Content by Dawn Bailey
For Three-Time Baldrige Winner, Exponential Growth Starts With People, SafetyMESA’s business involves excavating and working on high-pressure pipelines carrying hydrocarbon liquids and gas
Thu, 06/24/2021 - 12:02
In 2020, MESA, a small business in Oklahoma, became to date the first and only three-time Baldrige Award recipient. From a one-person consulting firm founded in 1979, MESA has grown to support a workforce of more than 250 people. The largest…
Why ‘Why’ Is the Fundamental QuestionPeople won’t buy into a product, service, or idea until they understand the why behind it
Wed, 10/07/2020 - 12:02
I recently listened to a Ted Talk by Simon Sinek, author of the book Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action (Portfolio, the Penguin Group, 2009), and it caused me to reflect on some key questions in and related to the…
Learning From Workforce Role ModelsThree Baldrige Award winners share best practices
Wed, 06/10/2020 - 12:02
In this article series, we explain some of the successful strategies and programs shared by Baldrige Award recipients to highlight categories of the Baldrige Criteria and how your organization might consider using them as inspiration.  Part of the…
To Invent Your Organization’s Future, Experiment, Question, Sometimes Fail The industrial-age organization was not built for adaptability and innovation
Wed, 05/24/2017 - 12:01
Create an innovation advantage for your organization by letting go of industrial-age principles, embracing imagination, and experimenting even if you might fail, said Polly LaBarre, co-founder and director of Management Lab (MLab) and co-founder of…
Innovation: An Organization’s Insurance Against IrrelevanceFraming the big questions about the future of business
Wed, 04/12/2017 - 12:01
The message for audience members who attended the 29th Annual Quest for Excellence Conference held last week was, “Prepare for an inspiring journey.” This was the advice of keynote presenter Polly LaBarre, co-founder and director of Management Lab…
A Guide for When to Embrace Risk for ValueFocus on incremental, not radical, innovation
Tue, 11/01/2016 - 17:00
Should an organization embrace risk or spend millions of dollars a year to avoid it? How do you know when a particular strategy is best? Considerations for such thinking are covered in the Baldrige Excellence Framework, and the topic was recently…
Baldrige and the Challenges Facing Public SchoolsIn a state where education funding has plummeted, continuous improvement thrives
Tue, 09/27/2016 - 14:56
Public schools across the country are facing significant challenges. Lisa Muller, assistant superintendent for Baldrige Award recipient Jenks Public Schools, says schools are dealing with an increase in student needs, while at the same time…
Are Organizations Working Against Greater Human Nature?Daniel Pink offers insights at Quest for Excellence
Wed, 06/01/2016 - 16:21
Daniel Pink, author of five books about changing the world of work, recently offered attendees at the 28th Annual Quest for Excellence Conference insights on what science tells us about what motivates people on the job, and an alternate approach to…
Which Way to Operational Excellence?Improvement is a journey, and the Baldrige Criteria is a great guide
Mon, 02/29/2016 - 16:03
Dorothy: Now which way do we go? Scarecrow: Pardon me, this way is a very nice way. Dorothy: Who said that? Toto barks at the scarecrow. Dorothy: Don’t be silly, Toto. Scarecrows don’t talk. Scarecrow: [points other way] It’s pleasant down that way…
The Baldrige Framework Helps Companies Improve…… even if they don’t win the award
Mon, 12/21/2015 - 14:00
Losing can actually have its benefits. For Baldrige users, however, it’s a common saying that everyone is a winner who takes that first step. The most important reason for using the Baldrige Excellence Framework is not to win an award but to…