Some organizations apply for awards, quality or otherwise, just to hang another certificate on the wall. Some do it to add another logo or tag line to their letterhead or advertising slogan. These companies often miss the true value of the award and its process. With no less than 30 national, automotive and government awards to apply for, not to mention a plethora of state and regional award programs, manufacturers could keep busy just applying for awards. Unfortunately work does not stop because an award is being applied for, nor does the work stop once an award is won.
But, it isn't only the award recipients that win when applying to the Baldrige award. Kay Kendall, vice president of corporate quality at Brooks-PRI Automation Inc. (Chelmsford, MA) and judge for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, says that just applying for the Baldrige Award allows a company to get feedback that provides an external view of itself. However, Kendall stresses that company's new to the process should strive to reach a certain level of maturity first.