I’m thrilled to tell you that the judges’ panel for the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program selected Northeast Delta Dental to receive a Performance Excellence Award this year. We are one of only five organizations in the U.S. to receive this award in 2024 and the first ever in New Hampshire.
The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award® is the highest level of national recognition that a U.S. organization can receive for performance excellence, particularly in relation to resilience and long-term success. The award criteria focuses on eight categories: Leadership and Governance, Strategy, Operations, Operational Continuity, Workforce, Customer and Markets, Community Engagement and Finance. The examiners determined that we functioned exceptionally well in each of those areas. For more than 35 years, the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program has helped organizations improve how they operate and become more successful.
Northeast Delta Dental has a deep-seated, unwavering commitment to quality, service and innovation. This award confirms that the collective effort of our highly skilled, dedicated employees, upholding the highest standards in every aspect of our operations, results in consistent performance excellence. Functioning extraordinarily well in all eight dimensions is a huge accomplishment. We’ve been on our quality journey for many years. The Granite State Quality Council awarded Northeast Delta Dental the Granite State Quality Achievement Award in 2000.
One of the most valuable aspects of applying for this award is the feedback all applicants receive that point out key strengths and areas of improvement. The award process requires thorough documentation of key processes and results. Feedback is based on the evaluation given by a team of examiners who conduct a site visit to verify application information. A judges’ panel reviews the application and site visit findings and selects award recipients. Another valuable component of the Baldrige Award is that it provides the opportunity for benchmarking against industry best practices.
Quite honestly, I’m struggling to be humble about our receiving this award, but it’s difficult because it’s such a remarkable achievement. I’m a long-time proponent of using Baldrige principles to help organizations and communities achieve their goals and be strong and healthy in sustainable ways. If you would like more details about why we were selected, you can find them in our news release at Nedelta.com.
Through my role as Board Chair of ExcellenceNorth Alliance, I’ve had the privilege of helping many organizations and communities implement the Baldrige framework successfully. I’m very excited that, as the first-time winners in New Hampshire, our selection for this award will shine a spotlight on the Baldrige principles and spark a greater interest in applying those principles among businesses, nonprofits and communities in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont.
