"Performance Excellence" is the title of the framework used to judge the companies competing for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality award. The core values and concepts are embedded in the Criteria for Performance Excellence Framework that includes the following seven categories: (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 (Baldrige National Quality Program, 2002). (Bell & Elkins, 2004)
For application, these criteria are applied to the "four
faces" or "compass points" for a leader: upward toward superiors, inward toward peers, outward toward customers, suppliers, etc., and downward toward subordinates (Bell & Elkins, 2004).
Internal, non-operations managers can apply these criteria by viewing their department as a micro business. The other departments that they serve are the "customers". A strategic plan should be drawn up for the department, with goals and plans of action, just like an entire company would. It may take some imagination to find a way to track progress, but employees who are involved in such an endeavor often find their work more interesting and will come up with ideas for quality improvement.
Making a decision means taking a stand. When operational managers take a stand to improve quality and performance, they must consider whether the process can hurt
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