The Future of the Baldrige Award
YOUR EDITORIAL in the June 1996 issue of Quality Digest poses many good questions
relative to the Baldrige Award.
Your question about requiring Baldrige Award compliance is a common one. The
concept of compliance is closely aligned with conformity assessment instruments
such as the ISO 9000 registration standards. The Baldrige Award Criteria, as
a set of criteria for gauging performance excellence, do not lend themselves
easily to the concept of compliance. As more organizations comply with the requirements
of ISO 9000 registration, criteria for performance excellence will serve as
a market differentiator for those organizations committed to continuous and
breakthrough improvement. The reach of the Baldrige Award and its criteria is
expanding as organizations appreciate the difference between responding to deficiencies
as noted in an ISO 9000 audit report and striving for performance excellence
by responding to opportunities for improvement from a Baldrige assessment.
There are currently more than 40 states with quality award programs, 25 international
programs and a growing number of trade-association and internal company award
programs and activities based on Baldrige. There also has been growing interest
in having the education, health-care and not-for-profit sectors included in
the Baldrige Award Program.
In 1995, very successful pilot efforts were conducted in education and health
care. Unfortunately, these programs were discontinued in 1996 because they did
not receive Congressional funding. The Foundation has started activities to
establish a new endowment to support education and health care categories for
the Baldrige Award, and we look forward to initiating these new categories if
some federal support is provided.
Finally, let me issue a challenge to Quality Digest readers. For 1997, there
is another significant revision of the Baldrige Award Criteria. As part of the
revision, the criteria have been simplified to permit easier use, and the page
requirements for submitting an application is significantly reduced. Baldrige
winners tell us that the award application helped their companies improve their
competitive advantage, productivity, customer satisfaction and employee involvement-and
led to improved financial performance and business results. We encourage all
organizations to take a fresh look at the criteria and to accept the challenge
to take the Baldrige test!
-Harry S. Hertz
Director for Quality Programs
National Institute of Standards
and Technology
Advice From Connecticut Award
In response to your request for suggestions for improving the Baldrige Award's
reach, I offer Connecticut's response to the same question regarding the Connecticut
Award for Excellence (CAFE).BR>
The CAFE is the Baldrige criteria at the state level. In the first two years
of the award, no organization came close to winning it. It just had too many
requirements for organizations that were just a few years into their quality
journeys. In order to encourage and reward these companies, a team from the
CAFE created the CAFE Step Recognition Program. The team researched similar
step programs in other states, met with focus groups and then put together a
three-step program using the following criteria:
The Nutmeg Award (Connecticut is known as the Nutmeg State) requires a five-
to 15-page application addressing the seven categories of the CAFE (i.e., Baldrige)
criteria.
The Charter Oak Award (named after local folklore) requires a 15- to 35-page
application addressing the 24 items that are in the seven categories of the
criteria.
The Genius Award (named after the Genius of Connecticut, a statue of which is
the award) requires a 50- to 70-page application addressing all the areas in
the 24 items of the seven categories.
This was the first year of the Step Recognition Program. Because of it, the
state was able to give multiple Nutmeg Awards and one Charter Oak Award. The
award ceremony and the attendant publicity went a long way toward encouraging
companies to stay on their quality journeys.
I think the Baldrige Award would enhance its standing in the business community
if it developed an award similar to the Charter Oak Award. Right now it is just
too much for most companies to handle.
-Paul Konold
CAFE Examiner 1995, 1996
pkonold@cc.atinc.com