WSQA ETHICS & STANDARDS POLICY

Highest Standards

Washington State Quality Awards (WSQA) exists to motivate, educate, and congratulate Washington's organizations and businesses for their achievements in performance excellence. Our success and sustainability as an organization is directly related to how we conduct our business and our individual actions each day. It should be understood by all that are governed under this policy that unethical behavior which brings adverse scrutiny or embarrassment to this organization cannot be tolerated and will be addressed in a fair, corrective, and decisive manner. Holding our organization, and those with whom we associate and partner, to the highest standards of ethics and integrity demonstrates to Washington businesses and organizations that we are worthy advocates of performance excellence.

This policy is to guide the conduct of all individuals acting in any capacity for and on behalf of WSQA. The policy serves to inform applicants, employees, consultants, volunteers, other partners, and the general public, that all actions and decisions associated with administering the Washington Quality Awards will meet the test of integrity and ethical behavior. These standards serve to assure applicants and the public, that the awards process is conducted in a fair and unbiased manner, without conflict of interest or desire for personal gain on the part of any person serving in an administrative, judging, or examining capacity for the awards.

Violations of this policy will result in administrative action, up to and including the removal from any position and/or association with WSQA and forfeiture of all fees and rights relating to WSQA.

Declaration of Principles

These standards shall govern all individuals acting in any capacity for, and on behalf of, WSQA, and each individual:

1. Shall conduct themselves professionally, with truth, accuracy, fairness, respect, and responsibility to the public and in a manner that does not negatively impact or damage the perception or reputation of WSQA;
   
   
2. Shall not represent conflicting or competing interests, nor place them in such a position where their interests may be in conflict, or in perceived conflict, with the purposes and administration of the Washington Quality Awards by WSQA;
   
   Principle Two Clarification
   
   a.   Conflicting interest will be considered present when a judge or examiner or any member of his/her immediate family holds a direct interest in an organization, which has applied for the awards, or of an organization, which has an organizational unit that has applied. Direct interest is defined as employment (including any consulting arrangement which may be in effect), direct ownership of stock or bonds, or partner interest in the organization. This does not require examiners or judges to attempt to ascertain whether there may be hidden indirect holdings through third party mutual funds or in trusts over which the staff member, examiner, or judge has no control.
   
   b.   Judges, examiners, staff, and board members will refrain from participating in the evaluation, scoring, or selection of an applicant organization when a direct financial or personal relationship exists outside of that organization with an officer, senior manager, administrator, or director of the organization. If, for instance, an examiner, judge, or board member is engaged in a business venture, partnership, or other business relationship with an officer, director, senior administrator, or policy-level manager of an award applicant, they should not participate in evaluation of that organization's WSQA application.
   
   c.   Judges, examiners, staff, and board members will refrain from participating in the evaluation or judging of a primary competitor of any organization, division, or business unit of which he/she is employed or with which a consulting arrangement is in effect.
   
   
3. Shall not direct the processes, efforts, and actions of the administration by WSQA of the Washington Quality Awards to serve their own interests. Inclusive in this principle, is the stipulation that no members of the WSQA staff, Board of Directors, Board of Examiners, Contractors of WSQA or Panel of Judges
   
   a.   Shall accept retainers, commissions, or valuable consideration from past or present awards applicants or interested parties in exchange for offering confidential information or disclosures which may in any way influence the awards integrity or process, either currently or in the future
   
   b.   Shall promote services or products unrelated to WSQA while in a capacity of representing WSQA
   
   c.   Shall use for personal gain the property of WSQA including all data base information of members, examiners, judges, Board of Directors, applicants, participants in conferences and other parties interested in the services of WSQA.
   
   
4. Shall not intentionally communicate any information that may compromise the integrity or confidentiality of the awards process or its outcome;
   
   
5. Shall safeguard the confidences of all parties involved in the judging or examination processes of present or former applicants;
   
   Principle Five Clarification
   
   a.   No member of the WSQA staff, WSQA contractors, Board of Examiners, Board of Directors or Panel of Judges will release or disclose to any third party the name(s) of any firms applying for the awards. Some companies may authorize such release; that release may be done by the staff or contractors of WSQA. No member of the awards process will release or use the name(s) of applicants except as permitted by the applicants.
   
   b.   No examiner or judge will at any time disclose to any person not directly involved as a member of the examination team evaluating a specific applicant any information concerning the scoring or judging process of a specific applicant organization, either current or past. The only exceptions will be: 1) the panel of judges; and 2) the Board members for evaluating the scoring process and ethical considerations.
   
   c.   No person who has served as an examiner or judge of a specific applicant organization may use their knowledge of that organization through the awards process to solicit that organization or a competitor organization for employment or contracts for a period of three calendar years following the awards cycle in which he/she served.
   
   d.   No person involved in the awards process will, as part of their professional credentials, indicate that they have served as an examiner or judge for a specific applicant for the awards. The fact that they have served as a "member of the staff, or as a judge, or an examiner" for the Washington Quality Awards may be used as long as specific applicants are not mentioned.
   
   
6. Shall act as ambassadors for WSQA and the Washington Quality Awards;
   
   Principle Six Clarification
   
   a.   Participants shall not intentionally communicate false, misleading, or damaging information that may compromise the integrity of the Washington Quality Awards or WSQA;
   
   b.   Shall encourage submission of examiner applications and recognition/award applications;
   
   c.   Shall resolve conflicts regarding the Washington Quality Awards, WSQA, or any person acting on behalf of or for WSQA, and
   
   d.   Shall promote in all activities, an atmosphere focused on overall performance improvement rather than on winning an award.
   
   Implementation of Ethical Standards Policy
   
   Furthermore, it is pledged that each individual acting in any capacity for and on behalf of WSQA shall endeavor to aid the professional development and advancement of the Washington State Quality Award to stimulate Washington organizations to improve their quality, productivity, and organizational results through the use of Baldrige quality principles.

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