In 2017, the SC SBDC underwent a national re-accreditation review; and in Feb. 2018, the ASBDC Accreditation Committee announced its award of full accreditation to the SC SBDC without conditions—the highest rating possible.
The network further distinguished itself by receiving three performance excellence commendations and recognition of four innovative best practices.
Commendations:
Leveraging local and statewide advisory boards that advocate for SC SBDC and assist the SBDC in nurturing its relationship with legislative contacts.
The removal of silos was widely recognized as a leading factor in both employee satisfaction and network effectiveness. Additionally, the emphasis on co-consulting as well as improved communications between the regions and lead office foster a more cohesive, high-performing network.
The Senior leadership team is commended for creating an open, collaborative, and mutually supportive environment.
Best Practices:
The success story template deployed by the Lead Center has allowed for more frequent and higher‐quality success stories, and a more efficient use of consultant time.
The verification and attribution process of client data greatly helps to ensure the quality and integrity of the network’s impact data.
The Graduate Assistant training manual is viewed as a great tool for onboarding and managing graduate student interns.
The use of webinars to share information learned at conferences to those that could not attend, or that attended other sessions.
America’s SBDC Accreditation is a continuous improvement assessment process conducted by trained accreditors who utilize a set of quality standards founded on the Malcolm Baldrige Performance Excellence Program developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The standards are used to assess and identify opportunities to improve program performance based on critical factors proven to drive organizational success. The accreditation standards examine six key organizational areas:
• Leadership • Strategic Planning • Customer and Stakeholder Focus • Workforce Focus
• Performance Measurement, Analysis, and Knowledge Management • Operations
America’s SBDC Accreditation is mandated by the Small Business Act. To secure funding, each state SBDC program is required to achieve successful accreditation every five years.