Baldrige Award Changes and Reminders

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2021 Changes and Reminders

Reminder: Team Leader-to-Applicant Call Early in Award Process 

The Baldrige Program is offering the highest-ranking officer or designated representative from each 2021 award applicant organization the opportunity to describe their organization's business model and other unique key factors during a half-hour phone call with the team leader of the examiner team assigned to evaluate their organization in early June during the Independent Review phase of the award process. During this call, the team leader can ask questions for clarification about information in the Organizational Profile, but the applicant and team leader will avoid describing or asking for more information about specific processes and results (which should be addressed in the 50-page application).

Reminder: Eligibility Options

1. Organizations that can show a high level of maturity and superior performance metrics now have an additional means to gain eligibility for the Baldrige Award: they can submit additional materials (a completed Organizational Profile and two results measures for each of the five Criteria results items) with their eligibility certification package so that the Baldrige Program can determine their eligibility in early 2021. (Note: Those organizations that applied via this method in 2017 through 2020 may apply again for  the following four years using this eligibility option IF they received a combined total of 6 for process and results band scores in the Consensus Review. These band scores may be found in the key themes section of the organization's feedback report.)
2. Prior Baldrige Award recipients are automatically eligible to reapply for the award five years after the year of their award (in the sixth year), even if new or revised eligibility requirements (e.g., those for subunits) would otherwise screen them out.  For example, if your organization was an Award recipient in 2015, you are eligible to apply again in 2021.
3. Organizational subunits (such as an individual business unit within a larger manufacturing company) are no longer restricted from award eligibility based on their workforce size relative to their parent organizations or the percentage of external customers served; however, such subunits must still be able to respond to all seven categories of the Criteria.

For more information about the eligibility options, read the Frequently Asked Questions and Is Your Organization Eligible?

Reminder: Include Only Terms and Abbreviations in the Glossary

In the glossary, include only terms and abbreviations used in the application, with very brief definitions (see 2021 Application Content and Format Details). Do not include descriptions of processes, tools, methods, or techniques in the glossary, or your application will be returned to you to remove extra glossary content.

Award Process Helpline
1-877-237-9064, option 3

Resources

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Related Links

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