A comparative study of Lean implementation in higher and further education institutions in the UK

Abstract

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to investigate and understand the differences that exist between educational institutions in the methods and practices employed in the development and implementation of Lean projects. Whilst many Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are now starting their journey towards effectively implementing Lean, Further Education Institutions (FEIs) have treaded this well worn path many years previously and so the aim of this paper is to find what key features and issues FEIs have put in place to assist them in implementing Lean projects and whether HEIs can learn from such institutions. Design/methodology/approach -The paper applies two research methods in an attempt to understand the differences between the institutions and hence understand the key features that can be used to better implement Lean initiatives. First, through a series of focus groups, the authors employ a low-level form of Group Consensus Theory in an attempt to understand the organisational dynamics surrounding the adoption of Lean. This is used to understand whether Lean improvement teams within FEIs implement such initiatives with the autonomy and support from senior management. Second, the same group members, detailed interviews were held in order to identify further and more specific information around the tools and techniques employed in the implementation of Lean initiatives in both HEI and FEIs. Findings -The study found that although FEIs had much more experience in the design, development and implementation of Lean initiatives, the organisational infrastructure and dynamics towards driving Lean in FEIs was less well embedded in to the culture of the respective institutions than first thought and, that Lean had been developed and driven initially by a consultancy-based approach and around a tool-driven mentality. It was seen that whilst HEIs were generally slower in getting off the mark, there seemed to be more enthusiasm and willingness to drive such initiatives forward and in a more systematic and holistic manner even though some of the projects were in their very early stages of implementation. Research limitations/implications -Whilst this work provides key information on how Lean initiatives are implemented across different institution types, the work has only looked at a very small sample of two teaching focused HEI and two FEIs. The work will need to be extended much more widely to incorporate a larger set of HEIs (both research and teaching focused) in order to provide a more complete map of Lean development in HEIs.Practical implications -The aim of the paper is to provide Lean project leaders in HEIs with some additional key insights towards the cultural and organisation dynamics that exist in educational institutions other than HEIs in order to assist them in developing further and more comprehensive Lean programmes. Originality/value -This paper is the first of its kind to study the organisational and cultural dynamics that exist between differing educational institutions in their approaches towar...

Lean, Six Sigma and Lean Six Sigma in Higher Education: A Review of Experiences around the World

“…The processes that have been improved so far are teaching-related; however, there is certainly interdependence between teaching and research, knowledge being the focus of both roles [53]. The literature also reveals that broadening of the applicability of lean manufacturing ideas to other business sectors has advanced [54], that this is a very delicate operation [32] and that the experience of universities is not exceptional in this sense [9] [21]. Some observers nevertheless view the lean method and its derivatives as being suitable for academic institutions and holding much promise for increasing the competitiveness of universities that make a serious commitment to applying them [23].…”

Revisión de la implementación de Lean Six Sigma en Instituciones de Educación Superior

“…Resulta interesante nombrar el proyecto que se ejecutó en una IES no especificada para reducir la deserción estudiantil utilizando la metodología Lean Six Sigma con la estructura DMAIC, se demostró que resulta viable para este tipo de problemas aplicar esta metodología, sin embargo, al ser un primer proyecto de este tipo se presentan barreras importantes por superar [51]. [53], [54], [18], [55], [48], [20], [56], [38], [13], [57], [58], [25], [28], [14], [40], [59], [47], [50], [60], [61], [62] 21 2 Mejorar el sistema de calidad y acreditación de las IES [54], [9], [48], [63], [64], [56], [38], [10], [57], [26], [59], [52], [47], [65], [61], [62] 16…”

“…3 Mejorar eficiencia y efectividad de procesos [18], [48], [1], [66], [20], [4], [10], [38], [13], [26], [50], [60], [65], [61], 14 4 Responder a la alta competencia del sector educativo [53], [55], [1], [20], [56], [38], [13], [10], [58], [40], [59], [65], [61] 13 5 Mejorar procesos administrativos y académicos [53], [1], [20], [64], [38], [57], [28], [29], [59], [47], [60], [61]…”

“…Incrementar la satisfacción de partes interesadas (estudiantes, docentes, empleados y comunidad) [18], [48], [20], [11], [56], [4], [57], [29], [59], [51], [52] 11 7 Responder a la reducción de presupuestos a universidades [25], [11][54], [18], [55], [11], [58], [26], [14], [60], [62] 11 8 Cumplir metas e indicadores operativos y financieros [18], [53], [9], [48], [4], [51], [52], 7 9 Reducir desperdicios [18], [38], [26], [52], [50], [60], [61] 7 10 Mejorar resultados académicos [18], [53], [48], [28] 4 11 Mejorar la clasificación de universidades [40], [65], [61] 3 12 Innovar procesos [48], [ mejorar la experiencia del estudiante que a su vez reduzcan desperdicio y costo [38,55]. LSS es una metodología de mejoramiento continuo atractiva para las IES porque al imple...…”

“…Las IES se enfrentaron a la reducción de presupuestos en Estados Unidos, India y Gran Bretaña. Se constataron casos que para responder a esta situación se implementó Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma o LSS [26], [53], [55]; el resultado de esta decisión constituye un esfuerzo concertado de las instituciones académicas para reducir sus costos. Los esfuerzos de reducción de costos han tenido un efecto ostensible en las universidades públicas que han reducido las plantas de personal en todos los niveles [54].…”