The two leading U.S. quality organizations have agreed to affiliate, resulting in a broader array of products and services to both organizations' members.

The Milwaukee-based American Society for Quality (ASQ), and the Cincinnati-based Association for Quality and Participation (AQP) made the joint announcement March 20 at AQP's annual spring conference and membership meeting in Chicago.

The proposed affiliation, presented by AQP president Jennifer Powell and ASQ president Gregory H. Watson, will see the organizations collaborate to develop a business plan that explores all aspects of the affiliation. Completion of the affiliation is subject to the approval of both organizations' boards of directors. If approved, the affiliation will take effect as soon as May.

Powell said the two organizations complement one another. "The collaboration and shared vision of these organizations make them both more important and dynamic, resulting in a broader range of services for members," she said.

There are many parallels between ASQ and AQP, Watson pointed out. He termed the affiliation "a win-win for the quality movement in the United States that will enhance the future of quality with a host of significant benefit exchanges for members. When we look at the future of quality, we see a growing need for the offerings that AQP promotes. Bringing ASQ and AQP together offers a very powerful combination of services for the quality community.

"We share a common vision — the advancement of excellence through quality at all levels, in all areas, whether individual, organizational or community. Working together toward our common goal ensures a healthy future for the quality movement in the United States and worldwide," Watson said.

ASQ and AQP have worked together in the past, including co-sponsoring the Quest for Excellence conference, the official conference of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, and the National Quality in Education Conference.

AQP would formally be identified as "an affiliate organization of ASQ." The arrangement will enable AQP to develop and deliver its products and services intact. It will also increase the prospects of AQP's products and services through expanded marketing to ASQ's broad international membership, Powell explained.

The agreement calls for the organizations to maintain their current separate offices and administrative staffs in Milwaukee and Cincinnati.

Among the areas of collaboration to be evaluated in the jointly developed business plan will be subscription access to each other's periodicals, joint chapter and section membership, and shared discount pricing to publications, conferences, certification and training.

The 55-year-old ASQ, with an international membership of 117,000, advances individual, organizational and community excellence worldwide through quality improvement, learning and knowledge exchange. The organization has been the administrator of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, managed by the U.S. Department of Commerce, since the award's inception more than a decade ago.