Baldrige

Baldrige refers to the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award and the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program in the United States. It is named after Malcolm Baldrige, who served as the U.S. Secretary of Commerce from 1981 to 1987.

The award was established by the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Improvement Act of 1987 and is administered by the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) within the U.S. Department of Commerce. The program aims to recognize organizations across sectors for exemplary performance and to share information about best practices.

The award categories cover multiple types of organizations, including Manufacturing, Service, Small Business, Education, Healthcare, Nonprofit, and Public/Nonprofit. The Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence provide a framework for organizational self-assessment and improvement, organized around seven core categories: Leadership; Strategy; Customers; Measurement, Analysis, and Knowledge Management; Workforce; Operations; and Results. Evaluations emphasize leadership and strategic direction, customer and stakeholder focus, data-driven decision making, workforce engagement, and operational effectiveness, with feedback reports and a site visit for applicants.

The Baldrige framework has influenced improvement efforts in the United States and internationally, serving as a model for quality and performance excellence programs in both private and public sectors.