About the Minnesota Council for Quality

Who We Are

Founded in 1987, the Minnesota Council for Quality is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that helps organizations improve performance, results, and/or competitiveness.

We believe that Minnesota’s socio-economic future depends largely on the effective management of organizations throughout the state. Therefore, our goal is to help organizations of all sizes, in all sectors, and in all communities throughout Minnesota improve their operations and their performance. Our vision is to create a "State of excellence."

What We Do

We offer a comprehensive organizational assessment that identifies strengths and improvement opportunities, and serves as the foundation of the Minnesota Quality Award. We also broker improvement-related resources, expertise, and knowledge to help organizations deploy specific improvement interventions throughout their operations.

Where We Started

We were founded in 1987, as a result of Governor Perpich’s 1985-86 Commission on Minnesota’s Economic Future. That Commission was given the assignment to study why Minnesota companies were losing their competitive edge, and to propose solutions to strengthen the Minnesota economy through the application of quality principles. A state entity was created as a result of Minnesota Senate Bill 1479 Chapter 316 and the Minnesota Council for Quality and Productivity was formed as a part of the Department of Trade and Economic Development. The word “productivity” was later dropped from our name, and the organization was eventually spun off into an independent, private non-profit.

We were one of the first state quality award programs modeled after the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. Since our first Award cycle in 1991, there have been 59 Award recipients at various recognition levels in Minnesota. These recipients represent a diverse collection of organizations in various sectors, of various sizes, and in various communities throughout the state. Minnesota is also proud to have the second highest number of Baldrige recipients in the country (six) and the fourth highest number of 2002 Baldrige Examiners (23).

Where We Are Going

While the Baldrige framework is one of the most robust and effective management/improvement frameworks available, it is not the only improvement method available. Today, organizations are successfully using Six Sigma, ISO, Balanced Scorecard, Lean Manufacturing, and a variety of other techniques to improve and manage their organizations. Therefore, we are committed to helping organizations identify methods that are most appropriate for their organization’s needs, culture, and circumstances. And we will work to broker resources, knowledge, and information to help them implement those improvement techniques.

If you want information or assistance on improving your organization’s performance, visit our Improvement Clearinghouse to download articles and white papers, visit other websites, identify upcoming training and events, locate consultants or trainers, or find benchmarking partners.

Our goal is to become recognized as the primary resource for organizations seeking to improve their results and/or competitiveness in Minnesota. We hope that we can help your organization – your company, your school, your health care organization, your public sector agency, or your community – achieve its objectives and continue your improvement journey.