Monday, April 15, 2013

Global Quality Programs (Don’t Just Call Them Awards)

A few weeks ago I spotted this fascinating interview with Bill Voravuth Chengsupanimit, the lead assessor of the Thailand Quality Award.
Did you know that soon, all government agencies in Thailand will be required to follow and adapt a version of the Baldrige criteria? As Mr. Chengsupanimit says:
“It is our government’s wish to jumpstart and pursue performance excellence to enhance sustainability in all sectors through a common excellence framework with unified values. In Thailand, all government agencies must pass the fundamental level of the PMQA program by 2014. (The PMQA is the 2006 version of the Baldrige Criteria.)”
I find this fascinating and encouraging, especially in light of some recent thoughts about the place and value of quality methodologies in local government.  Mr. Chengsupanimit also speaks of business excellence programs—we all know they’re much more than awards—in Vietnam and Singapore.
And in the Middle East, the United Arab Emirates recently unveiled the Dubai Quality Award, a guide to best practices for organizations based in the UAE and beyond.
Do you live in a country with a national quality program?  Is it serving to create role models for others to emulate?  Is the national program growing in visibility and perceived value and creating capacity for national excellence? 

No comments:

Post a Comment