How does the Governors Sterling Award differ from ISO 9000?
The purpose, content, and focus of the Governor’s Sterling Award and ISO 9000 are very different. The Governor’s Sterling Award, based on the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award that was created by Congress in 1987, was established to enhance Florida business competitiveness. The award program promotes quality awareness, recognizes quality achievements of Florida organizations, and provides a vehicle for sharing successful strategies. The Sterling Criteria focus on results and continuous improvement. They provide a framework for designing, implementing, and assessing a process for managing all business operations. ISO 9000 is a series of five international standards published in 1987 by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), Geneva, Switzerland. Companies can use the standards to help determine what is needed to maintain an efficient quality conformance system. For example, the standards describe the need for an effective quality system, for ensuring that measuri
