The NHQA Journey
As a leader, are you fully committed to the Baldrige journey?
The following is from The Executive Guide to the Baldrige Criteria (Leonard & McGuire) and applies in the same way to the NHQA !
• Leaders must decide early in this process if the organization
desires to achieve targeted success as described by previous
Baldrige Award-winning organizations. We recommend that
leaders make a list of key reasons they want to focus on Baldrige,
so they can fully articulate that information to the management
team. All team members must understand why the journey is
important and the steps required along the way.
• Leaders must determine who will be the champions that assist in
the promotion of this effort. Long-term sustainability for Baldrige
implementation requires that everyone understand the length and
depth of the commitment to fully implement.
• Leaders must ensure that the fundamental concepts of quality
management are understood by the team and that Baldrige is a
major ingredient, not a stand-alone issue or just another program.
Baldrige requires the organization of daily work and priorities.
• Leaders must recognize the potential for leadership in different
ways and contexts. First-level employees may have substantial
impact on the success of Baldrige implementation. Leaders must
consider who can assist with implementation. Senior leaders,
first-level leaders, colleagues, peers, and all employees must
be involved. Leaders must be able to describe the Baldrige
process and discuss its potential benefits, considerations, and
disadvantages while understanding implementation even on a
department or team level.
