Baldrige Tools and References
We are all undoubtedly guilty of making the occasional joke about government inefficiencies and shortcomings. But the truth is that the U.S. and other governments do have a vested interest in excellence and quality. Excellence and quality are not only good for business, they are good for industry, education, health care, non-profits, and any organization that wants to continuously improve its effectiveness and (let's admit it) improve the "bottom-line" in the process.
The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award was created by the U.S. Government for a number of purposes. Some of the major functions and benefits of the MBNQA are:
- Stimulating competition between organizations on the merits of "quality" (and "excellence" encompasses quality.)
- Recognizing the best of the best by awarding the winners with the highly coveted and prestigious Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award.
- Providing a hub for the dissemination of useful information on quality, using the Baldrige "Criteria" as a point of reference (criteria which are recognized internationally and among many state and local award programs, as well as programs within certain industry groups.)
Sincerely,
The "Heart of Excellence" team.