Self-assessment in a multi-organisational network

Purpose - The New Zealand Benchmarking Club (NZBC), a multi-organisational network, aimed to improve the performance of member organisations through best practice benchmarking. The purpose of this paper is to critique the NZBC self-assessment process, report the scores for self-assessments from 2000-2002, and present an analysis of the 2001 self-assessment data. Design/methodology/approach - A questionnaire measured the improvement rate of NZBC organisations through annual self-assessments against the Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence (CPE). Training was provided for facilitators in each organisation, who supported teams of four to six persons who completed the self-assessment. Correlation coefficients of pairs of CPE categories and items were used to identify strong relationships between them. Findings-Self-assessment data from 2001 identified 57 strong relationships between different CPE categories and items. The strongest correlation identified (0.94) among CPE items was found between "customer focused results" and "financial and market results". Acting on the self-assessment results, management initiatives were implemented and scores in 2002 showed significant improvements over 2001. Research limitations/implications -Future research involves case studies and longitudinal studies of annual data to identify possible causes of the strong relationships found. Practical implications - Results indicate the benefit organisations obtain from sharing best practices, resources, and self-assessment experiences. The practices required for effective administration of self-assessment in a network are given. Originality/value - An example of self-assessment in a multi-organisational network, and how it was managed. Of interest to organisations that are in an existing network, or wish to create a similar network. No studies of self-assessment in a network were found in the literature.