Do ISO instead of applying Baldrige criteria ... Not

• Published in: The Journal for quality and participation Vol. 17; no. 1; p. 94
• Main Authors: Townsend, Patrick L, Gebhardt, Joan E
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cincinnati American Society for Quality 01.01.1994
• Subjects: Awards; Certification; Criteria; International trade; Quality control
• ISSN: 1040-9602

The senior management groups of many companies, either because of basic misunderstanding of the intent of ISO 9000 as compared with the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award or because of limited budgets combined with a specific customer demand, are postponing their Baldrige efforts and spending their quality budgets on ISO 9000. The information, procedures and material on which ISO 9000 certification requirements focus total about 10% of what the Baldrige encompasses. The danger is that an organization may achieve ISO 9000 registration and equate it with quality. A wise company views ISO 9000 as a starting place for an all-encompassing quality effort. In time, ISO 9000 will fade in importance and popularity as the still embryonic European quality revolution strengthens and expands beyond ISO 9000's limited criteria.