Statements

Mission

Our Vision is to be a trusted partner and regional resource in achieving performance excellence.

Background

TNCPE was established in 1993 through the cooperative efforts of the Tennessee governor's office, the Tennessee Department of Economic Development, and the business community. Our goal is to improve the economic vitality of the region by promoting the understanding and use of the Criteria for Performance Excellence, a framework that identifies characteristics of world-class organizations. TNCPE is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) corporation governed by an independent Board of Directors. We function as a public-private partnership that provides cost-effective training and support to regional businesses and organizations. TNCPE provides these services to all economic sectors: manufacturing, service, health care, education, nonprofit, and government. The TNCPE program is modeled after the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program, which was established when President Ronald Reagan signed the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Improvement Act of 1987 into law. Since then, individual states have created local programs designed to help organizations develop national level standards. TNCPE is considered one of the most successful of these programs. Many Tennessee organizations use TNCPE as a regional stepping stone as they progress toward a national level Baldrige Award. Like the Baldrige program, TNCPE recognizes that world-class businesses and organizations boost their local economies through job growth, as well as improved education, government and health care services. TNCPE's vision is to be the partner of choice in leading Tennessee organizations to world-class performance excellence. We want all the organizations involved in the program to be recognized for world-class performance, and we strive to provide the tools for them to reach this goal. Over nearly 30 years, more than 1,500 organizations have applied to and benefited from their participation in the TNCPE program. We have granted 28 Excellence Awards, our most prestigious honor, and six of those Excellence winners have moved on to win Baldrige awards. Hundreds of other organizations and individuals have benefited from TNCPE's educational opportunities through peer learning, conferences, workshops, and hands-on assistance.

Impact

Using the framework of an award program, TNCPE fulfills its mission by providing in-depth, low-cost assessments of regional organizations using the Baldrige Excellence Framework. Through this process, organizations receive detailed feedback that they use to improve their processes and results. As organizations grow and improve, their communities benefit from increased revenue and job opportunities, as well as better education, government, and health care services. Since its inception in 1993, TNCPE has provided assessments and feedback to more than 1,500 organizations from myriad sectors - health care, service, education, manufacturing, government, and nonprofit. TNCPE trains regional professionals to provide these assessments as TNCPE examiners. Most examiners participate in at least three intensive days of training, provided free by TNCPE. Examiners take the skills developed during training and the assessment program back to their own jobs, benefiting and improving their own organizations in the process.Each year, TNCPE assembles an unparalleled lineup of leaders, innovators, and experts from world-class organizations who offer training on proven best practices and inspire hundreds of Tennesseans to drive improvement in their own organizations, as part of the Excellence Conference. During the conference, TNCPE also hosts the Excellence in Tennessee Awards Celebration, providing recognition to organizations that have participated in the program that year. The conference and banquet are open to the public. Individuals and organizations can become TNCPE members at various levels. Members not only pledge financial support to further TNCPE programs, but also receive exclusive benefits and profess their commitment to performance excellence. In addition to continuing and augmenting these accomplishments, TNCPE's current goals include increasing the numbers of organizations involved in the TNCPE assessment process, creating new sources of revenue, developing more educational opportunities, and increasing and improving our pool of examiners.

Needs

Volunteers: Professionals willing to serve as TNCPE examiners In-kind support: web design/development services, meeting space for training and board meetings, print and digital advertising Sponsorships for: space and cost of meals during volunteer training, published materials, the annual Excellence in Tennessee Conference and Awards Celebration, the Baldrige Excellence Framework Financial: TNCPE depends on capital provided by members and donors to fund its annual budget

CEO Statement

When asked what TNCPE does, I like to tell people, "We help businesses and organizations run better." If asked why, I respond, "to help Tennessee become a better place to live and work." These are general statements, but they encapsulate TNCPE's mission, vision, and values. Our big picture is economic development. We get there, in part, through an award program. I want to emphasize that the awards we grant are important components of the TNCPE program, but they are a means to a much bigger end. The awards provide recognition for our region's exceptional organizations and help us build interest in the program. But most importantly, applying for an award helps organizations develop and improve their processes and results. Most of the organizations involved in TNCPE get this. In a survey of last year's award applicants, 94% said their primary reason for applying was to use the program to improve the organization, or to obtain the feedback report that outlines the organization's strengths and opportunities for improvement. These organizations know that a successful TNCPE application is backed by hard work, a focus on core values, and a long-term dedication to improvement. The people involved in our program - judges, examiners, applicants, staff, and board members - believe passionately in the process. They've seen first hand the positive effects of a TNCPE evaluation. We're also proud of the programming that serves as a backdrop to the award program. Throughout the year, we provide interested organizations access to performance improvement literature, resources, and events that include free or inexpensive workshops, best practice tours, and training. TNCPE offers an incredible opportunity, and we do our best to guide organizations that want to take practical, powerful steps toward their goals. We believe our efforts result in better businesses, better schools, better hospitals, better government, and better nonprofits - ultimately, a better Tennessee.

Service Categories
Primary Category:	Community Improvement, Capacity Building  - Economic Development
Secondary Category:	Public & Societal Benefit  - Leadership Development
Tertiary Category:	-

Areas Served

TNCPE now serves organizations in Tennessee as well as North Carolina and other states in the southeast.

TN