Implementing Baldrige
for Excellence in Education
Dan Clay
Professor and Dean
Joanne H. Hook Dean’s Chair in Educational Renewal
University of Missouri College of Education
November 22, 2011
Baldrige in Higher Education
• University of Missouri College of Education
• Approximately 125 faculty FTE, 156 staff
• Enrollment: 1,300 undergrad and 1,800 grad
• Multiple auxiliary units
• 46 collaborations in 22 countries
• Over $17 million in annual research
• Multiple national distinctions
Why Baldrige?
• Critical time for education in the U.S.
• Increased accountability in higher education
• Organizational performance improvement efforts of the past
• Baldrige provides the paradigm – comprehensive and structured
• Values clearly consistent with higher education
- Use of data to inform and improve practice
- Focus on the future
- Focus on individual and organizational learning
- Ethics, societal responsibility, sustainability
- Striving for excellence
• Not prescriptive –
doesn’t tell you WHAT to do
Implementation Steps in Higher Education
1. Explore (Leadership)
2. Identify and introduce (COE Leaders)
-
Making the case for why Baldrige is right for us
3. Identify key leaders (Explicit & Implicit)
-
Includes both faculty and staff
Need a “tipping point”
4. Build organizational knowledge
- Key leaders as examiners
Planning the Implementation Process
1. Develop timeline/begin strategic planning
2. Continue building organizational knowledge
-
Conferences, personal experiences (Midway USA, Park Hill)
Encourage and reward examiners
3. Address barriers to implementation
4. Identify key work processes/outcomes
Planning the Implementation Process
5. Incentivize and reward adoption of continuous
improvement
-
Build culture of continuous improvement
Embed adoption and outcomes into key leader evaluations
6. Clear and consistent communication
- Why we need continuous improvement
-
How we all benefit from this approach
Expectations for performance
Identify with pursuit of excellence
Planning the Implementation Process
7. Ensure adequate resources
- Statement of value for organization
-
Support those working to reach goals
8. Identify and celebrate early successes
Barriers to Implementation in Higher Education
1. E – E – E
- “Midwest nice” way of resisting
Embrace – Extend – Extinguish
2. In it just for the “Award”
-
Another administrator with self interest
3. Requires a Paradigm Shift
-
Difficulty seeing students as “customers”
Resistance to “business” of education
Barriers to Implementation in Higher Education
4. History is a Powerful Force
-
Requires radically different ways of seeing oneself and one’s
profession
Threat of status quo – those with power and influence have
something to lose
Pride in history and legacy
5. We are already awesome!
-
We are good – no need to change
Questions?