Issue link: http://digital.corporatepress.com/i/284031
e Heart of Excellence LEADERSHIP 26 | march/april 2014 | Facilities Manager An apple dropped in the middle of a pond will create ripples of concentric circles that affect the entire pond. What is the "apple in the pond" for facilities depart- ments that will initiate the ripples of change leading to organizational excellence? My recently completed APPA's Center for Facilities Research (CFaR) project identiļ¬ed leadership as the "apple in the pond." Using a phenomenological research design, the purpose of the study was to identify the key factors and conditions needed to initiate and sustain a culture of excellence on university campuses. The standard for excellence for the educational facilities sector is the Award for Excellence in Facilities Manage- ment (AFE), a Baldrige-based peer-review program for excellence awarded by APPA. Utilizing the Award for Excellence as the criterion for inclusion in the study, the researcher attempted to gain a deeper understanding of the process and mechanisms associated with a pursuit of excellence.