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The Value of Baldrige Consultants
I’ve noticed a certain snobbery among some people about hiring consultants to help with their organization’s Baldrige assessment. They tend to be the same folks who believe that every step forward can be made unassisted. Lean? We can learn how to do that on our own. Six Sigma? No problem. Baldrige? How hard can it be?
The truth is, you can do all of these without outside help. I remember being asked about working with a college on its Baldrige Award application only to get a phone call telling me my services wouldn’t be needed: Someone advising the college told them they could do it without me. Which they did. And they won the Award. To me, that proves the college’s management system was very good and that they had the expertise–and the time–to tell their story well.
Those are the two things Baldrige consultants bring to the table: expertise and the ability to save the organization time. An effective assessment or application requires understanding what the Criteria are asking and what your organization does in response. Neither of these is easy. Unless you have an experienced Baldrige examiner on staff, the learning curve is steep, especially for the first assessment. A Baldrige consultant can provide training, help interpret the Criteria, guide or conduct the research, write or edit the assessment, and provide feedback on strengths and opportunities for improvement.
A good Baldrige…
11Mar2010 | Steve George | 0 comments | Continued
