Shingo Prize for Excellence in Manufacturing
Encyclopedia
The Shingo Prize for Operational Excellence is a not-for-profit organization housed at Utah State University and named after Japanese industrial engineer Shigeo Shingo. Dr. Shingo distinguished himself as one of the world’s thought leaders in concepts, management systems and improvement techniques that have become known as the Toyota Business System. Dr. Shingo received his honorary Doctorate of Managment from Utah State University in 1988, the year the prize was initiated.
Evaluating organizations for recognition requires a clearly defined, very high and universally consistent standard of excellence.
True excellence cannot be fleeting; therefore, assessment must determine the degree to which the principles that create excellence are deeply embedded into culture.
For any organization to be successful, they must be focused on a high standard of excellence (No. 1 above) and be honest in their assessment of where they are in the development of a high performing culture (No. 2 above).
These lessons have been learned by observing the sometimes successful, but mostly unsuccessful, improvement efforts of hundreds of great organizations over 23 years.
Three fundamental paradigm shifts are embedded into the Shingo model for organization improvement.
When these new paradigms are well understood and acted on, cultural transformation can be accelerated. The new paradigms are:
There is a clear and strong relationship between principles, systems, and tools.
Operational excellence requires focus on both behaviors and results.
Business and management systems drive behavior and must be aligned with correct principles.
The principles associated with operational excellence and the associated Shingo transformation process apply in any industry, any geography, and at any time. These principles are ultimately most of the “Why am I doing this?” behind Lean, Six Sigma, Total Quality Management, Just-in-Time, Quality Circles, and other programs for business improvement.
The Shingo Prize has three areas of focus: education, assessment, and recognition
Our executive education programs may be taught on our campus or at the company location. Sessions predominantly are organized around the Shingo model rather than the basic tools of lean or six sigma. We teach leaders to better understand their role in building a culture of operational excellence and how to shift their emphasis more toward becoming principle-based. We teach managers how to better design and align the systems of the company to drive behaviors that will create behavior consistent with principles and guide personal understanding and commitment.
Our focus on assessment is less on receiving The Shingo Prize and more on organizational self-assessment using the standard that is The Shingo Prize as the point of comparison. This approach to honest self-evaluation provides the basis for powerful and focused improvement strategies.
Recognition is given each year to successful challengers from around the world at The Shingo Prize International Conference and Awards Ceremony. Recipients may come from any industry and any part of the world and awards are given for achieving operational excellence, as well as research and writing that contributes to the body of knowledge relating to principles of operational excellence.
The Shingo Prize is directed by the Board of Governors who are leading representatives of businesses, professional organizations and academic institutions. A dedicated management team oversees day-to-day operations. Individuals who have distinguished themselves in the area of operational excellence are able to serve as promotional ambassadors through the Shingo Academy.
Mission
The mission of The Shingo Prize is to create excellence in organizations through the application of universally accepted principles of operational excellence, alignment of management systems, and the wise application of improvement techniques across the entire organizational enterprise. We do this by teaching correct principles and new paradigms that accelerate the flow of value, align and empower people, and transform organizational culture.Vision
The Shingo Prize for Operation Excellence's vision is to be the global standard of excellence in every industry. Because The Shingo Prize roots are in organizational recognition, they have learned three very important principles:Evaluating organizations for recognition requires a clearly defined, very high and universally consistent standard of excellence.
True excellence cannot be fleeting; therefore, assessment must determine the degree to which the principles that create excellence are deeply embedded into culture.
For any organization to be successful, they must be focused on a high standard of excellence (No. 1 above) and be honest in their assessment of where they are in the development of a high performing culture (No. 2 above).
These lessons have been learned by observing the sometimes successful, but mostly unsuccessful, improvement efforts of hundreds of great organizations over 23 years.
Three fundamental paradigm shifts are embedded into the Shingo model for organization improvement.
When these new paradigms are well understood and acted on, cultural transformation can be accelerated. The new paradigms are:
There is a clear and strong relationship between principles, systems, and tools.
Operational excellence requires focus on both behaviors and results.
Business and management systems drive behavior and must be aligned with correct principles.
The principles associated with operational excellence and the associated Shingo transformation process apply in any industry, any geography, and at any time. These principles are ultimately most of the “Why am I doing this?” behind Lean, Six Sigma, Total Quality Management, Just-in-Time, Quality Circles, and other programs for business improvement.
The Shingo Prize has three areas of focus: education, assessment, and recognition
Our executive education programs may be taught on our campus or at the company location. Sessions predominantly are organized around the Shingo model rather than the basic tools of lean or six sigma. We teach leaders to better understand their role in building a culture of operational excellence and how to shift their emphasis more toward becoming principle-based. We teach managers how to better design and align the systems of the company to drive behaviors that will create behavior consistent with principles and guide personal understanding and commitment.
Our focus on assessment is less on receiving The Shingo Prize and more on organizational self-assessment using the standard that is The Shingo Prize as the point of comparison. This approach to honest self-evaluation provides the basis for powerful and focused improvement strategies.
Recognition is given each year to successful challengers from around the world at The Shingo Prize International Conference and Awards Ceremony. Recipients may come from any industry and any part of the world and awards are given for achieving operational excellence, as well as research and writing that contributes to the body of knowledge relating to principles of operational excellence.
The Shingo Prize is directed by the Board of Governors who are leading representatives of businesses, professional organizations and academic institutions. A dedicated management team oversees day-to-day operations. Individuals who have distinguished themselves in the area of operational excellence are able to serve as promotional ambassadors through the Shingo Academy.