A Comparative Analysis of National and Regional Quality Awards

A Comparative Analysis of National and Regional Quality Awards

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A Comparative Analysis of National and Regional Quality Awards

Summary

The 1980s is when quality as a majority of organizations knew it changed; many countries turned to it in order to be the best in the market. As a result, a lot of implementations of quality strategic structures and many measures were taken by organizations to cope up with competition. However, the change was not entirely new since quality award programs were already being continuously implemented in some countries. The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award was formed in America at that time; it objectively provided a model that reflected improvement and understanding of quality management. In 1988, major companies in Europe formed European Quality Award, which was a regional award that involved 16 countries, unlike other awards. Continuous analysis of feedbacks from applicants and constant adjustment made its quality improve (Vokurka, Standing, & Brazeal, 2000). And in Australia, Australian Quality Award was formed in 1993. It measures quality performance in seven criteria categories that have a big effect on quality of products. Earlier, Japan had formed Deming Award in 1951. The awards evaluation included 10 equally weighed points that each applicant must address. Lastly, there is the Canadian Quality Award; it originated in 1984 and revised in 1989; It relies on a continuous improvement guide named The Road to Excellence (Vokurka, Standing, & Brazeal, 2000).

Key Learning Points

As I went through the quality awards and familiarized myself with them, I personally gathered certain key points. Starting with the Australian Quality Award and the Canadian version, I saw how Canadian organizations were encouraged positively by the National Quality Institute by honoring them with the reward due to continuous practice of quality improvement. In the Australian Quality Award, they had seven categories of criteria namely leadership, people, information, analysis, strategy, policy and planning categories. This had a great link between the people and leadership. The Singapore’s Deming Award is really encouraging in the context where private and public organizations are honored for their success in the implementation of quality control activities. The Deming Award, furthermore, does not provide a framework model for prioritizing and organizing criteria like other awards but it has in its evaluation 10 equally weighted points that must be addressed by each applicant. The points include: standardization, assurance, policies, effects, human resource, organization, information, maintenance, improvement and future plans. Performance is judged by the expert panel using these points.

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