As TQM changed the way that organizations thought about customers, human resources, and manufacturing and service processes, many top executives began to recognize that all fundamental business activities-such as the role of leadership in guiding an organization, how an organization creates strategic plans for the future, how data and information are used to make business decisions, and so on- needed to be aligned with quality principles, work together as a system, and be continuously improved as business conditions and directions change. From this perspective, the notion of quality has evolved into the concept of performance excellence, which can be defined as an integrated approach to organizational performance management that results in:
- Delivery of ever-improving value to customers and stakeholders, contributing to organizational sustainability.
- Improvement of overall organizational effectiveness and capabilities, and
- Organizational and personal learning
As we shall see that the Malcolm Baldrigde National Quality Award provides a framework for organizations that wish to achieve high levels of performance excellence.