Fourteen Prepare for Baldrige Site Visits

Starting in mid-October, teams of business, education, health care and nonprofit experts will visit 14 organizations as the final review stage for the 2007 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the nation’s highest recognition for excellence. The organizations selected for site visits include two in the small business category, seven in health care, one in education, and four nonprofits. There were no organizations chosen for site visits in two categories, service and manufacturing.

This is the first year that nonprofits are eligible for the Baldrige Award.

The Baldrige program received 84 applications in 2007 (seven small business, four service, two manufacturing, 42 health care, 16 education and 13 nonprofit). The applicants were evaluated rigorously by an independent board of examiners in seven areas: leadership; strategic planning; customer and market focus; measurement, analysis and knowledge management; workforce focus; process management; and results. Each applicant will receive a wealth of feedback detailing their most important strengths and opportunities for improvement.

The 2007 award recipients are expected to be announced in late November.

Named after Malcolm Baldrige, the 26th Secretary of Commerce, the Baldrige Award was established by Congress in 1987. The award promotes excellence in organizational performance, recognizes the achievements and results of U.S. organizations, and publicizes successful performance strategies. The award is not given for specific products or services. Since 1988, 67 organizations have received Baldrige Awards.

For more information on the Baldrige National Quality Program, see http://baldrige.nist.gov.