In 1995, the Baldrige Award program launched pilot programs in education and health care. The pilots developed case studies for the two industries by networking with health care and education professionals across the country, and writing and distributing industry-specific Baldrige criteria. In all, more than 30,000 copies of the 1995 pilot criteria have been distributed. One is education. Almost anyone in Congress will attest that education sits high on his or her agenda.
Health care is in exactly the same place.
It's an enormous cost to private industry as well as our gross national product. Rogstad believes the prospects are excellent. I view the Baldrige Award as a nonthreatening catalyst for businesses and school systems to get together on a common agenda, and I think the same thing could happen in the health care arena. The Baldrige process, Rogstad contends, could help educators and administrators understand the interaction of their many and varied tasks. Regardless of the particular education reform that interests you, ask yourself whether having better process management, goal setting, contact with customers, human resources, strategic planning integration and information systems alignment would enhance any education proposal.