[The following article is from the November 1995 edition of
_Public_Sector_Quality_Report_, pages 5 and 6.]

                   THE BENEFITS OF "BALDRIGE"

     It's been said so many times it's become a quality cliche:
Organizations that apply for the Malcolm Baldrige National
Quality Award--win or not--generally find themselves that much
better off for having undertaken the rigorous self-assessment and
for having received the unvarnished feedback from Baldrige
examiners. 

     Why is the Baldrige process so formative? 

     Baldrige officials attempted to answer that very question in
a one-page "Message to Executives," included for the first time
in the new 1996 Baldrige Award criteria booklet. Here's what they
describe as the benefits of participation most commonly cited by
Baldrige applicants:

* Responding to the criteria forces a realistic self-assessment
from an external point of view. This self-assessment, when
combined with the comprehensive feedback report received from the
award's Board of Examiners, targets key gaps and priorities for
improvement. The overall assessment also recognizes and
reinforces company strengths.

* The pace of performance improvement is accelerated.

* The knowledge gained from assessment and feedback teaches new
and better ways to evaluate suppliers, customers, partners, even
competitors.

* Use of the award criteria in assessment leads to the
integration and alignment of numerous activities, previously
loosely connected. The assessment provides an effective means to
measure progress and to focus everyone in the company on the same
goals.

* Use of the award criteria helps companies understand, select
and integrate appropriate management tools, such as
reengineering, ISO 9000, quality management, activity-based
costing, just-in-time production, lean manufacturing, flexible
manufacturing, benchmarking and high-performance work.

* The award criteria and scoring system provide a clear
perspective on the distinction between typical performance and
world-class performance.

* Participation frequently leads to companies attending
information-sharing meetings and joining sharing networks, where
it often is possible to obtain free or inexpensive advice and
help from other business leaders. 
____________________________________________________________

             BALDRIGE EDUCATION CASE STUDY OFFERED

     Each year the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award
develops materials for training its examiners, and for sharing
information on the successful quality strategies of Baldrige
winners.

     Although there were no official winners in the Baldrige's
1995 Education Pilot Program, Baldrige officials have compiled a
"case study packet" (Item #T504, $6.11, plus shipping and
handling) on one applicant, Midstate University.

     If your organization is interested in using the Baldrige
criteria as an improvement tool, the packet will show you in
detail how one public-sector organization worked through the
application and self-assessment process. 

CONTACT: American Society for Quality Control, Customer Service
Department, P.O. Box 3066, Milwaukee, WI 53201-3066, (800)
248-1946.

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