Exchange2Improve was created in close co-operation between the transnational EQUAL partnerships DESE and XoP in 2006-2007. It aims to provide a bank of empirical, credible knowledge of social economy. The website presents examples of good practice from social economy enterprises from the partner countries, as well as general performance improvement tools proven in practice and contextualised in SEE reality.
The descriptions of good practice give answers to:
- Where was it done - social economy enterprise, partnership or a wider network,
- Why was it needed - reason for developing the practice, such as area for improvement, problem to be solved, or challenge, and,
- How was it done - description of the good practice in detail, including expected benefits or achieved results, lessons learnt, development ideas for the future, and transferability.
To highlight the EFQM Excellence Model as a framework of performance improvement, the material on this site has been categorised according to the nine EFQM criteria: Leadership, Policy and Strategy, People, Partnerships and Resources, Processes, Customer results, People results, Society results, and Key performance results. Most examples can be found under more than one of these categories.
The target groups of this website are:
- SEE leaders and quality champions to enable them to review their practice, to implement performance improvement, and to influence decision-makers,
- SEE advisers, enterprise supporters, capacity building workers, employment and economic development centres, and NGO unions, to improve SEEs performance and gain recognition,
- Investors and stakeholders to recognise and demand quality, and
- The quality community to link closer with social economy enterprises.
To help users benefit from the examples of good practice, the material has been assessed by a transnational team. The evaluation consisted of two phases: individual assessment and joint assessment meeting.