Code of Ethical Conduct

Pledge

Members of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Board of Examiners pledge to uphold their professional principles in the fulfillment of their responsibilities as defined in the administration of Public Law 100-107, the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Improvement Act of 1987, which establishes the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award.

Themes

Integrity, confidentiality, professional conduct, respect for intellectual property

Requirements

In promoting high standards of public service and ethical conduct, board members:

·      Conduct themselves professionally, with truth, accuracy, fairness, respect, and responsibility to the public.

·      Avoid representing conflicting or competing interests, or placing themselves in such a position where the interest may be in conflict or appear to be in conflict with the purposes and administration of the Award.

·      Safeguard the confidences of all parties involved in the judging or examination of present or former applicants.

·      Protect confidential information and avoid disclosures that may in any way influence the Award integrity or process, currently or in the future.

·      Do not serve any private or special interest in their fulfillment of the duties of a Judge or Examiner, therefore excluding by definition the examination of any organization or subunit of an organization which employs them or has a consulting arrangement in effect or anticipated with them.

·      Do not serve as Examiners of a primary competitor or customer or supplier of any organization (or subunit of an organization) that employs them, or that they have a financial interest in, anticipate a consulting arrangement with, or are otherwise involved.

§      Do not intentionally communicate false or misleading information that may compromise the integrity of the Award process or decisions therein.

·      Do when establishing links from their own web sites to the NIST or BNQP Web sites make it clear to their users that they will be taken to the official NIST Web sites.

·      Acknowledge the use of trademarks owned by NIST, including NIST, Quest for Excellence, and Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, along with a statement indicating the trademark is registered by the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

·      Never approach an organization they have evaluated for their personal gain, including the establishment of an employment or consulting relationship, and if approached by an organization they have evaluated, do not accept employment from that organization for a period of five years after the evaluation.

·      Maintain the confidentiality of all Award application information, including the identity of applicants, and preserve fairness in the examination process.

·      Personally and independently score all assigned applications.

·      Do not communicate with applicant organizations or in any manner seek additional documentation, information, or clarification. This restriction includes Internet searches.

·      Do not at any time (during or after the evaluation cycle) independently give feedback to applicants regarding scoring or overall performance.

·      Do not reveal or discuss with other Examiners, either during the training or during the application review phases, their participation with an organization in the preparation of an Award application.

·      Upon completion of the Examiner Preparation Course, may use the following designation: Examiner, Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA), and year(s) served. However, board members may not use the MBNQA logo in any advertising or promotion, nor may business cards include the Examiner designation or the MBNQA logo.

·      During the consensus and site visit processes, encourage and maintain a professional working environment that promotes respect of the Award applicants, their employees, and all members of the Examiner Team.

·      When participating in a site visit, respect the climate, culture, and values of the organization being evaluated.

Furthermore, board members enhance and advance the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award as it serves to stimulate American companies and organizations to improve quality, productivity, and overall performance. All board members pledge to abide by this Code of Ethical Conduct.

Precautions that must be taken

·      Treat as confidential all information about the applicant and the applicant's operation gained through the evaluation process, and take the following precautions:

a.  Applicant information is not to be discussed with anyone, including other Examiners, with the exception of designated team members, Judges, the Award Administrator, and NIST representatives. This includes information contained in the written application as well as any additional information obtained during a site visit.

b.  Names of applicants are not disclosed during or after the application review process.

c.  No copies of application information are made or retained. (ASQ will notify Examiners when to return materials.)

d.  No notes, written or electronic, pertaining to the application are retained. (ASQ will notify Examiners when to destroy all notes.)

e.  No discussions mentioning applicant identities are held on cellular or cordless phones or by voice mail. E-mail exchanges are only through encrypted, secure Web sites designated by NIST.

f.   No applicant information is adapted and used subsequent to the review process, unless the information is publicly released by the applicant (at the annual Quest for Excellence Conference, for example).

Go to Baldrige Application Information Capture and Response Templates (click to access):

• Ethics and Governance Monitoring Processes

• Mission, Vision, and Values

• Regulatory Environment and Requirements

• Stakeholders

• Employee/Staff Demographics

• Suppliers, Partners, and Collaborators

Go to related Baldrige Best Practices (click to access):

• Governance System

• Fiscal Accountability and Transparency

• Strategic Planning

The term "ethical behavior" appears in the Baldrige Criteria in the following locations: