Baldrige User's Guide: Organization Diagnosis, Design, and Transformation [Paperback]

John Latham (Author), John Vinyard (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 047169777X | ISBN-13: 978-0471697770 | Publication Date: May 28, 2004

This is an easy to use manual that examines the concepts of organizational assessment and diagnosis with straightforward tools to apply toward achieving measurable improvements immediately! Latham and Vinyard offer a balance between theoretical and practical approaches to organizational diagnosis and intervention, with speci al emphasis on the impact of the leader’s role in determining healthy directions for a changing organization. Their Diagnosis-Design-Transformation structure transcends traditional application of Baldrige's Performance Excellence Criteria using Categories and Items. It is written for ease-of-use by business leaders and experienced quality and operational practitioners. It is clear that organizations, both those examining Baldrige Criteria use for the first time as well as organizations seasoned in criteria application, will quickly find business value by looking through the unique lens offered in this book.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

“I would have very much appreciated this book during our Baldrige journey. I encourage you to use it to accelerate your journey. You will find it incredibly rewarding!” 
David Spong, President, Boeing Aerospace Support (retired)
The only leader to win Baldrige in two different sectors (Manufacturing 1998 and Service 2003)

For new users:

“This book provides anyone who uses the Baldrige Criteria with a better understanding of the linkages among elements and how to leverage their improvement initiatives.”
Joe Muzikowski, Vice-President Business Processes, Solvay America(Former Chair, Baldrige Panel of Judges 2001-2002)

“Finally, an easy to use manual that examines the concepts of organizational assessment and diagnosis with straightforward tools to apply toward achieving measurable improvements immediately! Latham and Vinyard offer a balance between theoretical and practical approaches to organizational diagnosis and intervention, with speci al emphasis on the impact of the leader’s role in determining healthy directions for a changing organization.”
Richard Schuttler, Ph.D., Dean, School of Advanced Studies, University of Phoenix

For advanced users:

“Their Diagnosis-Design-Transformation structure transcends traditional application of Baldrige's Performance Excellence Criteria using Categories and Items. It is written for ease-of-use by business leaders and experienced quality and operational practitioners. It is clear that organizations, both those examining Baldrige Criteria use for the first time as well as organizations seasoned in criteria application, will quickly find business value by looking through the unique lens offered in this book.”
Jim Zurn, Senior Manager, Corporate Operational Excellence, Intel Corporation

For leaders:

“This book gives leaders a systematic tool to design their approach to performance excellence. It gives a visual step-by-step understanding of the relationships within one of the most successful business models of our time.” David Branch, Chairman/President, Branch-Smith Printing, 2002 Baldrige Winner

“Organizational Diagnosis, Design, and Transformation" applies a process approach toward understanding the application of Baldrige criteria on any type and size organization in a non-threatening manner. The use of examples and work sheets throughout makes this a practical tool and brings the criteria to life. Mr. Vinyard and Dr. Latham are leaders who have written a hands-on text for leaders.”
Steven Hoisington, Vice President of Quality, Johnson Controls

About the Author

John Latham, PhD is the Director of the Monfort Institute and a Monfort Executive Professor of Management, Monfort College of Business at the University of Northern Colorado. he is also a managing partner and co-founder of Genitect, LLC an organization diagnosis, design, and transformation firm with offices in Atlanta and Colorado Springs. An International management consultant and organization architect he specializes in the assessment and redesign of business systems to achieve sustainable results for multiple stakeholders. Some of his clients have included Boeing, British Airways, Kawasaki, Lockheed Martin, Motorola, Pro-Tec Coating Company, Ritz Carlton Hotel Company, and TATA Sons Ltd. (India). John has served on the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Board of Examiners for nine years from 1996-2005. As a senior examiner and leader for the program he led the evaluations of some of the nation's highest performing companies including leading site visits in 2000 and 2001.

John Vinyard is a Managing Partner and Co-Founder of GENITECT, LLC an organization diagnosis, design, and transformation firm with offices in Atlanta and Colorado Springs. He specializes in working with leadership teams to help transform their organizations. John has worked with 5 Baldrige recipients throughout their journey, and has helped them use the Baldrige Model to significantly impact their bottom-line results. Some of John's clients have included: Boeing Airlift & Tanker, and Corning Telecommunications Products Division. John served on the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Board of Examiners for six years from 1991 to 1996. Since that time he has helped the Baldrige Program as an Alumni Examiner, (Headed the Alumni Examiner Program), head of case study writing teams, and has facilitated examiner training. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 412 pages
• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons (May 28, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 047169777X
• ISBN-13: 978-0471697770
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,025,348 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Strategic Masterpiece, September 27, 2004

By 

Roy Holley - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Baldrige User's Guide: Organization Diagnosis, Design, and Transformation (Paperback)

I have been privileged to a member of a Baldrige team at a major service company who won the award, and consulting projects where the criteria was the major template for improvement. This is, by far, the best effort I have seen which strategically presents and describes the criteria, then provides practical counsel on how to apply it. As such, it is invaluable to examiners and consultants, and especially so to senior leaders and internal change agents attempting to improve performance within the Baldrige framework. The authors' lucid explanations of the key linkages within the criteria are alone worth the purchase price. The software included is worth many times the price. If you are serious about using the Baldrige criteria, this is a book you cannot afford to be without.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Guide Meets Your Need, September 12, 2004

By 

Al Doeve (Loyalti Corporation) "Al Doeve" (Altanta, GA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Baldrige User's Guide: Organization Diagnosis, Design, and Transformation (Paperback)

If the Baldrige Framework represents a 1987 U.S. milestone towards a comprehensive approach to organization excellence, the Baldrige User Guide by John Latham and John Vinyard represents a landmark synthesis of our collective learning and applications to date.

The guide faithfully concatenates Categories, Items and Areas To Address of the Baldrige criteria into, of all things, a process description of what it all means for new users, assessors and even advanced users of the performance criteria.

The authors accomplish this with comprehensive blueprints that link key elements of the criteria, with brief and effective explanatory comments, real-time examples from Baldrige winners plus assessor question and worksheets. For new and committed users of the Baldrige Framework, the User Guide makes intuitive, practical and valuable "connections that previously were not obvious" (David Sprong, Foreword).

Who should invest in this paperback/CD toolkit? Those getting acquainted with the criteria as well as national and state examiners will clutch the user guide as indispensable.

I say this as a practitioner (for profit, non-profit) who has benefited from services delivered by a Baldrige winner, has participated in a team that delivered an application for assessment and has experience on a state board of examiners. What catapults the value of the guide is its A-B-C organization around Focus, three Competencies for Performance Excellence and the Journey undertaken by willing organizations.

The authors' approach towards an egalitarian Baldrige Framework successfully deconstructs the terminology of the official BNQP criteria, organizes and visually clarifies linkages real and implied using blueprints, breaks through (by at least 20%!) new understandings about exactly HOW and WHAT's Leadership, Execution Excellence or Organizational Learning.

You can get the hands-on experience, but the user guide cuts your time investment without cutting corners. After all, the book is the authentic product of "thousands of person years" (though not from the authors). Indeed, the authors dispense contribution credit far and wide to those intimately involved with Baldrige Framework development as well as those committed to achieve extra-ordinary results through their work within winning (and learning) organizations.

There is clarity and closure throughout the text, illuminating the authors' substantial knowledge of customers (government, industrial, worldwide) with generous sharing of applied criteria nuance in challenging environments. For example, Thoughts For Leaders vignettes (over 20 are sprinkled throughout) address the value of process documentation, innovation through leadership, sustainable competitive advantage, etc.). The nuggets help organization architects of all stripes arrive at additional insights with respect to systems thinking, core values, organization factors and the maturity of business competencies.

Get the CD! Actually, a CD comes with the text and contains consumables needed to drive Diagnosis, Design and Transformation (DDT), including the blueprints, worksheets (two formats), scoring workbook, criteria (three versions - business, education and healthcare) with all the benefits of online document management.

When a publication lends high clarity, model synthesis, practical insight, tool utility and structured approaches to organizational transformation for excellence, it is appropriate to invest. This market analyst says "buy."

Al Doeve - Loyalti Corporation www.loyalti.com

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Mostly Strengths but a couple of OFIs, December 7, 2007

By 

Mohnu Kholvanu (India) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Baldrige User's Guide: Organization Diagnosis, Design, and Transformation (Paperback)

The book per se, is an excellent resource for understanding the overall Criteria. Further, as a previous reviewer put it, the linkages between categories is worth the price (almost!).

A few additional things I would have liked are :
1] All the blueprints printed consecutively to be able to see the linkages in one place.
2] A more detailed explanation of the Areas to Address. Sometimes it is not easy to understand why certain words / phrases have been used, and it would have been nice if these could have been explained in more detail.
3] A separate document (as a part of the software kit) with all the Survey questions that are currently given with each Criteria item. This would make it possible to either email to respondents or print.