While the Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence are one of the most widely known assessment frameworks in the world, interest in the Criteria has ebbed and flowed over the years. In part this may be due to the fact that applicants are often on their own when it comes to determining how to use the Criteria and award programs in an efficient and effective manner. This difficulty is somewhat by design, since the Criteria are non-prescriptive. The requirements are presented as more than 200 questions written in a generic manner to enable their application by all types of organizations. They do not tell leaders what to do to meet the requirements, which is both good and bad. While it allows organizations to develop processes to respond to the Criteria in ways that meet their unique needs, this has created a barrier for some leaders.
This book provides a detailed road map and systematic process to design and implement a customized operating model for performance excellence based on the Criteria. The road map includes regular use of state award programs for feedback to enable mid-course correction. Though recognition is not its primary purpose, following this road map also increases the likelihood of being recognized by these award programs. The approach presented here will not guarantee an award, but it will help an organization's leaders use the Criteria and award programs more efficiently and effectively as an aid to organizational transformation and improvement.
