Michigan Quality Council names Special Tree its 2010 State Quality Award Recipient
Michigan Quality Council (MQC) has named Special Tree Rehabilitation System the 2010 State Quality Award Recipient.
The Michigan Quality Leadership Award is the highest honor for organizational performance excellence in the state. It is awarded after a rigorous review by a team of examiners who perform a comprehensive site visit and then submit a report for final evaluation to an independent panel of judges.
The MQC’s Leadership award program is modeled after the national Baldrige Performance Excellence Program. Both programs evaluate an organization for excellence in seven categories of performance: leadership; strategic planning; customer focus; measurement, analysis, and knowledge management; workforce focus; operations focus; and results. Participating organizations receive a feedback report identifying strengths and opportunities for improvement; those that demonstrate mature processes and outstanding results may become award recipients.
“Special Tree Rehabilitation System’s leadership model unleashes the talent of employees who live its Science of Caring and Whole Person Paradigm every day. The robust planning developed through the annual operating cycle along with the cascading communication process ensures that employees are linked top to bottom to wildly important client-focused goals. Special Tree has created a culture that provides individualized care and is improving the quality of life for clients”, said Geri Markley, executive director of the Michigan Quality Council. “Special Tree Rehabilitation System is a role model for other organizations in Michigan and for brain and spinal cord injury rehabilitation everywhere.”
Joe Richert, Special Tree President and CEO, said the company was delighted by the recognition. “We are so honored to be recognized by the Michigan Quality Council,” said Richert. “The work they do in supporting business and organizations is helping to raise the bar on quality throughout Michigan. The feedback we receive is truly valuable and a building block in our continuing quest for quality excellence.”
The MQC was created in 1993 by business and government leaders to promote performance excellence practices that achieve results in business, education, healthcare, and non-profit organizations throughout Michigan. The primary service of the Council is providing feedback to organizations to help them improve, culminating in recognizing top Michigan performers. The MQC is now affiliated with Cleary University. For more information on the Michigan Quality Council (now called Michigan Performance Excellence), visit Michigan Performance Excellence – Using Baldrige National Quality Award Critera (miperformanceexcellence.org).