Sinclair Community College Ascertaining the Impact of the Business-Oriented Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA) Model on Educational Institutions: From the Voices of Educational Leaders Ned D. Young, Ph.D. Sinclair Community College Dayton, OH 45402 ned.young@sinclair.edu

Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA) Established 1987 by the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) Historically based in Quality Management Developed to aid American manufacturers in competition with foreign companies Provides a systemic framework for organizational management Education institutions eligible to apply: 1999

The Baldrige Framework Organizational Profile: Environment, Relationships and Challenges 2 Strategic Planning 5 Faculty and Staff Focus 7 Organizational Performance Results 1 Leadership 3 Student, Stakeholder and Market Focus 6 Process Management 4 Information and Analysis

Objectives of the Study Determine educational institutions involved with MBNQA Determine which institutions have been awarded their state’s highest level Baldrige-based award Analyze the perspectives of key institutional leaders relative to the impact of the Baldrige framework on selected learning systems Determine areas of the learning systems that have been impacted (positively and negatively)

Prominent Actors in Quality Management Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA) Academic Quality Initiative Program (AQIP) Baldrige in Education Initiative (BiE IN) National Alliance of Business (NAB) American Productivity & Quality Center (APQC) State and Local Baldrige-based Award Programs

Institutional Selection Criteria State quality award winner Highest level state award Multiple educational types Comparative organizational levels Varying lengths of engagement

Institutions Selected K1 - large K-12 district in the Southeast K2 - large K-8 district in the Midwest C1 - community college in the Northwest C2 - community & vocational technical college in the central U.S. U1 - state regional university in the central U.S. U2 – state engineering and science university in the central U.S.

22 interviews with educational leaders Sources of Data 22 interviews with educational leaders President/Superintendent Trustee member Quality coordinator responsible for application Head of faculty governance group State quality award application and ancillary documentation

Areas of Questioning Category 6 – Process Management 6.1 Educational Design and Delivery 6.3 Support Processes Category 7 – Organizational Process Results 7.1 Student Learning Results 7.2 Student and Stakeholder Focused Results 7.4 Faculty and Staff Results Miscellaneous Questions Interviewee’s role relative to Baldrige and quality How Baldrige affected an institution’s external view Communicating the Baldrige to institutional members

Conclusions In use by numerous educational systems 150 institutions (29 states) garnered 174 awards 28 awards were designated as the state’s highest 83 primary/secondary districts 15 technical schools 23 two-year colleges 29 universities Totals rising over time 2000 – 51 awards All years prior to 1997 total of 38 awards

Conclusions (continued) A system for continuous improvement (all informant categories) An organization built on the principle of satisfying stakeholder requirements (all informant categories) Management by fact aids accountability and decision making (all but faculty) Relationship with Plan-Do-Study-Act cycle (quality leaders)

Relationship to PDSA cycle

Conclusions (continued) Potential for three-level enculturation Level I - administrative management & control Level II - instrument for faculty member self-assessment and reflection Level III – instrument for student’s own learning systems

Conclusions (continued) Focus of leadership differs between education and business In business, leadership has a direct impact on organizational results (i.e. administrative leaders impact performance) In education, leadership directly impacts student results but the leader, in question, may very well be the faculty member, not the administrative leader

The Baldrige Framework Organizational Profile: Environment, Relationships and Challenges 2 Strategic Planning 5 Faculty and Staff Focus 7 Organizational Performance Results 1 Leadership 3 Student, Stakeholder and Market Focus 6 Process Management 4 Information and Analysis

Recommendations for further research Testing the model within the classroom Increased sample population Communication and the business model

Ned D. Young, Ph.D. Professor, Management Sinclair Community College 444 W. Third Street Dayton, OH 45402 (937) 512-2759 ned.young@sinclair.edu