Internal Baldrige Teams

Most organizations use internal teams to conduct their Baldrige assessments. Typical characteristics of these teams include:

• Seven teams, one for each of the seven Baldrige Categories.
• A champion for each Category team to lead the team and facilitate the assessment process.
• Additional team members as needed to help interpret the Criteria, conduct research, and write responses. The size of the teams usually depends on the size of the organization, larger organizations may require more team members to complete the assessment in a timely manner.
• Training for champions and team members in how to interpret and respond to the Baldrige Criteria.

Internal teams require an overall coordinator, most often a senior leader, to keep the project on track, promote communication among teams, and help address issues and questions as they arise. I have worked with organizations in which senior leaders play key roles in researching and writing the assessment. I've also helped organizations where senior leaders served as subject matter experts but did not participate in the research and writing. Either approach is effective as long as senior leaders are committed to the assessment process.

The greatest benefit of participating in the process is the knowledge gained of both the Baldrige model and your organization. Team members begin to think about how the organization operates in Baldrige terms, which includes a focus on process and measurement, a clear understanding of customer/patient/student requirements, and an emphasis on alignment with the organization's goals.

The greatest drawback to using internal teams is the time required of each team member. A Baldrige assessment can easily consume 300 or more hours not counting the training time. Team members who already have full-time jobs frequently struggle to carve out enough time to do the assessment justice, which may delay its completion or compromise its quality. To avoid this, team members and their supervisors must be clear about the time commitment and where that time will be found.

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