History Lesson 101
1979 Xerox coins the term “Competitive Benchmarking”
1982 Xerox benchmarks with L.L. Bean
1985 Metro Toronto Reference Library benchmarks its public service dept.
1987 Malcolm Baldridge Quality Award Improvement Act
Notes:
Benchmarking started out in the corporate sector. It was originally started when Xerox corporation realized it was losing a lot of money and market share to its Japanese competitors. Its competitors were able to sell photocopiers for the same price that it cost Xerox to make them. Benchmarking was started by Xerox’s Manufacturing unit when it analyzed its photocopier manufacturing compared to Fuji-Xerox, an affiliate Xerox’s Logistics and distribution unit benchmarked with L.L. Bean in the way it handled its materials handling and warehouse operations. This is a very famous study that became part of the first book on Benchmarking by Robert C. Camp. (Benchmarking: The Search for Industry Best Practices that Lead to Superior Performance). This book was not published until 1989, but in the meantime benchmarking was becoming indoctrinated in the Xerox system. Bear in mind that most people did not know about benchmarking at this time.
So how do we have a library conducting a benchmarking study in 1985. The librarian who did this study originally worked in competitive intelligence in industry. When she was hired as the planning officer of this public library,she realized that one way they could solve their problems was to find out what other libraries did. They conducted this study on the public services department and it involved 4 other libraries. She said at the time, they did not even realize they were benchmarking. Now we all need to remember that if this librarian was doing this study in 1985, library benchmarking should not be a difficult concept.
Then in 1987, President Ronald Reagan signed the Malcolm Baldridge Quality Award.