Lean Higher Education
Encyclopedia
Lean Higher Education is the application of the Lean management to Higher Education
(HE) both in administration and academic activities (as distinct from teaching Lean principles and practices in HE courses). Today, the application of Lean management in higher education is most prevalent in administrative activities (admissions, add/drop, purchasing, facilities, hiring, budgeting, etc.). Pioneering academic institutions include: University of Central Oklahoma
(USA), University of St. Andrews (Scotland), Cardiff University
(Wales), Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
(USA), and Winona State University (USA).
Lean management can be applied to many different aspects of academic research and related work despite the high level of variability and unpredictability in the research process overall. Integrating Lean into research intensive activities remains a new frontier.
Seminal work in the application of Lean to adademics was done by Prof. M.L. "Bob" Emiliani when he was at Rensselaer Polytechnic University in the early 2000s and is described in papers two papers: M.L. "Bob" Emiliani (2004) "Improving Business School Courses by Applying Lean Principles and Practices," and M.L. "Bob" Emiliani (2005) "Using Kaizen to Improve Graduate Business School Degree Programs,". The former paper describes what individual faculty can do to improve their courses and delivery using Lean principles and practices. The latter paper describes what teams of faculty, staff, administrators, students, alumni, and employers can to improve their courses using kaizen
(literal translation: "change for the better"). Prof. Emiliani also produced a Kaizen Team Leader's Guide, "Improving Higher Education" (2009), for improving academic courses and programs based on his work.
The use of Lean practices in academia are described in the two papers wrirren by Prof. Emiliani cited above (Refs. 2,3), and in the book Lean Higher Education, Increasing the Value and Performance of University Processes.
The business of teaching in, or the back office administration of, Higher Education Institutions (HEI's) is similar to Lean management practiced in other service sectors because teaching and administration consist of repeatable transactional processes, in whole or part. Guidance for Lean implementation in HE administration, and, to a lesser extent in teaching, is presented in the book Lean Higher Education, Increasing the Value and Performance of University Processes,.
The notion of customer
is central to Lean management. While widely used in HE, the term "customer" is not without controversy - especially in teaching. In some HEIs, the term "student-customer" has gained acceptance. The term "customer" is important in Lean management because value is defined from the (end-use) customer's perspective. It has been argued that the end-use customer of a teaching institution is that student's employer (or its customers), while the student and payer(s) are also seen as important intermediate customers whose perception of value must be considered.
The business of research
in HEI's includes academic freedom
, which as intrinsically avoiding of standard processes offers a real challenge to Lean thinking as seen in standard transactional processes.
Reports analyzing Lean in higher education indicate that Lean principles are being successfully applied. Various HE stakeholders will likely perceive their organization to be substantially different or possess unique characteristics compared to other service organizations or businesses using Lean management. These reports, as well as a wide range of emprical results, show such perceptions to be erroneous.
While its origins are from industry, not academia, Lean management can be successfully applied to any organization. The challenge is for HE administrators, faculty, and staff accept the need for and benefits of process improvement; to better comprehend the Lean principles "Continuous Improvement" and "Respect for People;" to comprehend and practice non-zero-sum management; to engage in daily improvement (versus periodic improvement efforts); and to shift from a "results" focus to a "process + results" focus.
If, instead, management’s practice of Lean management is non-zero-sum (win-win), where both principles, “Continuous Improvement” and “Respect for People,” are correctly understood and applied, then the criticisms will mostly disappear. Workers and other stakeholders realize numerous personal professional benefits including working in a no-blame environment, fewer errors, less re-work, less stress, cross-training and job rotation opportunities, growth, learning and development, and improved customer satisfaction.
A primary objective of progressive management is to improve all processes in ways that are good for the organization as well as its employees, suppliers, customers, investors, and the community. The goal is to achieve flow so that material and information are processed immediately, rather than sitting is queues. Application of the “Respect for People” is essential to avoid the principal criticisms of Lean management and to create an environment where all workers, top to bottom, are eager to practice continuous improvement every day.
Higher education
Higher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...
(HE) both in administration and academic activities (as distinct from teaching Lean principles and practices in HE courses). Today, the application of Lean management in higher education is most prevalent in administrative activities (admissions, add/drop, purchasing, facilities, hiring, budgeting, etc.). Pioneering academic institutions include: University of Central Oklahoma
University of Central Oklahoma
The University of Central Oklahoma, often referred to as UCO, is a coeducational public university located in Edmond, Oklahoma. The university is the third largest in Oklahoma, with almost 18,000 students and approximately 434 full-time and 400 adjunct faculty...
(USA), University of St. Andrews (Scotland), Cardiff University
Cardiff University
Cardiff University is a leading research university located in the Cathays Park area of Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom. It received its Royal charter in 1883 and is a member of the Russell Group of Universities. The university is consistently recognised as providing high quality research-based...
(Wales), Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Stephen Van Rensselaer established the Rensselaer School on November 5, 1824 with a letter to the Rev. Dr. Samuel Blatchford, in which van Rensselaer asked Blatchford to serve as the first president. Within the letter he set down several orders of business. He appointed Amos Eaton as the school's...
(USA), and Winona State University (USA).
Lean management can be applied to many different aspects of academic research and related work despite the high level of variability and unpredictability in the research process overall. Integrating Lean into research intensive activities remains a new frontier.
Lean Principles
Of great importantance in the application of Lean management in any organization is the recognition and daily practice of the Lean principles: "Continuous Improvement" and "Respect for People." The "Respect for People" principle is almost always ignored by senior management, resulting in zero-sum (win-lose) outcomes for people and inferior results. In other words, one party gains at another party's expense, and the losers are much less willing to participate in continuous improvement. This outcome impedes information flows and discourages daily efforts by administration, faculty, and staff to improve processes. In order to function properly, Lean management must be understood and practiced in a non-zero-sum (win-win) manner. It is not up to the discretion of senior administrators to ignore the "Respect for People" principle. This principle is required in order to sustain continuous improvement.Lean Practices
The origins of Lean practices date from late 19th- and early 20th-century industrial engineering. Lean practices have evolved over the decades since then to become much easier for non-specialists to understand and use. It is now common for people with backgrounds and interests far from industrial engineering to become highly competent Lean management practitioners. Therefore, the Lean management system has the benefit that everyone in an organization can apply the practices without the need for specialists.Seminal work in the application of Lean to adademics was done by Prof. M.L. "Bob" Emiliani when he was at Rensselaer Polytechnic University in the early 2000s and is described in papers two papers: M.L. "Bob" Emiliani (2004) "Improving Business School Courses by Applying Lean Principles and Practices," and M.L. "Bob" Emiliani (2005) "Using Kaizen to Improve Graduate Business School Degree Programs,". The former paper describes what individual faculty can do to improve their courses and delivery using Lean principles and practices. The latter paper describes what teams of faculty, staff, administrators, students, alumni, and employers can to improve their courses using kaizen
Kaizen
, Japanese for "improvement", or "change for the better" refers to philosophy or practices that focus upon continuous improvement of processes in manufacturing, engineering, game development, and business management. It has been applied in healthcare, psychotherapy, life-coaching, government,...
(literal translation: "change for the better"). Prof. Emiliani also produced a Kaizen Team Leader's Guide, "Improving Higher Education" (2009), for improving academic courses and programs based on his work.
The use of Lean practices in academia are described in the two papers wrirren by Prof. Emiliani cited above (Refs. 2,3), and in the book Lean Higher Education, Increasing the Value and Performance of University Processes.
Differences Between Lean in Higher Education and Lean in Other Sectors
Lean in HE follows the same principles and practices of Lean management as applied in service, manufacturing, or government sectors. Lean management readily takes into account the unique governance structures of higher education institutions. Lean management is responsive to the needs of multiple stakeholders in a non-zero-sum fashion and is therefore well-suited for the governance and ongoing improvement of HEIs.The business of teaching in, or the back office administration of, Higher Education Institutions (HEI's) is similar to Lean management practiced in other service sectors because teaching and administration consist of repeatable transactional processes, in whole or part. Guidance for Lean implementation in HE administration, and, to a lesser extent in teaching, is presented in the book Lean Higher Education, Increasing the Value and Performance of University Processes,.
The notion of customer
Customer
A customer is usually used to refer to a current or potential buyer or user of the products of an individual or organization, called the supplier, seller, or vendor. This is typically through purchasing or renting goods or services...
is central to Lean management. While widely used in HE, the term "customer" is not without controversy - especially in teaching. In some HEIs, the term "student-customer" has gained acceptance. The term "customer" is important in Lean management because value is defined from the (end-use) customer's perspective. It has been argued that the end-use customer of a teaching institution is that student's employer (or its customers), while the student and payer(s) are also seen as important intermediate customers whose perception of value must be considered.
The business of research
Research
Research can be defined as the scientific search for knowledge, or as any systematic investigation, to establish novel facts, solve new or existing problems, prove new ideas, or develop new theories, usually using a scientific method...
in HEI's includes academic freedom
Academic freedom
Academic freedom is the belief that the freedom of inquiry by students and faculty members is essential to the mission of the academy, and that scholars should have freedom to teach or communicate ideas or facts without being targeted for repression, job loss, or imprisonment.Academic freedom is a...
, which as intrinsically avoiding of standard processes offers a real challenge to Lean thinking as seen in standard transactional processes.
Impact of Lean in Higher Education
The impact of Lean in HE has been amply demonstrated in administrative and academic activities. Substantial improvement in a variety of processes has been achieved compared to the condition prior to improvement. Double and triple digit improvements are achievable in most processes with the first round of improvement. Additional significant gains are achievable if improvement is continuous rather than sporadic. The benefits include lead-time reduction, increase in throughput, higher quality, lower cost, increased student satisfaction scores, etc.).Reports analyzing Lean in higher education indicate that Lean principles are being successfully applied. Various HE stakeholders will likely perceive their organization to be substantially different or possess unique characteristics compared to other service organizations or businesses using Lean management. These reports, as well as a wide range of emprical results, show such perceptions to be erroneous.
While its origins are from industry, not academia, Lean management can be successfully applied to any organization. The challenge is for HE administrators, faculty, and staff accept the need for and benefits of process improvement; to better comprehend the Lean principles "Continuous Improvement" and "Respect for People;" to comprehend and practice non-zero-sum management; to engage in daily improvement (versus periodic improvement efforts); and to shift from a "results" focus to a "process + results" focus.
Criticisms of Lean Management
The principal criticisms of Lean management are well known, relatively few in number, and have been constant over time. Workers often view Lean management as undesirable because it will make them work harder, they will have less time to spend with customers, it will burn them out, and, ultimately, cost them their jobs. They feel progressive management takes away worker creativity, while timing how long it takes workers to perform an activity in a process using a stopwatch is de-humanizing. These criticisms, which will surely be voiced by faculty and staff in HE, are predictable and the result of zero-sum (win-lose) application of Lean management by senior managers.If, instead, management’s practice of Lean management is non-zero-sum (win-win), where both principles, “Continuous Improvement” and “Respect for People,” are correctly understood and applied, then the criticisms will mostly disappear. Workers and other stakeholders realize numerous personal professional benefits including working in a no-blame environment, fewer errors, less re-work, less stress, cross-training and job rotation opportunities, growth, learning and development, and improved customer satisfaction.
A primary objective of progressive management is to improve all processes in ways that are good for the organization as well as its employees, suppliers, customers, investors, and the community. The goal is to achieve flow so that material and information are processed immediately, rather than sitting is queues. Application of the “Respect for People” is essential to avoid the principal criticisms of Lean management and to create an environment where all workers, top to bottom, are eager to practice continuous improvement every day.
External links
- Lean in the University of St Andrews
- Lean in Cardiff University
- Lean University at the University of Central Oklahoma
- Prof. Emiliani's home page at Central Connecticut State University
- M.L. "Bob" Emiliani's published academic papers on Lean Management for educators
- Blog review of William Balzer's book, "Lean Higher Education"