A few days before William Balzer published the second edition of his groundbreaking book Lean Higher Education: Increasing the Value and Performance of University Processes, I had a chat with him about the successful applications of Lean concepts at major universities. During the conversation, I asked him directly: "Why
is Lean needed in higher education?” Here is his complete answer:
Lean provides a proven problem-solving framework to address
challenges in any organization or business sector, and higher education is no
exception. Universities must be more responsive, efficient, and effective to
address the growing number of external challenges disrupting higher education
including:
- Eroding financial support from the government coupled with freezes or caps on cost increases.
- Rising costs at universities to maintain their educational mission coupled to the growing price sensitivity of students and families worried about the long-term burden of student loan debt.
- Attracting and retaining the best faculty and staff in a labor-intensive operations where we have not resolved how equitable compensation increases can be offset with gains in productivity.
- Greater competition such as online universities and free Massively Open Online Courses that compete for a shrinking demographic of college-aged students and employers who question whether a college education is really the best preparation.
As we speak, COVID-19 is already sending shock
waves through the higher education community.
The application of Lean to improve processes in higher
education, grounded in the principles of continuous improvement and respect for
people, offers a way forward, as documented in my book by 16 exemplar universities
from around the world that are using Lean. When correctly implemented, practiced,
and sustained, Lean Higher Education (LHE) will meet – and even exceed – the
expectations of those served by these processes, engage and develop university
faculty and staff who deliver critical academic and support processes
(including teaching, curriculum development, and research), and enhance the
efficiency and effectiveness of the university through cost avoidance, cost
reduction, and greater revenue generation.
The potential of LHE is great at any
university regardless of mission, size, and resources; in the 10 years since
the publication of the first edition of Lean Higher Education, LHE has
demonstrated that it can help universities reinvent themselves to earn or grow
their reputations as preeminent institutions that should be valued and
supported.
Are any readers affiliated with universities or colleges that have implemented some type of Lean initiative? Have you experienced the benefits that William Balzer described?
More and more higher education institutions are looking to Lean for the reasons Mr. Balzer mentions. The challenge is getting their heads and hands around what are typically very large organizations. Multiple colleges and multiple locations make up universities, much like large mult-site, multinational corporations.
ReplyDeleteWhat I have learned in working with several now is the need for proper Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) practice. Specifically the ‘Do’. Most of them admit that they historically have rolled out large scale changes across the entire institution. This has created major issues, strong push back, and less than expected results. Basically they practice Plan-Act.
I encourage them to approach it differently. Focus on a few departments, colleges and the like and approach Do as an experiment. Learn from the experience, and adapt along the way. This ‘slow down to speed up’ approach will have much more positive and lasting benefits.
Hi, most public organizations (and Universities may be no exception) are striving to meet the budget objectives.
ReplyDeleteLean is 'To do more with less' and that could be difficult to digest to many....
Regards,
Hubertas Petruzis
Director
Lean Professional's Association Lithuania