We Can Do It! (e-Book)

We Can Do It! Improving the Relevancy and Value of Higher Education Using Lean Management introduces the Lean management system to university leaders and informs them of how Lean management can be used as a preferred means to address current and future challenges in higher education. It provides critical information that university leaders need to know to correctly begin their practice of Lean management. Specifically, its application in academics, which is the principal source of value creation in higher education.

The challenges in higher education cannot be met by using the same old tired routines of budget cutting, consolidating academic and support units, leveraging procurement spend, consolidating information technology, disruptive re-organizations, and so on. These painful, zero-sum (win-lose) approaches to solving problems drive people apart and usually do not lead to the kinds of substantial or lasting improvements demanded by students and other stakeholders. They also reflect a dramatic void in creativity and innovative thinking.

Written for university leaders, from trustees to department chairs, We Can Do It! presents a proven path for improving teaching, individual courses, and academic programs. It describes how to create and deliver improved educational services while also improving access, affordability, and attainment. It will motivate administrators, staff, and faculty to learn a better way to improve academics, student engagement, graduation rates, and post-graduation student success, while also improving quality and reducing costs in non-zero-sum (win-win) ways. Studentss, alumni, and public and private sector leaders will also find this book to be valuable and informative, as will departments of higher education, legislators, and governors overseeing public universities.

We Can Do It! describes how the Lean management system is a far more productive approach to improving the value proposition in academics. It also offers the unique opportunity to do good without doing harm.

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We Can Do It! Improving the Relevancy and Value of Higher Education Using Lean Management

by Bob Emiliani
The CLBM, LLC Wethersfield, Conn., USA

First Edition / 134 pages (281 KB) / ISBN 978-0-9845400-3-7 / February 2012 / Retail Price $9.99

Table of Contents
Preface
Introduction
1. What is Lean Management?
2. Brief History of Continuous Improvement in Higher Education
3. How Leadership Changes
4. Gaining Buy-In
5. Individual Participation
6. Team Participation
7. Leadership Roles and Responsibilities
8. Beginner's Errors to Avoid
9 Expected Outcomes
10. Closing Remarks
11. Appendix
About the Author

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Reviews of We Can Do It!:

"Bob, in his typical fashion, shares his perspective in plain language - the education system has to change and Lean can help. Bottom line, no longer can we sustain year over year tuition increases without increasing value to the customer. We Can Do It! Provides a roadmap for educators to follow and even details errors to avoid and expected outcomes. A must read for all education leaders." - Helen Zak, Lean Education Academic Network

"We Can Do It! truthfully and accurately represents the students’ point of view; anyone who reads the book can relate to it. There are probably many people within the academic environment that will not agree with the information that is in the book because they do not want to know what students really think." - Gary Tatro, former graduate student

“We Can Do It! is a short and easy to read text that sets out Bob’s vision of a Lean Higher Education, and is perfect for getting a flavour for how Lean works in Universities for staff right through to the most senior levels. Bob’s vision of Universities is one of places where each person works, continuously and fundamentally, to deliver the best for their students. This text is, however, not just describing a utopian dream. Bob succinctly, accurately and compellingly describes some of the barriers that prevent Universities from becoming Lean and gives practical guidance for how to counter these. His central themes are easy to understand but harder to apply, and will be difficult for some senior managers to hear; that University managers need to re-learn their craft, that teaching students has to be at the core of what we do, and that Lean ceases to be Lean when it is used at the expense of people. Bob’s message is a passionate call for integrity in how we teach our students; that we must deliver what is valuable to students, in the best way possible, without accepting received wisdom. A rallying-call for academic teachers, this text may read at times uncomfortably for those committed to research, and will challenge administrators to question the value of their activities. This reflects the genuine tensions that exist within Higher Education, and Bob presents us with an important challenge; that all staff in Universities must get better at working together to really improve what we deliver, to make an even bigger difference to individuals, and beyond." - Stephen Yorkstone, University of St. Andrews

"Bob Emiliani is a most-credible source for this book, targeted at leaders and staff members in higher education. As a long-time industry practitioner of Lean management practices, Bob has served as a faculty member at Central Connecticut State University, so he knows what he's talking about with both Lean and higher ed. This book is a succinct primer on how to apply Lean management to higher ed. As Bob points out, Lean is not about easy cost cutting or doing anything that harms stakeholders - faculty, students, support staff, etc. Lean management combines continuous improvement with the equally important "respect for people" principle, as Bob highlights throughout the book. Lean management is about creating the best quality education, while reducing costs (by eliminating waste, not by cutting heads). Bob dispels many of the common misperceptions about Lean, shares lessons learned and mistakes to avoid, and covers the role of leaders in transforming an organization's culture." - Mark Graban, author of Lean Hospitals