COMPARATIVE CASE STUDIES: SELF-ASSESSMENT APPROACHES IN SPAIN AND IN JORDAN IN HEIS

This article presents a management framework based on the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) self-assessment model in higher education institutions in Spain and in Jordan. The paper presents a comparative analysis for each step of self-assessment; and shows the difficulties, the benefits and the success factors of the self-assessment process in both contexts.
Self-assessment exercises are attractive to private firms and they have been increasingly used by, and then adapted for, public services organisations. Literature review suggests that self-assessment may be successfully adopted in developing countries (e.g. the Arab world), and that the studies about these issues focusing on public administrative services in higher education institutions (HEIs) in Jordan are rare. In addition, there are no studies that compare self-assessment techniques between developed and developing countries in public services in HEIs. Based on this literature review, the self-assessment process is evaluated in HEIs in Spain and Jordan in order to compare the stages of self-assessment methodology, and the difficulties, benefits, and success factors in Spanish and Jordanian HEIs.
The paper uses the case study methodology to develop the comparison. It shows the results from 15 cases using qualitative and quantitative evidence. Data are collected from eight administrative services in a Spanish public HEI and seven universities services, four from a public university and three from a private university in Jordan.
The findings show a comparative analysis in HEIs in Spain and Jordan regarding each step of the self-assessment methodology, and the difficulties, the benefits and the success factors in both countries and compare the results. These results show that all services in both contexts conduct self-assessment on the basis of an existent and generic model (EFQM), and use the questionnaire approach following all steps suggested by EFQM (2003), with the aim of establishing an action plan to introduce improvements in the management of the service.
The difficulties are similar in both countries, although the lack of resources difficulty is for Jordan significantly more important than in Spain. In general terms, in Jordan services, self-assessment process has a significantly greater impact on the following benefits: enhancing employees’ awareness on quality and promoting the improvement of the service quality. The success factors are comparable in Spain and Jordan and all success factors suggested by literature are important, although at Jordan universities, the team members perceived the managers’ commitment as significantly more important than Spanish universities.
Finally, the paper provides lessons for decision makers and managers from other universities in developed and developing countries, who wish to introduce the practice of quality management by creative means.