Measuring up against the 1995 Baldrige criteria

Brown, Mark Graham

As many American organizations have done a good job of improving levels of customer satisfaction, Baldrige now says focusing on quality and TQM is no longer the answer. This will be a shock to many of you reading about this for the first time, but the word quality has been virtually eliminated from the 1995 Baldrige Award criteria -- it has been replaced with performance. Winning a Baldrige Award in '95 will require a balanced focus and excellent financial results as well as high quality and customer satisfaction.

Having an impressive TQM program is not what the new Baldrige criteria are about Quality values, quality plans, quality improvement teams, and encouraging managers to spend time on quality- related activities will no longer get credit in Baldrige. Baldrige now focuses on evidence of fundamental changes in the way the organization does its day-to-day business. Changes to jobs, organization structure, products/services, and the role of leadership are the characteristics that are assessed in the new Baldrige criteria.

Big shifts in emphasis -- The criteria also no longer focus on quality at the expense of other measures. The points for financial results in Baldrige (which were not even asked for until 1993) have been increased from 50 points last year to 130 points this year! The customer satisfaction category (7.0) that used to be worth 300 points out of a possible 1000, is now worth only 250.

Is this saying that quality is not important anymore? Not at all. They are saying that a successful business does it all. Successful organizations:

* Make healthy profits...

* Have happy employees...

* Have high quality products/services...

* And have delighted customers.

According to the book Competing For The Future (Gary Hamel & C.K. Prahalad, Harvard Business School Press, 1994), quality is not what will give companies a competitive advantage in the future -- having quality products and services will be the price of entrance into any market. The most successful companies will be those that can:

* Anticipate customer needs...

* Design new products and services to meet those needs.

This is very consistent with the new Baldrige criteria.

Education and healthcare added

The Baldrige is seven years old now, and continues to be the Holy Grail of the business world. Most successful small and large companies around the world use the Baldrige criteria as a measure of their health. Even schools and hospitals have begun using the Baldrige to improve.

Baldrige has created separate awards for educational institutions and healthcare organizations that will be pilot tested this year and awarded in 1996.

The evolution of the Baldrige -- What started out as an award to recognize businesses that did a good job implementing quality management has evolved to a set of standards for assessing the health of any organization. Most states now have awards modeled after Baldrige, and many countries (e.g., Brazil, Hong Kong, Australia) have their own quality awards based almost completely on the Baldrige.

So, if you think yours is a world class organization, now is the time to step up to the challenge and score against the new tougher standards.

How new Baldrige works

The new Baldrige criteria evaluate two dimensions of an organization. 41 percent of the evaluation is based on the results you achieve -- performance --- in:

* Financial results...

* Customer satisfaction...

* Product/service quality...

* Supplier performance...

* Productivity...

* Human resources.

When looking at your organization's results, Baldrige will focus on two things:

1. How good are you (level) and how much have you improved over the last few years (trends).

2. The other 59 percent of the points are based on how you run your organization. How you lead, plan, measure, train, control processes, et cetera.

All major parts of the business or organization are assessed and Baldrige looks for approaches that are systematic and continuously evaluated and improved. Results scores are not influenced by your approach and good results are not down-graded if the examiners don't like your approach. Each dimension is evaluated separately.

Criteria grouped into seven categories Categories -- 1-5 are about your approach in running your organization, category 6.0 is business results, and category 7.0 is a mix of how you keep customers happy (approach) and what kind of customer satisfaction results you have. The seven categories and their point values are as follows:

1. Leadership...(90 points)

2. Information and analysis...(75 points)

3. Strategic quality planning...(55 points)

4. Human resources...(140 points)

5. Process management...(140 points)

6. Business results...(250 points)

7. Customer satisfaction...(250 points)

(Survey omitted)

How to score your self-assessment

For questions 1 through 50 and questions 64-71 score as follows:

* Score 10 points for each "yes" answer

* Score 7 points for each "mostly" answer

* Score 5 points for each "some-what" answer

* Score 3 points for each "slightly" answer

For questions 51 through 63 and 72-79 score as follows:

* Score 20 points for each "yes" answer

* Score 14 points for each "mostly" answer

* Score 10 points for each "somewhat" answer

* Score 6 points for each "slightly" answer

Add up all of the scores to come up with a total. A perfect score would be 1000 points.

Interpreting your score

Use the scale below to interpret your score.

751-1000 points... Potential Baldrige Award winner.

600- 750 points... You should be able to work on the areas needing improvement so that your organization can attain award-winning status in one to three years.

400-599 points... With a great deal of work over the next two to three years you should be able to improve your organization enough to put you in competition for the Baldrige Award.

300-399 points... You have the foundation of some good systems in place, but need to work on refining your approaches and further deploying them throughout the organization.

299 or less points... You have a great deal of work to do to make high performance part of the culture of your organization. The majority of American organizations probably fall into this category, however, so don't be too dismayed.

Keep in mind that your score on this instrument may not correspond with a score you might receive if Baldrige examiners were doing the scoring. When you apply for the award, one or more evaluators will complete a very thorough analysis of your quality results and practices. Also recall that this questionnaire is simply designed to give you an idea of the factors that the evaluators will examine so you are better prepared for the actual examination.

How to use the survey and its results -- First of all, it is important that you realize that a survey is not a good way of assessing your organization against the Baldrige criteria.

When I use this survey in workshops on the Baldrige criteria, I explain that filling out this survey can be compared to doing a psychological evaluation of yourself by completing a survey you might find in a magazine on the supermarket checkout line. In other words, don't put much confidence in the score you receive.

The major value of a survey such as this one, is that it teaches the criteria in a quick and interesting manner. I caution you against using this or any other survey as a way of assessing your organization against the Baldrige criteria and then setting goals based upon this assessment. If you are interested in establishing a baseline score, there are three appropriate ways of doing this:

* Conducting an audit of approaching, processes, deployment, and results in your organization against the Baldrige criteria.

* Prepare a mock Baldrige application and have it reviewed and scored by internal and external people who have been trained like Baldrige examiners are trained (the AQP offers a workshop to teach internal examiners).

* Actually apply for the Baldrige Award and receive feedback.

Additional uses of this survey... If you do not use this survey to establish a baseline, how else can it be used? Some additional ways you can use this survey are to:

* Have executives fill it out to familiarize them with the Baldrige criteria.

* Use it as part of a training session or meeting where you introduce people to the Baldrige criteria.

* Use scores by employees to gauge differences in perception about where the organization stands in its implementation of total quality management.

* Give it to your suppliers to fill out, to familiarize them with the Baldrige criteria.

Applying for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award -- If you feel a little more confident of your chances after completing this self-assessment questionnaire, you can apply for the real award. Even if you believe that your organization is a long way from award-winning status in the area of quality having the evaluators come in and do a formal examination/assessment can be a very valuable learning experience. The feedback you receive will be very helpful for diagnostic purposes to improve you next year.

For a copy of the Baldrige Award criteria and the application forms and instructions, contact:

Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award National Institute of Standards and Technology Route 270 and Quince Orchard Road Administration Building, Room A537 Gaithenburg, MD 20899 (301) 975-2036

To respond to this survey, simply read each question and check the most appropriate answer. The scale* for responding to the survey is as follows:

10 = Yes (completely): The statement is 100% true for your organization and is being implemented in every function/location.

7 = Mostly: Practice is mostly true for your organization and is being implemented in most major functions/locations.

5 = Somewhat: Most of this statement is true for portions of the organization but not for others.

3 = Slightly: Practice is only being applied in a few limited areas of the organization).

0 = No (not at all): Your organization has not even begun to use the approach or practice defined in the survey item.

Instructions on how to score the survey are at the end of this article.

Organization:__

Evaluator:__

Part I Leadership

1. Are all organization senior executives personally and visibly involved in quality-related activities such as goad setting, planning, reviewing performance results, recognizing employees, and participating in quality improvement Projects?

__ 10 Yes (completely); 7 Mostly; 5 Somewhat; 3 Slightly; 0 No (not at all).

2. Have senior executives done o thorough job of building vision values into the leadership process of the company?

__ 10 Yes (completely); 7 mostly; 5 Somewhat; 3 Slightly; 0 No (not at all).

3. Is a systematic approach used to evaluate the effectiveness of executives' personal leadership and involvement?

__ 10 Yes (completely); 7 Mostly; 5 Somewhat; 3 Slightly; 0 No (not at all).

4. Does the company's organization structure and leadership system promote a focus on efficiency, high performance, and delighting customers?

__ 10 Yes (completely); 7 Mostly; 5 Somewhat; 3 Slightly; 0 No (not at all).

5. Does the company effectively communicate its vision and values to all levels and types of employees?

__ 10 Yes (complete; 7 Mostly; 5 Somewhat; 3 Slightly; 0 No (not at all).

6. Are reviews done of all major performance measures versus goals on a regular basis and in all areas of the company?

__ 10 Yes (completely); 7 Mostly; 5 Somewhat; 3 Slightly; 0 No (not at all).

7. Does the company have a systematic approach to improving and maintaining high levels of performance in environmental public health, and corporate citizenship?

__ 10 Yes (completely); 7 Mostly; 5 Somewhat; 3 Slightly; 0 No (not at all).

8. Is thorough research done to anticipate problems associated with the companies' products and/or services and correct problems before they occur?

__ 10 Yes (completely); 7 Mostly; 5 Somewhat; 3 Slightly; 0 No (not at all).

9. Does the company lead as a corporate citizen in its key communities?

__ 10 Yes (completely); 7 Mostly; 5 Somewhat; 3 Slightly; 0 No (not at all).

Information and analysis

10. Does the organization collect data on a few key measures and have a "balanced scorecard" approach to measurement, with 2-3 measures in each of the following categories of data: customer satisfaction, employee satisfaction, financial performance, product/service quality, supplier performance, operational performance?

__ 10 Yes (completely); 7 Mostly; 5 Somewhat; 3 Slightly; 0 No (not at all).

11. Has the company designed data collection and reporting systems around the needs of the managers and employees who use the data to plan and make decisions?

__ 10 Yes (completely); 7 Mostly; 5 Somewhat; 3 Slightly; 0 No (not at all).

12. Has the company evaluated and made many major improvements in its measures and data collection and reporting methods over the last few years?

__ 10 Yes (completely); 7 Mostly; 5 Somewhat; 3 Slightly; 0 No (not at all).

13. Does the organization collect competitive and benchmark data on 1) product and service quality; 2) customer satisfaction; 3) supplier performance; 4) employee data; 5) internal operations and support functions and other appropriate processes and functions, and is benchmarking data reliable?

__ 10 Yes (completely); 7 Mostly; 5 Somewhat; 3 Slightly; 0 No (not at all).

14. Does the organization systematically evaluate and improve the scope, sources, and uses of its competitive and benchmark data?

__ 10 Yes (completely); 1 Mostly; 5 Somewhat; 3 Slightly; 0 No (not at all).

15. Is data from all areas of the company and on all aspects of performance summarized into a few key indices, and results analyzed to identify trends and opportunities for improvement?

__ 10 Yes (completely); 7 Mostly; 5 Somewhat; 3 Slightly; 0 No (not at all).

16. Is there evidence that all key business decisions and plans are based upon analysis of performance data?

__ 10 Yes (completely); 7 Mostly; 5 Somewhat; 3 Slightly; 0 No (not at all).

17. Does the company thoroughly understand the correlation between different types of measures such as the relationship between customer satisfaction and quality, with financial performance?

__ 10 Yes (completely); 7 Mostly; 5 Somewhat; 3 Slightly; 0 No (not at all).

Strategic quality planning

18. Does the organization do a thorough analysis of customer needs, competition, and potential risks in developing annual and longer-range strategic and business plans?

__ 10 Yes (completely); 7 Mostly; 5 Somewhat; 3 Slightly; 0 No (not at all).

19. Is the planning process efficient, and are plans cascaded down from the top to bottom of the organization?

__ 10 Yes (completely); 7 Mostly; 5 Somewhat; 3 Slightly; 0 No (not at all).

20. Has the organization evaluated and improved its planning process several times in the last few years?

__ 10 Yes (completely); 7 Mostly; Somewhat; 3 Slightly; 0 No (not at all).

21. Has the organization developed long and short-term goals and strategies for each of its major performance measures, and are goals linked to key business drivers?

__ 10 Yes (completely); 7 Mostly; 5 Somewhat; 3 Slightly; 0 No (not at all).

22. Has the organization developed specific projections or forecasts illustrating how performance will compare to key competitors and benchmark organizations, and is performance projected to be superior?

__ 10 Yes (completely); 7 Mostly; 5 Somewhat; 3 Slightly; 0 No (not at all).

Human resource development and management

23. Does the organization have human resource plans for staffing, selection, training, involvement, empowerment and recognition plans that are derived from overall quality and business goals and strategies?

__ 10 Yes (completely); 7 Mostly; 5 Somewhat; 3 Slightly; 0 No (not at all).

24. Does the organization have specific quality goals and improvement strategies identified for human resource processes such as hiring, career development, evaluation, as well as training and education?

__ 10 Yes (completely); 7 Mostly; 5 Somewhat; 3 Slightly; 0 No (not at all).

25. Has the organization implemented a number of innovative approaches to job and work design such as self-directed teams throughout all areas of the organization?

__ 10 Yes (completely); 7 Mostly; 5 Somewhat; 3 Slightly; 0 No (not at all).

26. Does the organization lack an ad hoc approach to performance/quality improvement characterized by teams and suggestion boxes rather than significant changes in the way work is done?

__ 10 Yes (completely); 7 Mostly; 5 Somewhat; 3 Slightly; 0 No (not at all).

27. Do employees at all levels have a significant portion of their compensation at risk, and the at-risk pay is based on performance measures over which employees have strong influence or control?

__ 10 Yes (completely); 7 Mostly; 5 Somewhat; 3 Slightly; 0 No (not at all).

28. Does the organization have many different approaches to recognizing and rewarding individuals and groups of employees, and employees feel well recognized for their accomplishments?

__ 10 Yes (completely); 7 Mostly; 5 Somewhat; 3 Slightly; 0 No (not at all).

29. Does the organization have a structured training/education curriculum for training all levels and functions of employees and is that curriculum based upon a thorough analysis of employee training needs?

__ 10 Yes (completely); 7 Mostly; 5 Somewhat; 3 Slightly; 0 No (not at all).

30. Are training needs derived from an analysis of competencies needed to meet key business goals?

__ 10 Yes (completely); 7 Mostly; 5 Somewhat; 3 Slightly; 0 No (not at all).

31. Does the organization employ systematic and effective mechanisms to promote on-the-job reinforcement of skills learned in training?

__ 10 Yes (completely); 7 Mostly; 5 Somewhat; 3 Slightly; 0 No (not at all).

32. Does the organization tailor the message and medium use for training to the audience and content?

__ 10 Yes (completely); 7 Mostly; 5 Somewhat; 3 Slightly; 0 No (not at all).

33. Does the organization employ systematic methods of evaluating the effectiveness of the quality education and training, and does it show evidence of continuous improvements in the education/training as a result of the evaluations?

__ 10 Yes (completely); 7 Mostly; 5 Somewhat; 3 Slightly; 0 No (not at all).

34. Are there goals and strategies in place for improving employee satisfaction, safety, health, and ergonomics?

__ 10 Yes (completely); 7 Mostly; 5 Somewhat; 3 Slightly; 0 No (not at all).

35. Does the organization have a well-defined and multi-faceted strategy in place for providing special services to employees such as counseling, recreational programs, day-care, cross training, retraining, basic education, special benefits, drug/alcohol treatment, etc.?

__ 10 Yes (completely); 7 Mostly; 5 Somewhat; 3 Slightly; 0 No (not at all).

36. Are a wide variety of methods used to measure and improve employee satisfaction?

__ 10 Yes (completely); 7 Mostly; 5 Somewhat; 3 Slightly; 0 No (not at all).

Management of process quality

37. Does the organization design new and/or improved products, services and processes using an approach that is based upon a thorough analysis of customer requirements and a definition of the key variables needed to achieve quality requirements, as well as processes necessary to control those key variables?

__ 10 Yes (completely); 7 Mostly; 5 Somewhat; 3 Slightly; 0 No (not at all).

38. Are designs reviewed, tested and validated by taking into consideration product and service performance/use, process capabilities, supplier capabilities, and future requirements?

__ 10 Yes (completely); 7 Mostly; 5 Somewhat; 3 Slightly; 0 No (not at all).

39. Does the organization systematically evaluate its design process and implement continuous improvements to improve quality and shorten the design-to-introduction cycle?

__ 10 Yes (completely); 7 Mostly; 5 Somewhat; 3 Slightly; 0 No (not at all).

40. Are projections on future customer needs and desires used to drive new product/service designs?

__ 10 Yes (completely); 7 Mostly; 5 Somewhat; 3 Slightly; 0 No (not at all).

41. Has the company identified all of its key processes, documented them, and developed process measures and standards based upon customer requirements?

__ 10 Yes (completely); 1 Mostly; 5 Somewhat; 3 Slightly; 0 No (not at all).

42. Is data on key process measures collected on a regular basis, and does the company employ valid control strategies to keep a process measures within standards or acceptable levels?

__ 10 Yes (completely); 7 Mostly; 5 Somewhat; 3 Slightly; 0 No (not at all).

43. Does the organization use research, benchmarking, new technology, and information from customers to initiate process improvement efforts?

__ 10 Yes (completely); 7 Mostly; 5 Somewhat; 3 Slightly; 0 No (not at all).

44. Have many of the organization's key production and delivery processes been re-engineered or improved in dramatic ways over the last few years?

__ 10 Yes (completely); 7 Mostly; 5 Somewhat; 3 Slightly; 0 No (not at all).

45. Have support services processes and methods been designed based upon a thorough analysis of the needs of internal and external customers, and are these functions evaluated based upon customer satisfaction levels?

__ 10 Yes (completely); 7 Mostly; 5 Somewhat; 3 Slightly; 0 No (not at all).

46. Have major support functions documented their key processes, and do they collect data on process measures for which specific standards or goals have been set?

__ 10 Yes (completely); 7 Mostly; 5 Somewhat; 3 Slightly; 0 No (not at all).

47. Have many of the organization's key support processes been re-engineered or improved in dramatic ways, resulting in improvements in cycle time, productivity, and customer satisfaction?

__ 10 Yes (completely); 7 Mostly; 5 Somewhat; 3 Slightly; 0 No (not at all).

48. Has the organization thoroughly defined quality requirements for all of its key suppliers and have those requirements been adequately communicated?

__ 10 Yes (completely); 7 Mostly; 5 Somewhat; 3 Slightly; 0 No (not at all).

49. Does the organization have preventive and corrective processes in place to ensure that suppliers meet their requirements?

__ 10 Yes (completely); 7 Mostly; 5 Somewhat; 3 Slightly; 0 No (not at all).

50. Has the organization implemented cooperative efforts to improve supplier quality such as partnerships, training, incentives, certification and recognition?

__ 10 Yes (completely); 7 Mostly; 5 Somewhat; 3 Slightly; 0 No (not at all).

__ Total part I

Part II Business results

51. Has the organization shown steady improvements in the quality of its products and services over the last three or more years?

__ 20 Yes (completely); 14 Mostly; 10 Somewhat; 6 Slightly; 0 No (not at all).

52. Are improvements in quality results seen on all key variables used to assess product/service quality?

__ 20 Yes (completely); 14 Mostly; 10 Somewhat; 6 Slightly; 0 No (not at all).

53. Do the organization's quality results compare favorably to those of major competitors? __ 20 Yes (completely); 14 Mostly; 10 Somewhat; 6 Slightly; 0 No (not at all).

54. Does the organization have excellent improvement trends over the last three or more years, and excellent levels of performance on measures of productivity and cycle time compared to key competitors and similar companies?

__ 20 Yes (completely); 14 Mostly; 10 Somewhat; 6 Slightly; 0 No (not at all).

55. Do operational and process measures such as inventory turns, energy usage, and other similar metrics show excellent improvement trends over multiple years, and are levels of performance superior to most competitors and companies in the same industry?

__ 20 Yes (completely); 14 Mostly; 10 Somewhat; 6 Slightly; 0 No (not at all).

56. Do sales, cash flow, operating expenses and other financial results show excellent improvement trends over multiple years and levels of performance that are superior to competitors; financial result?

__ 20 Yes (completely); 14 Mostly; 10 Somewhat; 6 Slightly; 0 No (not at all).

57. Do the trends in responsiveness indicate excellent gains in reducing cycle time?

__ 20 Yes (completely); 14 Mostly; 10 Somewhat; 6 Slightly; 0 No (not at all).

58. Do profits or retained earnings show clear improvement trends over three or more years, and profit levels are better than those of most other companies in your business/field?

__ 20 Yes (completely); 14 Mostly; 10 Somewhat; 6 Slightly; 0 No (not at all).

59. Do measures of environmental/public health performance show excellent improvement trends and levels of performance that are clearly superior to other companies in the some industry?

__ 20 Yes (completely); 14 Mostly; 10 Somewhat; 6 Slightly; 0 No (not at all).

60. Do measure of employee satisfaction or morale show excellent improvement trends and levels of performance are clearly superior to employee satisfaction levels in companies of similar size?

__ 20 Yes (completely); 14 Mostly; 10 Somewhat; 6 Slightly; 0 No (not at all).

61. Do the measures of employee safety show clear and impressive improvement trends over multiple years and levels of performance that are better than most other companies in the same business?

__ 20 Yes (completely); 14 Mostly; 10 Somewhat; 6 Slightly; 0 No (not at all).

62. Does the organization have data to demonstrate a trend of three years or more worth of improvements in quality by all of the organization's major suppliers?

__ 20 Yes (completely); 14 Mostly; 10 Somewhat; 6 Slightly; 0 No (not at all).

63. Is the quality of the organization's suppliers' products and services superior to the quality of all major competitors' suppliers?

__ 20 Yes (completely); 14 Mostly; 10 Somewhat; 6 Slightly; 0 No (not at all).

__ Total part II

Part III Customer focus and satisfaction

64. Does the organization segment customers according to common needs and characteristics, and use multiple methods to frequently determine customer needs and requirements relating to the company's products and services?

__ 10 Yes (completely); 7 Mostly; 5 Somewhat; 3 Slightly; 0 No (not at all).

65. Is research conducted to project future customers and predict what their key requirements are likely to be? Are customers of competitors also studied?

__ 10 Yes (completely); 7 Mostly; 5 Somewhat; 3 Slightly; 0 No (not at all).

66. Does the organization continuously evaluate its methods for identifying customer requirements, and has it made a number of improvements over the last few years in their approaches to identify customer requirements?

__ 10 Yes (completely); 7 Mostly 5 Somewhat; 3 Slightly; 0 No (not at all).

67. Does the organization have many ways to make it easy for customers to seek information, comment, or complain about the company's products and/or services? Does a formal system exist for tracking formal and informal complaints, and an efficient process exist for resolving them in a timely manner?

__ 10 Yes (completely); 1 Mostly; 5 Somewhat; 3 Slightly; 0 No (not at all).

68. Have a number of improvements been made in recent years in the organization's approaches to building positive relationships with customers? Has information on customers and their specific needs been used to make decisions about increasing their satisfaction levels?

__ 10 Yes (completely); 7 Mostly; 5 Somewhat; 3 Slightly; 0 No (not at all).

69. Do systems exist for frequently collecting data on hard measures of customer satisfaction such as repeat business, and soft measures such as opinion surveys or focus groups?

__ 10 Yes (completely); 7 Mostly; 5 Somewhat; 3 Slightly; 0 No (not at all).

70. Do methods exist for determining levels of customer satisfaction among key competitors?

__ 10 Yes (completely); 7 Mostly; 5 Somewhat; 3 Slightly; 0 No (not at all).

71. Does the organization evaluate and show evidence of continuous improvement over the last few years in their approaches to measuring customer satisfaction?

__ 10 Yes (completely); 7 Mostly; 5 Somewhat; 3 Slightly; 0 No (not at all).

__ Total part 111

Part IV

72. Is there data to indicate that all major measures of customer satisfaction show a continually improving trend over at least the last three years?

__ 20 Yes (completely); 14 Mostly; 10 Somewhat; 6 Slightly; 0 No (not at all).

73. Have significant improvements been made in the levels of customer satisfaction over the last three years?

__ 20 Yes (completely); 14 Mostly; 10 Somewhat; 6 Slightly; 0 No (not at all).

74. Is there data on all major adverse indicators (e.g., complaints, returns, recalls, warranty cost) that show decreasing trends over at least the last three years?

__ 20 Yes (completely); 14 Mostly; 10 Somewhat; 6 Slightly; 0 No (not at all).

75. Does customer satisfaction data for a major customer/markets segments and for all products/services show continuous improvement over the last three years?

__ 20 Yes (completely); 14 Mostly; 10 Somewhat; 6 Slightly; 0 No (not at all).

76. Is the organization's level of customer satisfaction superior to that of all major competitors, to industry averages, and to world leaders in the industry?

__ 20 Yes (completely); 14 Mostly; 10 Somewhat; 6 Slightly; 0 No (not at all).

77. Are trends in the organization's customer satisfaction data superior to trends in competitors customer satisfaction trends?

__ 20 Yes (completely); 14 Mostly; 10 Somewhat; 6 Slightly; 0 No (not at all).

78. Does the organization have data to demonstrate positive trends over the last three or more years in gaining and avoiding losses of customers?

__ 20 Yes (completely); 14 Mostly; 10 Somewhat; 6 Slightly; 0 No (not at all).

Mark Graham Brown has spent the last 16 years consulting with major corporations on improving productivity and quality. He served from 1990-1992 as an examiner for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. Mark is the author of Baldrige Award Winning Quality, a book on how to interpret the Baldrige criteria and co-author of Why TQM Fails and What to Do About It. He has his own consulting firm in Hermosa Beach, California.

Copyright Association for Quality and Participation Dec 1994
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