From: Odongo, Concetta
Sent: Friday, October 15, 2010 10:07 AM
To: all
Subject: Q-Tip # 5: CAT Scan for Excellence
Attachments: Systems Thinking in Higher Education.pdf

Brought to you by the Quality Month Team 2010 -

Using the Baldrige Education Criteria for Performance Excellence is like taking a CAT Scan of your organization.  Much like a medical CAT Scan, it identifies what is and what is not working well.  It exposes blind spots, gaps, deficiencies, systemic problems, and what is working well.  Unlike other assessments, Baldrige looks at the organization as a whole and how it is performing.

There are seven assessment CAT-egories in Baldrige:

1.       Leadership
2.       Strategic Planning
3.       Customer Focus
4.       Measurement, Analysis, and Knowledge Management
5.       Workforce Focus
6.       Process Management, and
7.       Results

CATs 1-6 examine key systems within the organization and CAT 7 examines the results produced by these systems. The Baldrige Framework encourages a Systems approach to managing an organization.  Our Systems Thinking for Leaders Workshops at Shelton State is designed to explain why a Systems perspective is so important for the leadership of any organization.

The attached article explores why “systems thinking” is necessary to achieve and sustain performance excellence in higher education.  The article is by Julie Furst-Bowe, Provost and Vice-Chancellor of Academic and Student Affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Stout, one of five campuses in the University of Wisconsin System. Ms. Furst-Bowe co-authored Quality and Performance Excellence in Higher Education: Baldrige on Campus and Beyond.  Wisconsin-Stout was the first 4-year institution to win a Baldrige Award.

Johnny Parker
Director of Quality and Organizational Excellence

205-391-5836
205-391-2320 FAX

Shelton State Community College
Office # 3618
9500 Old Greensboro Rd.
Tuscaloosa, AL  35405


"The 'good enough is enough' attitude is not what we're looking for. We have got to use every opportunity to improve individually so we can improve collectively."  --- Nick Saban

Good, Better, Best?  It's a choice. --- Anonymous