TQM Awards

Total quality management (TQM) consists of organization-wide efforts to "install and make
permanent climate where employees continuously improve their ability to provide on demand
products and services that customers will find of particular value.”Total" emphasizes that
departments in addition to production (for example sales and marketing, accounting and
finance, engineering and design) are obligated to improve their operations; "management"
emphasizes that executives are obligated to actively manage quality through funding,
training, staffing, and goal setting. While there is no widely agreed-upon approach, TQM
efforts typically draw heavily on the previously developed tools and techniques of quality
control. TQM enjoyed widespread attention during the late 1980s and early 1990s before
being overshadowed by ISO 9000, Lean manufacturing, and Six Sigma.

The leading international awards and standards for quality include: the Deming Prize in
Japan, the ISO 9000-14000 series, European Quality Awards, and the Malcolm Baldrige
National Quality Award (BNQA) in the United States.

The Deming Prize is the oldest of the major awards (established in 1950) and many Japanese
consider it to be as prestigious as the Academy Awards or the Nobel Prize for quality re-
cognition. Although less well known in Europe or North America, the Deming Prize
influenced the development of quality control and management practices in Asia.
The ISO 9000-14000 Series, the fastest growing quality assurance system in the world,
applies to most types of organizations (for environment standards).

Nonetheless, the ISO series maintains a commitment to customer service quality improve-
ment and shares many of the same criteria as the Baldrige, Deming, and European quality
awards . Together, the criteria used in these methodologies form a standard multi-national
definition of quality processes in most types of organizations.
Organizations/ companies that demonstrate productivity, results, and the highest levels of
customer service are eligible to apply for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award
(BNQA).

Every year, the BNQA gives a maximum of two awards in each of five categories
(manufacturing, healthcare, education, service, and small business), in contrast to other
awards with an unlimited number of winners.
List Of National Quality Awards