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Nine U.S. organizations have been selected by the Baldrige Panel of Judges to receive site visits for the 2014 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the nation's highest recognition for organizational performance excellence. A site visit is an essential step towards winning a Baldrige award.
The judges selected six organizations in the health care category, two nonprofits and one service business to receive site visits by teams of experts starting next month. The teams will clarify questions and verify information submitted in award applications.
The Baldrige Performance Excellence Program (BPEP) received 22 applications in 2014: 12 health care organizations, six nonprofits, two educational organizations and two service businesses. All of the applicants were evaluated rigorously by an independent board of examiners in seven areas defined by the Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence: leadership; strategic planning; customer focus; measurement, analysis and knowledge management; workforce focus; operations focus; and results. Examiners will provide about 1,000 hours of review for each applicant receiving a site visit, and all applicants will receive a detailed report on the organization's strengths and opportunities for improvement.
The 2014 Baldrige Award recipients are expected to be named in late November 2014. The awardees will be honored at a ceremony during the Quest for Excellence conference, April 13-15, 2015, in Baltimore, Md.
The Baldrige Award was established by Congress in 1987. The BPEP is managed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in cooperation with the private sector. It also is a partner in the Baldrige Enterprise, which includes the private-sector Foundation for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the Alliance for Performance Excellence—a body made up of the 30-plus state, local, regional and sector-specific Baldrige-based programs serving nearly all 50 states; and ASQ, an international organization promoting quality.
The program helps U.S. organizations succeed in today's competitive marketplace by providing organizational assessment tools and criteria; educating leaders in businesses, schools, health care organizations, and government and nonprofit organizations about the practices of national role models; and recognizing them with the Baldrige Award in six categories: manufacturing, service, small business, health care, education and nonprofit.
The Baldrige Award is not given for specific products or services. Since the first group was recognized in 1988, 101 awards have been presented to 95 organizations (including six repeat winners).
For more information on the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program and the Baldrige Award, see www.nist.gov/baldrige.