Page 142 - The New Gold Standard

PRINCIPLE 3: IT’S NOT ABOUT YOU
directly implemented the Xerox Corporation’s six-step approach
to quality improvement, as shown in Figure 6.1. Federal Express
was studied to look for systematic ways to deliver products and
services at Ritz-Carlton. The $2,000-per-day empowerment of
Ritz-Carlton employees evolved from ideas gained through the
study of Zytec Corporation (now part of Artesyn Technologies)
and Solectron Corporation, an electronics design and manufac-
turing services firm. Both of these companies had participative
management practices that mobilized staff to deliver quality
products and services.

1. Identify
and Select
Problem
6. Evaluate 2. Analyze
Solution Problem

3. Generate
5. Implement
Potential
Solution
Solutions
4. Select
and Plan
Solution

Figure 6.1
Six Steps to Quality Improvement

John Timmerman adds that despite winning the Baldrige
Award, Ritz-Carlton leadership continued to look to the
Baldrige process as a benchmark for quality excellence. “From
1993 onward, we did our own internal assessment against the
Baldrige criteria but did not formally reapply for the award. In
1999 we submitted another application, as our senior manage-
ment felt that our quality processes were not fully deployed across

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