Abstract
74 0 ver the last decade American business has lost worldwide market share in a number of major industries, including automobiles, computers, electronics, and textiles. In an effort to improve the overall competitiveness of U.S. industries, Congress created the Malcolm Baldrige Quality Award (MBQA) in 1987. Each year, up to two MBQAs can be given to applications in each of three categories: manufacturing, services, and small businesses. This article is based on research conducted among the MBQA winners of recent years, using on-site visits, telephone interviews, and secondary data. In addition to such well-known firms as ATT Marlow Industries, a manufacturer of thermoelectric coolers; Solectron, which assembles complex circuit boards and subsystems; and Zytec, which designs and manufacturers electronic power supplies. The result of these analyses is eight lessons that are universal among Baldrige winners and that are critical to the success of firms trying to become the best in their class.
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