In any field, being the best means knowing what is important and working to improve in those critical areas. Organizations are no different. Those that have received the Baldrige Award have used the Baldrige Criteria to help determine and address what was important to their success. The Criteria consist of powerful questions about how an organization functions: How do you do what you do? They are questions that have never been asked or that have been overlooked by people too busy to step back and consider how their organization operates. As a result, important decisions, processes, and information are missed. Continuous improvement is difficult to sustain and the mission and vision of the organization remain a distant dream. I encourage you to assess your organization using the Baldrige Criteria. You can find out how to do that here. If you cannot do a full assessment now, there are critical questions from the Criteria that, when answered, will illuminate key strengths and opportunities for improving your management system. Let’s start with 10 critical questions from the Organizational Profile:

1. What are the key characteristics of your organizational culture?
2. What are your organization’s core competencies?
3. How do your core competencies relate to your mission?
4. What are the key factors that motivate your employees?
5. What are the key requirements and expectations for each customer group you serve?
6. How do you communicate and manage relationships with suppliers, partners, and collaborators?
7. What principal factors determine your success relative to your competitors?
8. What changes are affecting your competitive situation?
9. What are the key available sources of comparative data within and outside your industry?
10. What are your key strategic challenges and advantages?

If you want to know how world-class organizations answer these questions, read the Organizational Profiles in their online award application summaries. If you want to know what terms such as “core competencies” and “strategic challenges” mean, look for the definitions in the Baldrige Criteria booklets.

Help grow our community

(2 votes, average: 3.00 out of 5)

 Loading ...