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Baldrige by Sector: Small Business

Can a small business with limited resources get results from the Baldrige process? The history of the Baldrige Program shows that organizations of any size and type can benefit from using the Baldrige Excellence Framework. Small businesses such as service providers in rural areas to manufacturers with fewer than 40 employees use the Criteria to improve their businesses and sustain world-class results.  So can your organization.

How Baldrige Relates

The Baldrige Criteria address all key areas of a small business and are compatible with other performance improvement initiatives, such as ISO 9000, Lean, and Six Sigma. Using the Baldrige framework, you can organize and integrate these approaches, improve productivity and effectiveness, and pursue performance excellence.

Improve Your Results

Whether your business provides a service or manufactures a product, the Baldrige Criteria are a valuable framework for measuring performance and planning in an uncertain environment. The Criteria help businesses achieve and sustain the highest national levels of

  • customer satisfaction and engagement
  • product and service outcomes, and process efficiency
  • workforce satisfaction and engagement
  • revenue and market share
  • social responsibility

See what the Baldrige Excellence Framework and Criteria (Business/Nonprofit) can do for your organization.

Baldrige Award Recipients

Search for Small Business Baldrige Award recipients.


Get Started with Self-Assessing Your Organization

A Baldrige-based self-assessment can help your organization improve and succeed. The Baldrige Excellence Framework® and insights from the Baldrige Award process can help you improve communication, productivity, and effectiveness and achieve your strategic goals, helping to enhance our nation's competitiveness, economy, and quality of life. Use Baldrige Improvement Tools to help you get started.

2023-2024 Baldrige Excellence Builder Cover

 

The Baldrige Excellence Builder® PDF is another way to get started. It is based on the Baldrige Excellence Framework® and its Criteria for Performance Excellence®. Use the Excellence Builder to assess your organization against the most important features of organizational performance excellence and learn about the Baldrige Excellence Framework.

Download the Baldrige Excellence Builder for free or purchase bulk copies of 10.

    Learn about other Baldrige Products and Services to help your organization succeed.


    Resources

    Purchase Baldrige Excellence Framework Business/Nonprofit, Education, Health Care
    Results with Baldrige in Small Business
    Testimonials from Small Business
    Baldrige Case Study
    Collin Technologies (Small Business Case Study)
    Baldrige Improvement Tools

    Related Links

    How Baldrige Works
    Baldrige Key Terms
    Baldrige Impacts
    Baldrige Products and Services
    Baldrige Award
    Baldrige Award Recipient Listing
    Baldrige FAQs
    State and Local Baldrige-Based Programs

    Contacts

    • Baldrige Customer Service
      (301) 975-2036
      NIST/BPEP
      100 Bureau Drive, M/S 1020
      Gaithersburg, MD 20899-1020
    Created February 18, 2010, Updated November 3, 2023