Achieving Organizational Excellence Through Quality
By Milton Krivokuca
The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality award is the ultimate recognition any organization can hope to receive, and for many organizations this is a reality. Unfortunately and for valid reasons, some organizations see this as an accomplishment beyond their reach.
For California based organizations, there are programs aligned with this prestigious award that are both accessible and affordable. Coaching and other resources are available through the California Council for Excellence (CCE). The CCE administers the California Award for Performance Excellence (CAPE), which is the state version of the national Baldrige award. Additionally, CCE manages the California Team Excellence Award (CTEA), which is the state version of the International Team Excellence Awards presented each year at the ASQ World Conference for Quality Improvement. The CCE is one of many state organizations that are an ASQ partner in quality. The CTEA uses the same criteria as ASQ, and CCE judges receive similar intensive training in order to provide constructive and comprehensive feedback to the teams. A recent winner of the ASQ International Team Excellence Program was HD Supply from San Diego. This was HD Supply’s first application, and they won the entire competition!
The CTEA can be an excellent first step toward achieving organizational excellence through quality because it utilizes two primary resources available in every organization. These two resources are the people who are knowledgeable about their respective jobs and want to offer contributions toward improvement, and the time allotted for the employees to come together as a team with the mutual goal of continuous improvement.
The team’s accomplishments can be showcased during local California competition and the feedback received by experienced judges provides invaluable feedback for the organization to advance its quality program to the next level.
Applications for teams and judges for this fall’s event are now being accepted. For more information, please visit: www.calexcellence.org/ctea.html
CCE is a cooperative partner of ASQ.
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