Title: The Baldrige
Description: In the short span of years since Congress created the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, it has become the most widely sought-after symbol of commitment to excellence and achievement of the highest quality standards. Yet according to acclaimed quality management experts Christopher Hart and Christopher Bogan, this prestigious--and often controversial--award is much more: it's a beacon and a blueprint for driving any organization to its highest levels of sustainable achievement. In The Baldrige Hart and Bogan first whisk you behind the scenes, examining the history and philosophy of The Baldrige and rigorously assessing its impact on the field of total quality management. Then step-by-step, they explain how to apply for The Baldrige, or use its quality assessment framework for internal improvement purposes. They provide inside information on how applications are screened, finalists chosen, on-site verification processes undertaken, and finally, how winners are selected.

You'll find close-up looks at who the winners have been and how they did it, a working glossary of common quality terms, and an overview of state and international awards that can be used as dress rehearsals for The Baldrige. But The Baldrige goes even further, showing how quality-conscious managers can implement a seven-step process for making The Baldrige quest the centerpiece of a continuous improvement strategy. Here, finally, is all the reliable, results-driven guidance you need to commit to a core culture of customer satisfaction and constant improvement, and develop the discipline to build these beliefs into everything you do. Packed with fresh. bold, frankly provocative ideas about achieving business excellence, The Baldridge shows you how to:. Change the perception of quality from a narrowly focused inspection-based activity to a multi-faceted prevention-based discipline.

Collect reliable, relevant data and use it to assess and continuously improve processes up, down, and across your organization. Build close, productive partnerships with suppliers and customers that feed improvement back into all your operations. Use the insights, wisdom, and creativity of front-line employees to contribute to quality improvement. Perform vigorous benchmarking and continuous self-measurement against competitors. Drive down costs through higher productivity and better utilization of resources, without sacrificing commitment to the customer. Apply continuous improvement techniques even to low-frequency processes like strategic planning. Much more than just a how-to manual for describing what it takes to capture the nation's most prestigious award, The Baldrige provides the guidance, discipline, and focus to move your company from the here of current quality to the there of its true competitive potential.
Subjects: Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, Total quality management, Qualitatsmanagement
Places: United States