标杆管理已被西方国家企业认为是改善企业经营绩效、提高全球竞争力最有用的一个管理工具。它的使用范围已从最初度量制造部门的绩效发展到不同的业务职能部门,包括顾客满意、后勤和产品配送等方面。标杆管理也被应用于一些战略目的,如度量一个企业在创造长期股东价值方面同产业内其他公司的差距。标杆管理的使用范围甚至超出了企业,即使是非营利单位、公共管理部门也可使用。对标杆管理有着巨大推动作用的是,美国国家标准与技术局设立的马尔科姆·鲍德里奇国家质量奖(Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award),帮助企业寻找最佳实践。目前,鲍德里奇奖的申报资料需要有关竞争性地位和最佳实践的数据与信息,申请人必 Benchmarking has been considered by Western companies as the most useful management tool to improve business performance and enhance global competitiveness. Its use has ranged from initially measuring the performance of the manufacturing department to various business functions, including customer satisfaction, logistics and product distribution. Benchmarking is also used for strategic purposes, such as measuring the gap a firm has with other firms in the industry in creating long-term shareholder value. Benchmarking is even beyond the reach of the business and even public-not-for-profit units can be used by public administrations. A big boost to benchmarking is the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award set by the National Institute of Standards and Technology to help businesses find best practices. Currently, the application form for the Baldrige Award requires data and information on competitive status and best practices. The applicant must