tschones said:
We are considering using one of the 3 top business excellence awards (Baldrige, Shingo Prize, Deming Prize) as inputs into our strategic planning process (i.e. our primary objective is to get good feedback, not win the award). Has anyone out there had experience using one of these awards for that purpose? If so, please let me know what your experience has been.
Tom
I'd like to discuss this post from two angles:
1) By virtue of the phrasing, the poster essentially limited response to ONLY those who "had experience" using the award system for inputs into the "strategic planning process." He effectively precluded any others from commenting on whether they thought it was good or bad to follow that strategy.
In several other threads, posters complain they don't get the responses they expect from emails to bosses and others. I submit the lack of response is partly due to forcing the the reader to read your mind as well as your message. I recall getting recent emails saying,
"If you think this is a good idea, write me back." So, if I think it's a
bad idea, I should
not write?
When making a post or writing an email (or Work Instruction or Procedure or any other document), we need to ask ourselves,
"What is the action and response I crave from the reader?" We have to review what we wrote to see whether we have sabotaged that response in any way and consider editing the document to actually call for that response. Too often, we blame the other guy for not responding when we are the ones at fault for making it too hard to interpret our request.
2) To the topic of using Baldrige or Deming, etc. guidelines for shaping your organization - I think it's a GREAT IDEA, if you can afford it and top management really intends to use it for that purpose and not as an "ego trip" for bragging rights. I, personally, don't know any organizations who have had this as their sole reason for entering into the Baldrige system. Usually, the impetus is more for bragging rights than anything else.
I do, however, know of several organizations who have used the Baldrige outline as a guideline for their organization, but they did
NOT spend the money to make formal application and have outside folks come in and measure their performance. They were content in the self satisfaction of having achieved
parity with the goals of Baldrige.
