Creating Value and Stakeholder Benefits: Customer-Focused Practices of Baldrige Award Recipients

Creating Value and Stakeholder Benefits: Customer-Focused Practices of Baldrige Award Recipients Look beneath the surface; let not the quality nor its worth escape thee. Marcus Aurelis, 121-180 Roman Emperor Introduction What distinguishes Baldrige Award winners in their approach to customers? What are examples of customer-focused best practices? How do Baldrige Award winners compare in key customer, financial, and market-based results? This paper identifies eleven common customer-focused practices of Award Recipients of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. The information was gleaned from content analysis of application summaries from sixteen 1995-2001 Award recipients. The application summaries detail information contained in the typical 50-page application, where processes and results are described across seven categories, including (1) leadership, (2) strategic planning, (3) customer and market focus, (4) information and analysis, (5) human resource focus, (6) process management, and (7) business results. The Award Criteria changed substantially in 1995, whereby the focus moved from documentation of quality systems and quality results to mission-centric. Beginning in 1995, Baldrige applicants were required to articulate their mission and strategic goals, then demonstrate how all organizational functions and systems deliver on the mission and goals. Results then measure progress against goals, and demonstrate organizational performance and effectiveness.

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Between 1995 and 2001, there were 26 recipients of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. Application summaries were acquired from Baldrige public information for the nine 2000 and 2001 award winners. Award recipients for the years 1995-1999 were contacted for application summaries; detailed summaries were received from an additional seven applicants. These detailed summaries, typically 35 pages in length, presented the application materials in full, with the exception of proprietary...