Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Explained

Awarded For:	Recognizing American organizations in all sectors of the economy for demonstrating performance excellence using the systems perspective and other core concepts and values of the Baldrige Excellence Framework; applicants are evaluated for the award against the criteria for performance excellence
Sponsor:	National Institute of Standards and Technology
Country:	United States
Year:	^[1]

The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award recognizes U.S. organizations in the business, health care, education, and nonprofit sectors for performance excellence. The Baldrige Award is the highest formal recognition of the performance excellence of both public and private U.S. organizations given by the President of the United States. It is administered by the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program, which is based at and managed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

The Baldrige Performance Excellence Program and the associated award were established by the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Improvement Act of 1987 (Public Law 100–107). The program and award were named for Malcolm Baldrige, who served as United States Secretary of Commerce during the Reagan administration, from 1981 until Baldrige's 1987 death in a rodeo accident.^[2] The first award was given November 13, 1988.^[1] By 1991, The New York Times opinionated that the criteria should be broader and "tougher to win."^[3] In 2010, the program's name was changed to the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program.

The award is not given for specific products or services.

Baldrige Excellence Framework

Overview

The Baldrige Excellence Framework has three parts: the Criteria for Performance Excellence, core values and concepts, and scoring guidelines. The framework serves two main purposes: (1) to help organizations assess their improvement efforts, diagnose their overall performance management system, and identify their strengths and opportunities for improvement and (2) to identify Baldrige Award recipients that will serve as role models for other organizations. In addition, the framework and its Criteria help strengthen U.S. competitiveness by• improving organizational performance practices, capabilities, and results• facilitating communication and sharing of information on best practices among U.S. organizations of all types• serving as a tool for understanding and managing performance and for guiding planning and opportunities for learning• The framework provide organizations with an integrated approach to performance management that results in• delivery of ever-improving value to customers and stakeholders, contributing to organizational sustainability• improved organizational effectiveness and capabilities• organizational and personal learning

The following three sector-specific versions of the Baldrige framework are revised every two years:

• Baldrige Excellence Framework (Business/Nonprofit)
• Baldrige Excellence Framework (Education)
• Baldrige Excellence Framework (Health Care)

Framework details

The framework provides organizations with an integrated approach to performance management that results in delivery of ever-improving value to customers and stakeholders, contributing to organizational sustainability improved organizational effectiveness and capabilitiesorganizational and personal learning

The criteria for performance excellence are based on a set of core values:

The questions that make up the criteria represent seven aspects of organizational management and performance:

History of the Baldrige Program

In the early and mid-1980s, many U.S. industry and government leaders saw that a renewed emphasis on quality was necessary for doing business in an expanding and competitive world market.

The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Improvement Act of 1987, signed into law on August 20, 1987, was developed through the actions of the National Productivity Advisory Committee, chaired by Jack Grayson. The nonprofit research organization APQC, founded by Grayson, organized the first White House Conference on Productivity, spearheading the creation of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award in 1987. The Baldrige Award was envisioned as a standard of excellence that would help U.S. organizations achieve competitive quality.

In the late summer and fall of 1987, Dr. Curt Reimann, the first director of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Program, and his staff at the National Institute of Standards and Technology developed an award implementation framework, including an evaluation scheme, and advanced proposals for what is now the Baldrige Award. In its first three years, the Baldrige Award was jointly administered by APQC and the American Society for Quality, which continues to assist in administering the award program under contract to NIST.

Up to 18 awards may be given annually across six eligibility categories—manufacturing, service, small business, education, health care, and nonprofit. As of 2016, 113 awards have been presented to 106 organizations (including seven repeat winners).^[4]

Program impacts

• The ratio of Baldrige Program benefits for the U.S. economy to program costs has been estimated at 820 to 1^[5]
• A New York Times-generated investment portfolio composed of Baldrige awardees "beat the S.& P. by nearly 4 to 1."^[6]
• Median growth in revenue for two-time Baldrige Award winners is 92%.
• Median job growth for two-time Baldrige Award winners is 63% (compared with 2.5% for a matched set of industries and time periods).
• 2010–2015 Baldrige Award applicants represent 567,434 jobs, over $142 billion in revenue/budgets, and about 449 million customers served.
• The value of services donated in 2015
  • by 349 national Baldrige examiners was $5.3 million.
  • by state Baldrige-based examiners was $30 million.
• A 2013 study by Truven Health Analytics linked hospitals that adopt and use the Baldrige Criteria to successful operations, management practices, and overall performance.
  • According to survey results reported in Futurescan 2013, by 2018, 65% of hospitals are likely to "use the Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence as a systematic framework for performance improvement or as an internal assessment tool"
  • According to the same survey, 41% of hospitals were then considered likely to submit an application for the Baldrige Award or a state-level Baldrige-based award by 2018.

Public-private partnership

The Baldrige Award is supported by a public-private partnership. The following organizations and entities play a key role:

• The Foundation for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award raises funds to permanently endow the award program.
• The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce, manages the Baldrige Program.
• The American Society for Quality (ASQ) assists in administering the award program under contract to NIST.^{[7] [8]}
• The Board of Overseers advises the Department of Commerce on the Baldrige Program.
• Members of the Board of Examiners—consisting of leading experts from U.S. businesses and education, health care, and nonprofit organizations—volunteer their time to evaluate award applications and prepare feedback reports for applicant organizations. Board members also share information about the program in their professional, trade, community, and state organizations. The Panel of Judges, part of the Board of Examiners, makes award recommendations to the director of NIST.
• The network of state, regional, and local Baldrige-based award programs known as the Alliance for Performance Excellence provides potential award applicants and examiners, promotes the use of the Criteria, and disseminates information on the award process and concepts.
• The ISSA, the professional association for cybersecurity, is in formal partnership with the Baldrige Alliance for Performance Excellence. The Alliance and the ISSA offer a free Baldrige-based self-assessment of cybersecurity operations. It may be found at ManageHub
• Award recipients share information on their successful performance and quality strategies with other U.S. organizations.

Baldrige Award Recipients

Year	Award Recipient	Sector
2021^[9]	MidwayUSA 2021	Service
	The Charter School of San Diego 2021	Education
	Mid-America Transplant 2021	Nonprofit
2020^[10]	MESA 2020	Small Business
	GBMC HealthCare, Inc.	Health Care
	Wellstar Paulding Hospital	Health Care
	AARP	Nonprofit
	Elevations Credit Union 2020	Nonprofit
2019^[11]	Howard Community College	Education
	Adventist Health White Memorial	Healthcare
	Mary Greeley Medical Center	Healthcare
	Center for Organ Recovery & Education	Nonprofit
	City of Germantown, TN	Nonprofit
	Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund	Nonprofit
2018^[12]	Integrated Project Management Company, Inc., Burr Ridge, IL	small business
	Donor Alliance, Denver, CO	nonprofit
	Memorial Hospital and Health Care Center, Jasper, IN	health care
	Alamo Colleges District, San Antonio, TX	education
	Tri County Tech, Bartlesville, OK	education
2017^[13]	Adventist Health Castle, Kailua, Hawaii	health care
	Bristol Tennessee Essential Services, Bristol, TN	small business
	Stellar Solutions, Palo Alto, CA	small business
	Southcentral Foundation, Anchorage, AK	health care
	City of Fort Collins, Fort Collins, CO	nonprofit
2016^[14] ^[15]	Don Chalmers Ford, Rio Rancho, New Mexico	small business
	Momentum Group, Irvine, California	small business
	Kindred Nursing and Rehabilitation Center – Mountain Valley, Kellogg, Idaho	health care
	Memorial Hermann Sugar Land Hospital, Sugar Land, Texas	health care
2015^[16]	MidwayUSA, Columbia, Mo	small business
	Charter School of San Diego, San Diego, Calif.	education
	Charleston Area Medical Center Health System, Charleston, W.V.	health care
	Mid-America Transplant Services, St. Louis, Mo.	nonprofit
2014^[17]	PricewaterhouseCoopers Public Sector Practice, McLean, VA	service
	Hill Country Memorial Hospital, Fredericksburg, TX	health care
	St. David’s HealthCare, Austin, TX	health care
	Elevations Credit Union, Boulder, CO	nonprofit
2013^[18]	Pewaukee School District, Pewaukee, WI	education
	Sutter Davis Hospital, Davis, CA	health care
2012^[19]	Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, Grand Prairie, TX	manufacturing
	MESA Products Inc., Tulsa, OK	small business
	North Mississippi Health Services, Tupelo, MS	health care
	City of Irving, Irving, TX	nonprofit
2011^[20]	Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, MO	nonprofit
	Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, MI	health care
	Schneck Medical Center, Seymour, IN	health care
	Southcentral Foundation, Anchorage, AK	health care
2010^[21]	MEDRAD, Warrendale, PA	manufacturing
	Nestlé Purina PetCare Co., St. Louis, MO	manufacturing
	Freese and Nichols Inc., Fort Worth, TX	small business
	K&N Management, Austin, TX	small business
	Studer Group, Gulf Breeze, FL	small business
	Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital, Downers Grove, IL	health care
	Montgomery County Public Schools, Rockville, MD	education
2009^[22]	Honeywell Federal Manufacturing & Technologies, Kansas City, MO	manufacturing
	MidwayUSA, Columbia, MO	small business
	AtlantiCare, Egg Harbor Township, NJ	health care
	Heartland Health, St. Joseph, MO	health care
	VA Cooperative Studies Program Clinical Research Pharmacy Coordinating Center, Albuquerque, NM	nonprofit
2008^[23]	Cargill Corn Milling North America, Wayzata, MN	manufacturing
	Poudre Valley Health System, Fort Collins, CO	health care
	Iredell-Statesville Schools, Statesville, NC	education
2007^[24]	PRO-TEC Coating Co., Leipsic, OH	small business
	Mercy Health System, Janesville, WI	health care
	Sharp Healthcare, San Diego, CA	health care
	City of Coral Springs, Coral Springs, FL	nonprofit
	United States Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center (ARDEC), Picatinny Arsenal, NJ	nonprofit
2006^[25]	MESA Products, Inc., Tulsa, OK	small business
	Premier Inc., San Diego, CA	service
	North Mississippi Medical Center, Tupelo, MS	health care
2005^[26]	Sunny Fresh Foods, Inc., Monticello, MN	manufacturing
	DynMcDermott Petroleum Operations, New Orleans, LA	service
	Park Place Lexus, Plano, TX	small business
	Richland College, Dallas, TX	education
	Jenks Public Schools, Jenks, OK	education
	Bronson Methodist Hospital, Kalamazoo, MI	health care
2004^[27]	The Bama Companies, Tulsa, OK	manufacturing
	Texas Nameplate Company, Inc., Dallas, TX	small business
	Kenneth W. Monfort College of Business, Greeley, CO	education
	Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton, Hamilton, NJ	health care
2003^[28]	Medrad, Inc., Indianola, PA	manufacturing
	Boeing Aerospace Support, St. Louis, MO	service
	Caterpillar Financial Services Corp., Nashville, TN	service
	Stoner Inc., Quarryville, PA	small business
	Community Consolidated School District 15, Palatine, IL	education
	Baptist Hospital, Inc., Pensacola, FL	health care
	Saint Luke's Hospital of Kansas City, Kansas City, MO	health care
2002^[29]	Motorola Inc. Commercial, Government and Industrial Solutions Sector, Schaumburg, IL	manufacturing
	Branch-Smith Printing Division, Fort Worth, TX	small business
	SSM Health Care, St. Louis, MO	health care
2001^[30]	Clarke American Checks, Incorporated, San Antonio, TX	manufacturing
	Pal's Sudden Service, Kingsport, TN	small business
	Chugach School District, Prince William Sound, AK	education
	Pearl River School District, Pearl River, NY	education
	University of Wisconsin–Stout, Menomonie, WI	education
2000^[31]	Dana Corp.-Spicer Driveshaft Division, Toledo, OH	manufacturing
	KARLEE Company, Inc., Garland, TX	manufacturing
	Operations Management International, Inc., Greenwood Village, CO	service
	Los Alamos National Bank, Los Alamos, NM	small business
1999^[32]	STMicroelectronics, Inc.-Region Americas, Carrollton, TX	manufacturing
	BI Performance Services, Minneapolis, MN	service
	The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C., Atlanta, GA	service
	Sunny Fresh Foods, Monticello, MN	small business
1998	Boeing Airlift and Tanker Programs, Long Beach, CA	manufacturing
	Solar Turbines Inc., San Diego, CA	manufacturing
	Texas Nameplate Company, Inc., Dallas, TX	small business
1997	3M Dental Products Division, St. Paul, MN	manufacturing
	Solectron Corp., Milpitas, CA	manufacturing
	Merrill Lynch Credit Corp., Jacksonville, FL	service
	Xerox Business Services, Rochester, NY	service
1996	ADAC Laboratories, Milpitas, CA	manufacturing
	Dana Commercial Credit Corp., Toledo, OH	service
	Custom Research Inc., Minneapolis, MN	small business
	Trident Precision Manufacturing Inc., Webster, NY	small business
1995	Armstrong World Industries’ Building Products Operation, Lancaster, PA	manufacturing
	Corning Telecommunications Products Division, Corning, NY	manufacturing
1994	AT&T Consumer Communications Services, Basking Ridge, NJ	service
	GTE Directories Corp., Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX	service
	Wainwright Industries Inc., St. Peters, MO	small business
1993	Eastman Chemical Company, Kingsport, TN	manufacturing
	Ames Rubber Corp., Hamburg, NJ	small business
1992	AT&T Network Systems Group/Transmission Systems Business Unit, Morristown, NJ	manufacturing
	Texas Instruments Inc. Defense Systems & Electronics Group, Dallas, TX	manufacturing
	AT&T Universal Card Services, Jacksonville, FL	service
	The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co., Atlanta, GA	service
	Granite Rock Co., Watsonville, CA	small business
1991	Solectron Corp., Milpitas, CA	manufacturing
	Zytec Corp., Eden Prairie, MN	manufacturing
	Marlow Industries, Dallas, TX	small business
1990	Cadillac Motor Car Division, Detroit, MI	manufacturing
	IBM Rochester, Rochester, MN	manufacturing
	Federal Express Corp., Memphis, TN	service
	Wallace Co. Inc., Houston, TX	small business
1989	Milliken & Co., Spartanburg, SC	manufacturing
	Xerox Corp. Business Products and Systems, Rochester, NY^[33]	manufacturing
1988	Motorola Inc., Schaumburg, IL	manufacturing
	Commercial Nuclear Fuel Division of Westinghouse Electric Corp., Pittsburgh, PA	manufacturing
	Globe Metallurgical Inc., Beverly, OH	small business

See also

• President's Quality Award
• Excellence in Missouri Foundation – State level Baldrige-based award program for the State of Missouri
• The Partnership for Excellence – State level Baldrige-based award program for the States of Ohio, Indiana, and West Virginia
• List of national quality awards
• Total Quality Management

Notes and References

1. News: . New Award Puts Quality in Limelight . November 13, 1988.
2. News: The New York Times. COMMERCE SECRETARY BALDRIGE DIES IN RODEO ACCIDENT IN CALIFORNIA. Commerce Secretary Malcolm Baldrige died at a hospital here today hours after a horse he was riding in a calf-roping event fell on him.. July 26, 1987. March 2, 2024.
3. News: The New York Times. Being 'Baldrige-Eligible' Isn't Enough. Jerry Bowles . Joshua Hammond . September 22, 1991 . September 13, 2022.
4. Web site: Four U.S. Organizations Receive Nation's Highest Honor for Performance Excellence . November 17, 2016 . NIST . August 3, 2020.
5. Web site: Economic Evaluation of the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program December 2011 . US Department of Commerce/NIST . nist.gov . January 18, 2012 . May 1, 2016.
6. News: . If Only Baldrige Winners Could Be Traded as One . Julie Flaherty . November 26, 2000 . September 13, 2022.
7. Web site: Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA) . ASQ . March 18, 2018.
8. Measuring Excellence: A Closer Look at Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Winners in the Manufacturing Category . Brian Cazzell, Jeffrey M. Ulmer . Journal of Technology Management & Innovation . May 2009 . 4 . 1 . 134–142 . 10.4067/S0718-27242009000100012 . 0718-2724. free .
9. Web site: [e-mail]. 2023-10-24. Baldrige Award Recipients Listing. 2023-10-24. NIST. en.
10. Web site: [e-mail]. 2023-10-24. Baldrige Award Recipients Listing. 2023-10-24. NIST. en.
11. Web site: [e-mail]. 2019-05-09. Baldrige Award Recipients Listing. 2021-04-04. NIST. en.
12. Web site: [e-mail]. 2020-07-07. Five Role-Model Organizations Win 2018 Baldrige National Quality Award. 15 November 2018. NIST.
13. Web site: [e-mail]. 2020-07-07. Undersecretary of Commerce and NIST Director Walter Copan Presents Five Organizations with Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. 9 April 2018. NIST.
14. Web site: Four U.S. Organizations Receive Nation's Highest Honor for Performance Excellence. November 17, 2016. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). 25 December 2016.
15. Web site: Don Chalmers Ford wins national Malcolm Baldrige Quality Award . Albuquerque Business First . November 18, 2016 . March 15, 2018 . Rachel Sams.
16. Web site: U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker Announces Four Recipients of 2015 Baldrige Award. November 17, 2015. Department of Commerce. 1 May 2016.
17. Web site: Four U.S. Organizations Honored With 2014 Baldrige National Quality Award. NIST. US Department of Commerce. nist.gov. November 12, 2014 . 1 May 2016.
18. Web site: Three U.S. Organizations Honored with the 2013 Baldrige National Quality Award. NIST. US Department of Commerce. nist.gov. November 13, 2013 . 1 May 2016.
19. Web site: Four U.S. Organizations Honored with the 2012 Baldrige National Quality Award. NIST. US Department of Commerce. nist.gov. November 14, 2012 . 1 May 2016.
20. Web site: Four U.S. Organizations Honored with the 2011 Baldrige National Quality Award. NIST. US Department of Commerce. nist.gov. November 22, 2011 . 1 May 2016.
21. Web site: Seven U.S. Organizations Honored with the 2010 Baldrige National Quality Award. NIST. US Department of Commerce. nist.gov. November 23, 2010 . 1 May 2016.
22. Web site: Five U.S. Organizations Honored for Innovation and Performance Excellence with the 2009 Baldrige National Quality Award. NIST. US Department of Commerce. nist.gov. December 7, 2009 . 1 May 2016.
23. Web site: Commerce Secretary Gutierrez Joins President Bush in Announcing 2008 Baldrige National Quality Awards. NIST. US Department of Commerce. nist.gov. November 25, 2008 . 1 May 2016.
24. Presidential Award for Excellence Honors Five U.S. Organizations. NIST. US Department of Commerce. nist.gov. 1 May 2016.
25. Three to Receive Presidential Award for Excellence. NIST. US Department of Commerce. nist.gov. 1 May 2016.
26. Six Organizations to Receive 2005 Presidential Award for Quality and Performance Excellence. NIST. US Department of Commerce. nist.gov. 1 May 2016.
27. Two Manufacturers, Business School, Hospital to Receive Presidential Award for Quality and Performance Excellence. NIST. US Department of Commerce. nist.gov. 1 May 2016.
28. President and Commerce Secretary Announce Recipients of Nation's Highest Honor in Quality and Performance Excellence. NIST. US Department of Commerce. nist.gov. 1 May 2016.
29. President and Commerce Secretary Announce Recipients of Nation's Highest Quality Award. NIST. US Department of Commerce. nist.gov. 1 May 2016.
30. Baldrige Award Recipients. NIST. US Department of Commerce. patapsco.nist.gov. 1 May 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20180214212114/http://patapsco.nist.gov/Award_Recipients/index.cfm. February 14, 2018. dead.
31. Two Manufacturers, a Water Treatment Company and a Bank Win 2000 Baldrige Awards. NIST. US Department of Commerce. nist.gov. 1 May 2016.
32. Two Manufacturers, Two Service Companies Win 1999 Baldrige Awards. NIST. US Department of Commerce. nist.gov. 1 May 2016.
33. News: . Xerox Breaks Into the Japanese Market . February 3, 1992.