2005 AWARD RECIPIENTS
The winners of the WSQA Awards for 2005 have been announced.
The Washington State Quality Award (WSQA) announces the recipients of the 2005 Washington State Quality Award, Path to Performance Excellence. WSQA has been recognizing organizations since 1994. Multiple levels of the award were established in 2001 to recognize progress along an organizations performance improvement path. The levels of the award from the highest to the lowest are Excellence Level, Leadership Level, Achievement Level and Certificate of Commitment. WSQA uses the national standard, the Malcolm Baldrige Performance Excellence Criteria to evaluate organizations for the award. This year WSQA recognizes the following Washington organizations for their accomplishments on their path to performance excellence.
WSQA Certificate of Commitment (Applying Performance Excellence Principles)
Is an internal service organization in the City of Kent. There are 29 full-time and 2 part-time Finance employees. This organization has incorporated the 360 degree Performance and Goals Evaluation system to measure job performance as well as the degree to which senior leaders’ personal actions reflect the organization’s values. This organization also demonstrates commitment to process improvement.
WSQA Achievement Level (Commitment and Systematic Approaches for Excellence)
Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc. (SEL) was founded in 1982 in the basement of Dr. Edmund Schweitzer’s home in Pullman, WA. Since then, this company has worked closely and carefully with its customers to make electric power safer, more reliable, and more economical. Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories systematically aligns its focus on the future through its mission, vision, values, supporting operating principles, and Strategic Planning Process. Senior leaders create a work environment that values employees and promotes personal and organizational learning. Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories’ continuous improvement effort is based on the principles of management by fact and supported by its Identify, Measure and Improve process methodology.
WSQA Certificate of Commitment (Applying Performance Excellence Principles)
City of Kent, Public Works Engineering
Is an organizational unit within the City of Kent. There are 68 full time and 9 part time employees. Kent has over 235 miles of city maintained streets, 275 miles of potable water mains and 16.5 miles of river dikes and more that the department is responsible for. Senior leaders promote teamwork and foster a culture of legal and ethical behavior, customer focus, and getting things done. They welcome innovative ideas and encourage problem solving at the lowest level, all within the context of serving the city with valued services, systematic operational planning process with a focus on the future of meeting the City’s strategic goals through programs and projects.
WSQA Achievement Level (Commitment and Systematic Approaches for Excellence)
Includes 7 elementary schools, three middle schools and two high schools. They employ 1,106 people. The teaching staff averages 13 years of experience with 63% of the certificated teachers holding a master’s degree. The school district is ISO 9000 certified, has implemented a continuous improvement planning process and students set academic goals to reach grade level standards and chart and monitor their own progress.
WSQA Achievement Level (Commitment and Systematic Approaches for Excellence)
Providence Centralia Health Care
Is a Catholic-sponsored, not-for-profit, fully accredited, 191 bed facility. Their staff includes 739 full and part time personnel, making the hospital the leading employer in Lewis County. The SDIM (Select-Diagnose-Improve-Monitor) model provides a systematic performance improvement system for key health care and support processes. PCH lists several examples of how it supports key communities and community health by providing a steady increase in community benefits as a percent of net service revenue.
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