Baldrige Award Winning Quality, 18th Edition

Chapter

3

K T  R

A  C

28

BALDRIGE AWARD WINNING QUALITY

T B B

The diagram from the Baldrige criteria booklet, reprinted below, shows how the various

parts of the criteria work together as a system.

2

Strategic

Planning

3

Customer and

Market Focus

5

Workforce

Focus

6

Process

Management

7

Results

1

Leadership

4

Measurement, Analysis, and Knowledge Management

Organizational Profile: Environment,

Relationships, and Challenges.

This diagram is called the “Baldrige Burger” by many because it resembles a

hamburger. Parts of it make sense, and parts of it are confusing. There is one box for

each of the seven Baldrige categories, which makes sense. Box number 4 is stretched

out to become the bottom bun, I assume to illustrate how information and analysis are

critical to the other six categories. The problem I have with the Baldrige Burger is that

leadership is the rst box, rather than the customer. Leaders have been known to lead

their organizations off a cliff by not being attuned to the marketplace. The Baldrige

model is customer driven, not leadership driven. In Figure3.1, you will see that the

customer is the rst box, not the leadership. Leaders need to review market research

to decide on company mission, vision, and other factors. The second problem with the

Baldrige Burger involves the top bun. The words in the top bun read Organizational

Prole: Environment, Relationships, and Challenges. One could put Category 2 as

the top bun, since strategic planning cuts across all other categories the same way

information and analysis does. However, that would leave a lopsided burger with only

three boxes as the “meat” in the middle.

Figure3.1 may appear graphically boring, but it seems to capture the system nature of the

Baldrige criteria better than the Baldrige Burger. The two diagrams are mostly the same,

showing inputs, processes, and outputs. The only substantive difference is that I show

customers rather than leadership as the beginning of the system. Both diagrams show the

importance of all seven categories working together as an organizational performance

system to drive the right results.

29

KEY THEMES AND RELATIONSHIPS AMONG THE CRITERIA

T B C   S

The Baldrige criteria are made up of seven Categories, which are further divided into

17 Examination Items and 36 Areas to Address. While each of the seven Categories is

evaluated separately, there are relationships (or “linkages”) between the seven and they

function together as a system.

As you can see from Figure3.1, the “input,” or beginning, of the Baldrige assessment

is not Leadership, but customers and their requirements. Baldrige suggests that an

organization rst needs to dene its customers and markets, and then identify what

is important to each of those groups of customers. Customers and their requirements

are asked for in item 3.1 of the Baldrige criteria. Once markets and needs have been

identied, the company can develop its mission and direction, which is what is asked

Processes/

Systems

Identify Customers and

eir Needs/Requirements

(Customer and Market Knowledge)

3.1 Input

Establish Mission, Vision, Values,

and Leadership System

(Leadership)

1Driver

Achieve Excellent Levels and Trends in Measures

of Product/Service Outcomes, Customer Satisfac-

tion, Financial/Market Results, Workforce Results,

Process Effectiveness, and Leadership Results

(Results)

7

Results

Define Measures of Success

and Collect Data (Measurement,

Analysis, and Knowledge

Management) (Customer and

Market Knowledge)

4

3.1

Data/

Measures

Develop Goals, Key Success

Factors, and Strategies Tied

to Performance Measures

(Strategic Planning)

2

Goals/

Strategies

Continually Meet or Exceed Customer

Requirements and Desires

(Customer Relationships and Satisfaction)

3.2

Create and Manage Human

Resource Systems to Achieve

High Performance

(Workforce Focus)

5

Define, Measure, Control, and

Continuously Improve Key Work

Processes (Process Management)

6

Figure 3.1: The Baldrige Criteria as a System