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The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA)
was created by public law in 1987. It is the highest level of national
recognition, for performance excellence, that a U.S. organization can
receive. The Criteria for Performance Excellence have evolved over the
22-year history of the Baldrige National Quality Program. It is a proven
model for “business excellence,” and a blueprint for thriving in
turbulent times.
Over these two decades, the Baldrige Criteria have become the gold
standard—to becoming a strategy-driven, high-performing world-class
organization. Although the year-to-year changes have been evolutionary,
over the years, the changes to the Criteria have been far reaching.
Baldrige Background
The Malcolm Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence is an ideal
business model to apply as a template for any Performance Improvement
Program. The criteria provide a consistent basis for assessing important
business factors in seven categories: leadership; strategic planning;
customer focus; measurement, analysis and knowledge management;
workforce focus; process management; and results.
The Baldrige Criteria are a very useful first step in assessing
strengths and weaknesses against a nationally recognized standard. These
Criteria provide a proven framework for performance improvement—and when
coupled with a Performance Improvement Program—will enable an
organization to achieve breakthrough, sustained business results.
The MBNQA Criteria are used by many large U.S. organizations (for
business, nonprofit, health care, government, and education). According
to a report by the Conference Board, evidence suggests a long-term link
between the use of the Baldrige Criteria and improved business
performance. Adhering to these Criteria should be the capstone for any
firm that wants to thrive in these turbulent times.
Changes From the 2008 Baldrige Criteria
Starting in 2009, the Program will move to a formal two-year revision
cycle, and the 2009-2010 Baldrige Criteria is new and improved. The most
significant revisions to the Criteria address three primary areas: (1)
customer focus, (2) organizational core competencies, and (3)
sustainability and societal responsibilities. These are linked to one or
more of the seven Performance Excellence Categories.
Customer Focus—increased focus on customer (or patient/stakeholder or
student/stakeholder) engagement. This category has been redesigned
around “customer engagement” and the “voice of the customer.” The
emphasis is on building a customer culture (focused on customer
retention and loyalty), and measuring, and using customer satisfaction
data.
Organizational Core Competencies—enhanced emphasis on core competencies
that stresses their importance to an organization’s mission, core
values, strategy, and sustainability. There is a greater emphasis on
aligning “core competencies” with their strategic significance. Simply,
the term “core competencies” refers to your organization’s areas of
greatest expertise.
Sustainability and Societal Responsibilities—enhanced focus on societal
responsibilities and organizational sustainability. This is intended to
ensure that organizations will pay increased attention to their
suppliers’ actions, environmental, social, and economic systems
(societal responsibilities). Sustainability refers to your
organization’s ability to effectively address ever-changing business
needs.
There have been some changes in all Criteria items. For more information
on these improvements or to learn more about the MBNQA, visit the
Baldrige National Quality Program website at
www.baldrige.nist.gov.
About the Author
Stanley Cherkasky is the Managing Partner of Change Management
Consulting, Inc. Founder of the firm, Stan is the principal architect
 of the Performance Improvement Breakthrough™ methodology, and the Six
Sigma Lean Advantage™—innovative and proven strategies that accelerate
ROI and net income improvement, build customer loyalty, and create
world-class recognition.
Stan has more than three decades of business and consulting experience,
in both the private and public sectors, in the United States and abroad.
Stan specializes in building high-performance teams, and working closely
with senior leaders to achieve breakthrough financial, organizational,
and operating improvement. He has been quoted in many business
publications, including Fortune, Business Week and the Wall Street
Journal.
About Change Management Consulting, Inc. (CMC)
Founded in 1993, Change Management Consulting is a global management
consulting and training company, dedicated to helping organizations of
all sizes improve performance, achieve goals and advance leadership
capability. As a full-service organizational improvement firm, CMC
focuses on organizational and leadership development, compliance
management (ISO 9001 and it’s derivatives), strategic planning and Lean
Six Sigma initiatives.
Headquartered in Wayne, NJ with offices in San Diego, Dallas and
Detroit, CMC has a proven track record in helping public and private
sector clients implement pragmatic continual improvement initiatives
that drive financially measurable results. CMC also has extensive
experience in obtaining grants and funding assistance for its clients.
Learn more at
www.cmc-changemanagement.com or contact CMC at (877) 268-2440 or
(973) 696-7878.
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