Design & Operation of High Performing Organizations for Leaders

The course is an introduction to the design and operation of high-performing, innovative, sustainable and resilient businesses, hospitals, schools and government agencies.

This non-credit certificate is a training program designed for leaders that is based on the National Baldrige Program case study, format, and training materials. This course is a 4-day training course working side-by-side with a Baldrige examiner. The participant will be working in groups, learning via the training's peer-driven, case-study-based approach, to evaluate a fictitious organization’s award application against the Baldrige Criteria. Participants will learn to evaluate organizations as Baldrige examiners do, by applying the Criteria using a systematic process.  Working in groups at tables, students actively participate in discussions with both experienced and new examiners, and they learn via these discussions and whole class report outs.

This program will be in collaboration with the Louisiana Quality Foundation (LQF).  LQF was formed in 1995 to be a nurturing organization that educates organizations in performance excellence management and administers the Louisiana Performance Excellence Award. The LQF is an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation of volunteers from various sectors of business, government, education, and manufacturing and services sectors who administer the performance excellence leadership training and development program based on the national Baldrige Program Performance Excellence Framework and Criteria. The LQF manages the state performance excellence award program and conducts an annual conference featuring past top-level state and national Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award recipients to showcase national and global best-practices and high-performance organizational designs.

LQF uses the Baldrige Performance Excellence Framework to train and develop leaders in the design of high-performing, innovative, sustainable, and resilient organizations to help improve the quality of life all Louisiana residents and performance of all organizations.

Nationally, the LQF key partner is the U.S. Department of Commerce Baldrige Performance Excellence Program formed in 1987, responsive to the purposes of Public Law 100-107, which led to the creation of a national quality award program in the United States that would help improve quality and productivity. 

The LQF is aligned with the Louisiana Economic Development, and its mission to cultivate jobs and economic opportunity for the people of Louisiana. LQF is funded by donations, fees for training, award applications and conferences.

This course will require pre-class assignment of eight hours, 32 class room contact hours and will be conducted over four 8-hour days in July and August. An additional 90 to 120 hours will be required for any participant who serves as a LQF Baldrige examiner. These examiners will assess an organization’s Baldrige criteria based application, conduct a one-day site visit and complete a business gap analysis feedback report.  This additional work will conclude no later than mid-November. 

For more information, contact Aundrea Kloor or (504) 280-3622.