Introduction
Self-reflection is an integral part of the Baldrige process, which is why the skills necessary for it have to be developed. Reflecting on the Baldrige process and the concept of quality can yield a better understanding of the Baldrige Excellence Framework in its current form. Moreover, analyzing organizational issues, as well as the different aspects of personal and organizational learning, allows a better insight into the core values, concepts, and criteria used in the Baldrige framework. Given the growing importance of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in contemporary business discussions, it may also be worthwhile to discuss its relation to the Baldrige framework. Such a reflection will reveal the relationship between the Baldrige process and quality in their currents state, as well as the greatest gains made during this course.
Reflection of the Baldrige Process and Quality
When reflecting on the current state of Baldrige Excellence Framework is its universalist approach. A holistic perspective that requires paying thorough attention to each and every aspect of a given organization’s performance lies at the very core of the process. This is why Baldrige Excellence Framework puts systems perspective at its very center, before all other core values and concepts. Systems perspective refers to “managing all the parts of your organization as a unified whole” and not foregoing any of them in the process of realizing the organization’s mission and vision (NIST, 2021c, para. 3). As a result, the Baldrige process in its current shape addresses each and every aspect of management, as evident from its list of criteria, which range from formulating the overall strategy to managing the workforce. This universalist approach may be the strong side of the Baldrige process because it allows it to offer advice and guidance on each and every component of organizational performance. However, it also brings considerable challenges because focusing on everything at once creates a non-negligible risk of focusing on nothing in particular.
This threat becomes evident if one reflects on the Baldrige process as related to quality. Historically speaking, Baldrige Excellence Framework came to be precisely to manage quality-related aspects of organizational performance. Bandyopadhyay and Leonard (2016) point out that, as it was first formulated in 1988, it was meant to be “a foundation for [the] quality management systems” to provide American companies with the competitive edge they needed (p. 10). However, the current state of the Baldrige Excellence Framework does not demonstrate the same emphasis on quality that was once characteristic of it. For example, the word “quality” only appears once in the description of all the core values and concepts. Moreover, this single mention merely states that the customers are “the ultimate judges of… performance and of product and service quality” (NIST, 2021c, para. 5). In other words, quality does not even have a particular place in the list of values that lie at the base of the Baldrige process. Other studies have also reported similar findings (Schonberger, n.d.). With this in mind, one is justified to note that Baldrige Excellence Framework has moved away from its emphasis on quality.
Organizational Issues
Reflecting on the application of the Baldrige process to organizational issues shows that an organizational profile should begin from the most basic aspects, such as mission and vision. Commentary on the Baldrige Criteria points out that the use of both these terms, as well as many others, varies from one company to another (NIST, 2021b). Moreover, the frequent use of these terms devaluates them in a way. As noted by Welch (2009), both terms, and especially mission, are used so easily in the contemporary business context that they end up being deprived of any functional meaning. According to him, it is all too easy to find mission statements that are filled with undeniable yet largely useless truisms and, as such, hold little, if any, operational value (Welch, 2009). Thus, both Baldrige Criteria and some of the most successful managers in recent American history agree that the lack of clarity about the fundamental concepts constitutes a direct threat to efficiency. This inability to outline mission and vision unequivocally and precisely is one of the most glaring organizational issues that becomes clear from the reflection of the Baldrige process.
Personal and Organizational Learning
In terms of personal learning, the area of greatest development in this course has so far been a better understanding of the nature of mission and vision. As mentioned above, the Baldrige Criteria point out the possible challenges inherent in the unclear and varying definitions of mission ad values (NIST, 2021b). Apart from that, the“Are we making progress?” questionnaire also puts a specific emphasis on these aspects of leadership, putting the questions about knowing mission and vision in the first place (NIST, 2021a). This course increased the awareness of the difference between memorizing the formulation of the mission and visions statement and understanding their precise meaning, if such is to be found. Moreover, it also improved the understanding of what they actually are, or, rather, should be when relieved of generic wording and excessive verbiage that does little except making the statements look and sound more imposing. In short, this course has been particularly helpful in engraining the understanding of vision as where the organization is going and mission as the results it aims to achieve by going there.
In terms of organizational learning, this course and the concepts introduced in it highlighted the importance of the workforce being well-acquainted with the overall performance of their organization. The afore-mentioned “Are we making progress?” questionnaire poses questions about organizational awareness in every section devoted to one of the Baldrige Criteria (NIST, 2021a). For example, the “Strategy” part asks whether the employees know which organizational plans can affect their work, and the “Results” tab inquires whether an employee knows how the organization performs financially (NIST, 2021a). The grounds for this approach is the systems perspective that lies at the center of the Baldrige core values and concepts and requires to perceive all components of organizational activity holistically (NIST, 2021c). In order to achieve success and promote quality, the workforce needs to be aware not only of their specific tasks but also of the role they play within the larger picture. Considering this, the course has emphasized the importance of fostering an organizational learning culture that would ensure a better awareness about all relevant elements of organizational performance.
Corporate Social Responsibility
CSR refers to the obligations that the companies have to contribute to society as a whole. Precise definitions of CSR may vary, but most interpretations generally focus on five key areas of responsibility: “environmental, social, economic, stakeholder and voluntariness” (Jankalova & Jankal, 2017, p. 443). Baldrige Excellence Framework does not identify CSR as a separate criterion for organization performance but refers to some of its aspects when elaborating on these criteria. For instance, the “Valuing people” criterion refers not only to the workforce of a given organization of its customers but also to “other people who have a stake in the organization” (NIST, 2021c, para. 6). At the same time, the Baldrige “Are we making progress?” questionnaire only has one question directly related to CSR. Moreover, this question is only concerned with whether the company enables the employee to help the community rather than what the company itself does in terms of social contribution (NIST, 2021a). Thus, one may conclude that the Baldrige Excellence Framework is certainly aware of CSR and incorporates some of its components, most notably stakeholder theory, but this incorporation is not all-encompassing.
Conclusion
As one can see, self-assessment reflection on the Baldrige process provides an important insight into the workings of the Baldrige Excellence Framework while also allowing to apply the knowledge gained to personal and organizational development alike. Specifically, reflecting ion the Baldrige process in its current form and seems to indicate a shift from the explicit focus on quality to a more generalist approach to management. In terms of organization issues, it reveals how an organizational profile needs to begin with the basics, such as mission and vision, and how misunderstandings surrounding these concepts can pose a serious threat to efficiency. When it comes to learning, the reflection highlights the importance of personal and organizational understanding of how the company functions based on the systems perspective. Finally, the reflection also demonstrates that the Baldrige process primarily focuses on stakeholder engagement while not paying as much attention to the other ones.
References
Bandyopadhyay, K., & Leonard, D. (2016). The value of using the Baldrige Performance Excellence Framework in manufacturing organizations. The Journal for Quality and Participation, 39(3), 10-14.
Jankalová, M. & Jankal, R. (2017). The assessment of corporate social responsibility: Approaches analysis. Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Issues, 4(4), 441-459.
National Institute of Standards and Technology [NIST]. (2021a). Are we making progress? Web.
NIST. (2021b). Baldrige criteria commentary.
NIST. (2021c). Core values and concepts.
Schonberger, R. J. (2017).Is the Baldrige Award still about quality?Quality Digest.
Welch, J. (2009). Winning: The ultimate business how-to book. HarperCollins.