Implementation of an organizational excellence model

Abstract

Distribution Process Optimisation (DPO) is an organizational performance model that was created in order to provide the Anheuser-Busch InBev (ABI) Company with the means to reach excellence. This program was launched in 2012, as a solution to consolidate all best practices from ABI geographic zones and define a unique standard way of working within the firm’s 2nd tier network, formed by its distribution operations. This dissertation aims at analysing the implementation of DPO within the Belgian 2nd tier operations, identifying the different challenges encountered during the process, and provide some guidelines for future implementation progress. The first chapter sets out a theoretical background of the existing business environment strategies that are commonly applied by many companies in order to reach organizational excellence, and which correspond to the approach followed by the ABI management system integrated into the DPO program. A second chapter is dedicated to the introduction of ABI Belgium 2nd tier activities, presenting the overall company and its 2nd tier network, organizational structure and process flow in order for the reader to better visualise the firm’s distribution operations. The third chapter details the organizational performance requirements of the DPO program. It explains the context of the project launching, presents the DPO organizational excellence model and its implementation methodology, and introduces the DPO evolution process including different steps from its implementation towards organizational excellence. Finally, the fourth chapter analyses the roadmap followed by Belgium on its journey towards DPO implementation. A short overview of the global implementation of DPO is first presented. Then the chapter introduces the Belgium DPO roadmap, and identifies the main challenges that were encountered during the process. Conclusions of this thesis will set out the Belgium key success factors that came out from this analysis of the DPO program and the potential improvements that the company could integrate into its implementation process in order to ease its following steps. The challenges identified in this paper are specific to Belgium.