What is the Baldrige Excellence Framework?
The Baldrige Excellence Framework includes criteria for performance excellence and questions for self-assessment that represent the leading edge of validated leadership and management practice. A product of the Baldrige Program run by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), part of the United States Department of Commerce, it has evolved significantly over time, since its inception in 1988 to keep relevant to current economic and marketplace challenges and opportunities.
The Framework is used globally and can help any type of organisation achieve improvement in all aspects of their performance, leading to long term sustainability. However, only companies with their headquarters in the U.S. can apply for the associated award, named after Malcolm Baldrige, the US Secretary of Commerce from 1981 to 1987.
More detail can be found here on Baldrige’s own website.