Customer Reviews

The Executive Guide to Understanding and Implementing the Baldrige Criteria: Improve Revenue and Create Organizational Excellence (Asq Quality Management Division Economics of Quality Book Series)

5 star:		(3)
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I read this book in one day (June 11, 2007) when it was hot off the press.

It is short (82 pages plus appendices for a total of 114 pages) meaning you spend only a little over a quarter per page to get access to the years of research and the many thousand dollars one of the authors expended for you benefit while earning his PhD.

It is also sweet. Some of the many features that I found impressive were the detailed endnotes (references) after each chapter, the balanced approach it takes to both recommending Baldrige and recognizing its difficulties, the payback analysis of using Baldrige (pp 31-44), and the integration of John Kotter's change model (which saves you another $30 by not having to buy Leading Change by Dr Kotter, the foremost authority on change management since Kurt Lewin).

It does have a few shortcomings. It is definitely an introductory level treatment of Baldrige. Do not expect to be a Baldrige expert in 82 pages over one day. The over-reliance on "Baldrigese" obscures its "systems perspective" central theme which is eloquently repeated nevertheless. I found the constantly shifting numbering of repetitious references distracting in trying to follow the provenance of the research. The 15 citations in Chapter 2 on the financial impact of Baldrige include some aging and irrelevant studies and other studies that only indirectly (at best) support the conclusions as to the "proven" financial payback from using the Baldrige Criteria. The ability to capture the benefits of Baldrige are equivocated by the repeated use of the phrase "when fully implemented," a state that arguably is impossible since no recipient has ever achieved "full implementation" according to the Scoring Guidelines and the Baldrige Criteria are updated at last every two years making this a moving target.

I give it Five Stars - smothered in Mac's mama's Paris Texas homemade chili and piled high with jalopenos and a modest speinkle of Wisconsin cheese on top.

This book provides a focused overview of the Baldrige process. It is concisely written for those wanting a high level understanding of the Baldrige criteria from the critera itself to what to expect from undertaking an implementation effort. Of added benefit is the "other impacts of the Baldrige Criteria" provided in chapter 3. This book provides a look from many views that most organizations should find valuable.

A great Baldrige primer for executives and manager. Focused and to the point with chapters on the financial impact and other benefits.