For Evaluators: Benefits of Becoming an Evaluator

Participating on the Board of Evaluators contributes to the improvement and competitiveness of Minnesota businesses and organizations. The Minnesota Council for Quality depends entirely upon a volunteer Board of Evaluators and Panel of Judges to evaluate applicant organizations and to recommend Minnesota Quality Award levels. The Board of Evaluators consists of approximately 125-150 members, including 13-15 Judges and 20-25 Team Leaders. We seek a diverse Board of Evaluators, representing all sectors of our economy (manufacturing, service, non-profit, healthcare, education, and government), all organizational functions (human resources, finance, accounting, operations, quality, marketing, IT, etc.), and all levels of leadership.  Most Evaluator candidates have expertise that would be useful for our program. 

There are many benefits – both to the individual as well as to his/her organization – of joining the Board of Evaluators. The following are likely benefits for the individual Evaluator:

• Strengthen your understanding of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award's Criteria for Performance Excellence. These Criteria represent "best practices" that have been validated to drive organizational excellence. They include the following seven categories of an organization's management system: leadership; strategic planning; customer (student, patient, stakeholders) and market focus; information, measurement, and knowledge management; human resource (staff, faculty) focus; process management; and organizational results.

• Improve your ability to evaluate an organization's management system against the Criteria and identify gaps in the organization's processes/approaches, levels of deployment, and results.

• Provide exposure to organizational practices and systems in some of the best organizations in Minnesota . While all information acquired through the process is confidential, the learning and knowledge gained by Evaluators can often be used for the benefit of an Evaluator's employer and/or professional career.

• Improve many other transferable skills such as communication (verbal and written), teamwork, investigative and analytic skills, and leadership.

• Network with professionals from across the state, enhancing your own professional growth and forming relationships that can benefit you and/or your organization.

There are also benefits for the individual’s sponsoring organization:

• Evaluators receive comprehensive, valuable training on the Criteria for Performance Excellence, furthering their understanding of validated leading-edge organizational practices.
• Evaluators develop (or expand) several skills that can be applied at their home organization. These skills include: analytical, consensus-building, team-building, interpersonal, written communication, interviewing, systems thinking.
• Evaluators can identify potential good (or "best") practices that may benefit their organization.

The following are general expectations of the Board of Evaluators:

• Disclose potential conflicts of interest and abide by the Code of Ethical Standards.
• Participate in training. Training is four days for new Evaluators, three for returning (including Team Lead training). Training includes approximately 8-12 hours of pre-work, and is $600 for new Evaluators ($500 for members), $300 for second-year Evaluators ($250 for members), and complimentary for third-year and beyond. A limited number of scholarships are available from Sponsoring Members of the Council.
• Full participation in the overall process, including participation in the independent review of a narrative application (or survey), consensus, site visit, and (for Team Leaders) Improvement Planning. Some Evaluators will be asked to particpate in part (but not all) of the process, lending their expertise to the program, but significantly reducing the time commitment of their service.  Overall time commitment can range from 50 to 120 hours, spread over a 4+ month period.
• The program depends on voluntary support. Where activities are not supported by their employers, the Council will reimburse Evaluators for travel and expenses related to the evaluation. However, the Evaluator is responsible for reimbursing the Council for training if he/she does not fulfill his/her responsibility as an Evaluator.
• To promote continuous improvement, Evaluators will be requested to participate in a peer and process review at the end of the Award cycle.
• Members of the Board of Evaluators are also asked to contribute to the program through outreach and educational activities, as time permits.

 

Participating on the Board of Evaluators is a wonderful learning and networking opportunity. Look at what some Evaluators have to say about the experience:

“The experience of being an Evaluator can be hard work. But if you stick with it, it can be one of the most rewarding developmental experiences of your career."
Jim Hill, Nuclear Management Company

“Being an evaluator for the Minnesota Council for Quality was an awesome opportunity. During this process I had an opportunity to share my knowledge with the other Evaluators and learn more about what makes organizations perform well. If you want an opportunity to leverage your knowledge, learn new ideas, work with highquality people, and have fun, then you should be an Evaluator for the Minnesota Council for Quality."
Craig Siiro, Virchow, Krause & Company, LLP

Interested in joining the Board of Evaluators? Apply now by submitting an application.