ABSTRACT
Answers to some of the questions frequently asked about the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award criteria.
Q: Why is our organization using the Baldrige criteria to do assessments?
A: Since the award was first established in 1988, there have been thousands of organizations that have applied for the award . Thousands more have applied for state quality awards, and several million copies of the criteria have been distributed to organizations all over the world . Many organizations have no interest in applying for the award, but use the criteria as a model for evaluating and improving their own performance . The criteria in the Baldrige model are the toughest and most widely accepted set of standards for defining a well run organization, regardless of its size or type .
