Best may not be the best for everyone, to paraphrase benchmarking guru, Dr. Robert Camp, but everyone wants to be the best.

 This year, the best among the best practices in the Asia-Pacific region were presented at the two-day 1^st International Conference on Productivity and    Innovation hosted by the Development Academy of the Philippines in partnership with the Tokyo-based Asian Productivity Organization (APO) and the New Zealand-based Center for Organizational Excellence Research (COER), which oversaw the 4^th International Best Practice Competition that was held as a component activity of the conference to showcase the region’s best practice schemes.

Two entries from the United Arab Emirates emerged to share the winner’s top prize from among five finalists in the best practice competition, which also included two entries from the Philippines and one from the United States.  They bested some 18 other best practice winners from a field of 23 from seven countries in the Asia-Pacific region that       participated in the conference – India, Sri Lanka, Singapore, United Arab Emirates, Iran, the United States and the Philippines.

Co-winners

Topping the international competition were Al Jazeera International Catering LLC, which came up with a presentation entitled “Our Planet – Our  Responsibility – CSR Engagement Strategy for    Sustainability Excellence,” and the Dubai Corporation for Ambulance Services, which presented its  entry called “Cultural Sensitivity Gives Birth to a Maternity Care.”

Also making it into the finals were Texas   Instruments Philippines with its entry called “One Share (Share History and Reduce Excursion) – Best Practice Sharing Tool,” the City Government of Muntinlupa, Philippines with its presentation    “Single-Window Transaction (SWiT) Modified Business One-Stop Shop (MBOSS),” and the City of El Paso in Texas, the United States with “Strategic Focused Budgeting.”

A total of 10 Filipino organizations, coming from both the private and public sectors, actually shared their best practices together with the foreign-based groups during eight-minute presentations made by each conference participant.

Filipino entries

These included the Government Service    Insurance System, which entered two best practice schemes – “Electronic Billing and Collection  System (eBCS)” and “”Customer Journey Mapping    Towards World-Class Service,” the Philippine Heart Center with “Philippine Heart Center Partnership with PhilHealth in Z Benefits Cardiac Surgery Impacts on Hospital Governance,” the Philippine    Children’s Medical Center with “Adopt a Room: A Financing Innovation by the Philippine Children’s Medical Center Workforce,” the Land Bank of the Philippines with “Environmental Due Diligence (EDD) on Land Bank-Financed Projects,” the Dubinan Elementary School in Santiago City with “Working Together for a Sustainable and Eco-Friendly School and Community,” the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation with “PhilHealth CARES Project (PhilHealth Customer Assistance Relations and Empowerment Staff Project),” and the Local Government of Carmona, Cavite with “Service Framework for Education and Rehabilitation of    Persons With Disability.”