All Posts Tagged With: "Baldrige Program"
Marketing Baldrige
IndustryWeek recently published a viewpoint article titled, “Time for U.S. Companies to Refocus on the Malcolm Baldrige Award?” Andy Tannen, director of strategy and development for MSLGroup’s Corporate Practice, argues that “maybe it’s time for U.S. companies again to pay more attention to the Baldrige Award.”
Based on my experience, American organizations could have benefitted from Baldrige every year since the program started in 1988. I worked with four Baldrige Award winners in the 1990s and they all improved performance by integrating the Baldrige model. The need has been consistent for more than two decades even if this proven solution has remained largely invisible to most senior leaders.
Tannen focuses on one aspect of the Baldrige model to argue for its resurgence: quality management. He points to three companies that have suffered quality failures recently: Toyota, Johnson & Johnson, and GlaxoSmithKline. In Barron’s 2011 “Most Respected Companies” survey, Toyota dropped from number 6 to 46, J&J sunk from number 1 or 2 to number 25, and GSK fell from 36 to 51. Tannen believes that, for these three companies and their peers, “meeting the [Baldrige] program’s precision standards can help make the U.S. more competitive.”
I agree. I would amend his statement to say that integrating the Baldrige model can help make the U.S. more competitive, which is why the Award was launched in the first place, but I agree that Baldrige has the potential to transform the quality and…
28Mar2011 | Steve George | 0 comments | ContinuedBaldrige Benefits the U.S.
“Our country is discussing ways to meet the economic challenges and global competition facing our nation and the necessity to make some concessions to help solve our national debt and deficit problems, and yet we already have a program that benefits the United States by driving economic development through increasing business productivity, workforce efficiency, and job creation.”
Last Friday, E. David Spong, president of the American Society for Quality, past chairman of the board of the Baldrige Foundation, and CEO of two Baldrige Award winners, testified before the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies in support of increasing, not decreasing, funding for the Baldrige program. President Obama has proposed cutting the program’s funding from $9.6 million annually to $7.7 million.
Spong points out that “federal funding is in fact only a small measure of the total amount of hours, funding, and value contributing to the program. Yet government support is significant as it provides the integrity, consistency, and continuity the program needs; and without an efficient and effectively managed program, the entire stakeholder system would collapse.”
To those who think the purpose of the Baldrige program is the Award, Spong argues that “the intention is not to simply give out awards, but to establish role model organizations that would share their successful strategies with other U.S. businesses.”
His speech, available here (pdf), lays out a compelling case for the Baldrige program, and Spong is the perfect person…
15Mar2011 | Steve George | 1 comment | ContinuedProposed Cut to Baldrige Program’s Federal Budget
President Obama released his proposed budget for the 2012 fiscal year, which starts this October, and it cuts funding for the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program from $9.6 million in FY2010, the last year Congress passed a budget, to $7.7 million. According to Quality magazine, “At this proposed level, BPEP will evaluate alternative sources of funding and alternative cost models consistent with the administration’s goal of transitioning the program out of federal funding.” (“Federal Budget Request for NIST Includes Science and Technology Investments,” February 14, 2011)
An article on the NASDAQ web site points out that the proposed budget cuts the Commerce Department’s discretionary spending by more than a third from 2010 levels, from $13.87 billion to $8.77 billion, although the budget for the 2010 census alone, which has been completed, dropped by $6.27 billion, more than the total amount to be cut. That means Commerce’s budget outside of the census actually increased, with extra millions going to ensuring a cyber infrastructure, strengthening measurement services, supporting biomanufacturing and nanotechnology-based products, and supporting increased energy efficiency and reduced environmental impact.
Unlike these initiatives, the Baldrige program is considered an “outdated or lower priority program,” according to the Commerce Department. (“White House Budget Would Save on Census, Spend on Exports,” NASDAQ, February 14, 2011)
Of course, anyone who works with the Baldrige model and witnesses how it helps organizations achieve world-class performance considers it a high-priority program, which is why the program is likely…
15Feb2011 | Steve George | 0 comments | ContinuedInspirational Baldrige Award Recipients
Today’s ceremony honoring the 2009 Baldrige Award winners reminded those of us who love the Baldrige program why it’s so important.
The ceremony began with representatives of the five winning organizations speaking about their journeys and the value of Baldrige to their organizations. I was particularly struck by David Tilton, president and CEO of AtlantiCare, who said, “The Baldrige program has helped transform our organization and make it a focus of community pride that truly benefits all people in southeastern New Jersey. We are engaging employers, community organizations, and insurance companies in an effort to improve the way that care is provided, paid for, and consumed in our region. This journey has truly transformed who we are and has created meaningful, lasting benefits that each day make a difference in the lives of the people we serve.”
Every healthcare organization that has received the Baldrige Award has made similar statements. As Rulon Stacey, president and CEO of Baldrige Award-winner Poudre Valley Health System, said, “Baldrige saves lives.”
The people who integrate Baldrige and witness the transformation of their organizations can’t understand why others don’t embrace it. Matt Fleming, vice president of sales and marketing for Midway USA, said, “We wondered why every organization in America didn’t rush out to adopt the criteria. We need to take Baldrige to the grassroots level. Our communities would become communities of excellence, and our country would become a country of excellence. Baldrige has…
16Dec2010 | Steve George | 0 comments | ContinuedNew 2011-2012 Baldrige Criteria Available
The 2011-2012 Criteria for Performance Excellence, which are used by businesses and nonprofits, are now available through the Baldrige program. You will find the new Criteria here.
For those who are unfamiliar with the 2010 Criteria, the new Criteria are an evolutionary improvement over last year’s version. A few areas have been reorganized, most notably Category 3, Category 5, and Category 6, which has been renamed Operations Focus. Category 7, Results, has been reduced from six Items to five, which means each Item is now worth more points.
One of the criticisms of the Baldrige Criteria is that they are too complex. The new booklet addresses that concern: “Complexity is a fact of organizational life. To succeed in today’s global, competitive, uncertain environment, organizations must accept complexity. The Baldrige Criteria are complex because achieving organizational sustainability in a global economy is complex…While the Criteria require complex thinking, they also provide the path to clear identification of an organization’s relevant issues and strategic advantages, followed by identification of key data, and then analyses for decision making.”
For those who worked with the 2010 Baldrige Criteria, several new questions have been added to the 2011 version. Click on “Continued” at the end of this article or on the article headline to read my initial analysis of the changes in the 2011 Criteria.
What do you think of the 2011-2012 Criteria? Take a moment to “Leave a Reply” and submit your comment.
My Initial…
2Dec2010 | Steve George | 0 comments | ContinuedValue of the Baldrige Program
The National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform recently released a preliminary report with recommendations on how to cut costs in the federal government. One of its recommendations included the elimination of the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program.
The commission’s recommendations have been widely panned, in part because, while they would save $228 billion, they would lose four million jobs. They would reduce Pentagon spending, cut tax deductions for mortgage payments, raise the retirement age to 69, cut retirement benefits by up to 35%, cut Medicare, and generally antagonize every special interest in Washington. It’s hard to believe any politician will support it.
Still, raising the specter of eliminating the Baldrige program has prompted Baldrige supporters to rally support for the program. Paul Borawski, chief executive officer of ASQ, wrote an open letter to the commissioners in which he argued, “There is no other program like this in the world and in fact, other countries utilize the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program as a model.” You can read his letter here.
The Baldrige Improvement Discussion Group on LinkedIn has an ongoing debate about what key messages should be communicated to the commission in support of the Baldrige program. My friend and Baldrige.com contributor Paul Grizzell points out key benefits of the program: (1) its purpose is not the Award but to advance the competitiveness of American business; (2) the breadth of participation has produced impressive results and the sharing of…
30Nov2010 | Steve George | 0 comments | ContinuedBaldrige FAQs: The Baldrige Award
What is the Baldrige Award?
The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award is the highest level of national recognition for performance excellence that a U.S. organization can receive. Congress established the Award in 1987 and the first Baldrige Awards were presented in 1988.
Who can apply for the Award?
By law, the Baldrige Award is open to any U.S. organization or subunit or to any U.S. subunit of foreign organizations. Organizations must meet eligibility requirements in one of six categories: manufacturing, service, small business, nonprofit, education, and health care.
How often is the Award given?
The Baldrige Award is presented annually to organizations recommended by the Baldrige Panel of Judges and approved by the Department of Commerce. Applications must be submitted by the end of May, with Award winners announced near the end of the year.
Who has won the Award?
Through 2009, 84 organizations had earned the Baldrige Award. You will find a complete list of the recipients, along with profiles that summarize their achievements, award application summaries, and contact information, at the Baldrige program’s web site here.
How do you win a Baldrige Award?
To be eligible for a Baldrige Award, an organization must submit an application that responds to the questions in the Baldrige Criteria. Baldrige examiners evaluate and score the application, and the Panel of Judges determines which organizations proceed in the evaluation process and which should receive the Award.
Who are Baldrige examiners?
Baldrige examiners are industry experts and leaders from all…
18Nov2010 | Steve George | 0 comments | Continued
