-emphasised the unilateral “result-driven” perspective of OE that corresponds with the limited concern for enablers, critical forms, and focus of OE. Thus, this paper intended to address this issue