ABSTRACT
Information comes in many forms, is often disjunctive, and often overloads companies to the point that it is rarely used effectively. Organizations must figure out how to effectively take the information from their variety of information sources—Baldrige-style assessments, employee surveys, customer feedback, indicator results, or any others—and actually integrate that information into usable knowledge, which can then be used effectively in improvement planning. Intelligence is the capacity to acquire and apply knowledge. It is this ability that is essential to any business that wants to become and remain competitive. A company acquires knowledge by integrating all information, by prioritizing existing strengths and weaknesses, and by determining what things to focus on to improve the company. In order for a company to be driven to actually obtain bottom-line improvements, a transformation must occur. This transformation requires knowledge based on sound organizing principles such as the Baldrige criteria, the checklist a company uses to evaluate itself before applying for a Baldrige Award.
