Malcolm Baldrige Criteria – A Business Excellence Model

Malcolm Baldrige Award Criteria was developed into its respective seven categories. Each of these seven categories focus on a key process to achieve performance excellence.

The Malcolm baldrige Criteria emphasize on alignment of all these key processes. The Baldrige values and Concepts are build into the criteria to attain alignment of the seven categories yet without displaying the values and concepts specifically in the criteria itself.

The Malcolm Baldrige Criteria used to be revised on a yearly basis and has changed to a once in two years basis effective 2009 with the introduction of the Malcolm Baldrige Award Criteria 2009-2010 version. The Malcolm Badrige Award is given to the best organization of its respective award categories. Each award Applicant has to exhits the highest standards of Approach, Deployement of their key process in relation to the seven categories in the Malcolm Baldrige Criteria.

The effectiveness of the Approach and Deployement are assessed in the area of its Results. Hence, the Baldrige Award Assessment Approach took into consideration an aligned actions of the Approach, Deployement and Results of strategies, key actions and plan in the organization. Whenever a Baldrige Award Assessment is carried out to an applicant, the Baldrige Assessor will evaluate how well the values and concepts are being deployed as a way of life in the organization.

To be awarded the Malcolm Baldrige Award winners, the applicant has to show an holistic approach to all the seven cetegories as well as a high level of Implementing Malcolm Baldrige Award Criteria.

One way to provide information about the implementation of the Malcolm Baldrige Criteria is to provide an award application report to the Malcolm Baldrige Award authority which is used as a basis for Baldrige assessment.

Key changes in 2009 Malcolm Baldrige Criteria

Effective from 2009 Malcolm Baldrige Criteria, the revision of the criteria will be from a yearly revision cycle to a formal two-year revision cycle, and the 2009-2010 Malcolm Baldrige Criteria is the first version of this change and the criteria structure is new and improved. Among others, the most significant revision to the Malcolm Baldrige Criteria addresses three primary areas:

1. customer focus
2. organizational core competencies
3. sustainability and societal responsibilities

These three key areas are inter-linked each others and are embeded into the seven Performance Excellence Categories in the Malcolm Baldrige Criteria.

Malcolm Baldrige Criteria – Customer Focus, it refered to an increased focus on customer (or patient/stakeholder or student/stakeholder) engagement. This category has been redesigned and considered “customer engagement” and the “voice of the customer.” And it emphasis on building a customer culture (focused on customer retention and loyalty), and measuring, and using customer satisfaction data.

Malcolm Baldrige Criteria – Organizational Core Competencies – It is enhanced and emphase on core competencies that stresses their importance amd aligned to an organization’s Vision & mission, organization values, strategy, and business sustainability. In the criteria, there is a greater emphasis on aligning “core competencies” with their strategic significance. The term “core competencies” refers to your organization’s areas of greatest expertise.

Malcolm Baldrige Criteria – Sustainability and Societal Responsibilities – It is enhanced and focused on societal responsibilities and organizational sustainability. The Baldrige criteria is intended to ensure that organizations will pay increased attention to their suppliers’ or vendors’ actions, responding to changes to the environmental, social, and economic systems (societal responsibilities). Whereas, sustainability refers to your organization’s capability effectiveness in addressing ever-changing business needs.

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While the above are key changes to the Malcolm Baldrige Criteria, there have been some changes in all criteria items. You can obtain full 2009-2010 version of the Malcolm Baldrige Criteria at NIST website http://quality.nist.gov ( look for Malcolm Baldrige Criteria Section )

Is there similarity between Total Quality Management and Malcom Baldrige Criteria ?

One may be wondering in real life application, whether there is any different ? Many may argue that there are different and otherwise.  Before you make any conclusion, lets look at the facts.

Briefely, Total Quality Management is a set of philosophy  adopted by business organizations, government bodies even indivuals to perform their goal. It has a set of TQM principles by which it operates. It deal with Leadership, employee involvement, customer satisfaction etc aimed to management your business in a more holistic perspectives.

On the other hand for Malcolm Baldrige Criteria, it is a set of criteria or guidelines to judge if an organization is meeting business excellence level.  The criteria are grouped into seven categories. Each of them clearly states its objectives and set out their respective criteria or guidelines.  The seven Categories are:-

On the other hand, you may take note that the Malcolm Baldrige Criteria are build upon a set of core values and concepts and they are quite similar to the TQM Principles. There are eleven core values and concepts listed below:-

1. Visionary Leadership
2. Customer-Driven Excellence
3. Organizational and Personal Learning
4. Valuing Employees and Partners
5. Agility
6. Focus on the Future
7. Managing for Innovation
8. Management by Fact
9. Public Responsibility and Citizenship
10. Focus on Results and Creating Value
11. Systems Perspective

 
These Core Values and Concepts are embodied in detail Malcolm Baldrige Criteria  which are grouped into Seven Categories mentioned above. Each category has laid up its own set of criteria to the highest standard. While the values and concepts in the Malcolm Baldrige Criteria remain quite unchanged, the detail criteria for each category has changes every year. The idea to review and change the criteria is to keep current to the business changes and needs.