Lean Higher Education: Increasing the Value and Performance of University Processes

William K. Balzer, Ph.D., is a Professor of Industrial-Organizational Psychology in the Department of Psychology at Bowling Green State University and dean at the BGSU Firelands College. He has over 25 years of experience in the field of psychology and is an active member of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology. For the past five years, Professor Balzer has been involved in promoting and applying lean principles and practices in higher education. His research interests include the psychology of lean systems, performance appraisal, job attitudes, and applied decision making. Balzer has consulted with national organizations including Procter & Gamble, Owens-Illinois, and Pepsico Incorporated in the areas of performance evaluation, job satisfaction, and strategic planning.

Designed to teach academic administrators how to apply Lean business principles to the successful running of their institutions, this text introduces educators to Lean tools designed to improve efficiency and eliminate waste such as Value Stream Mapping.

Introduction The Case for Lean Higher Education The Need for Change in Higher Education Implementing Improvements and Change in Higher Education Lean Principles and Practices: An Approach to Organization-wide Change and Improvement Lean Higher Education: The Application of Lean Principles and Practices in Higher Education The Potential of LHE Lean Higher Education in Practice: An Overview and Case Study Higher Education - Falling Short of the Mark Lean Higher Education (LHE) An Example of the Application of LHE: The Freshman Move-in Process "Proof of Concept:" Examples of the Successful Application of LHE University of Central Oklahoma University of Iowa University of New Orleans Bowling Green State University University of Scranton Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Getting Started: The Successful Launch of LHE LHE: University-wide versus Local Implementation Institutional Readiness for LHE: The Importance of Workplace Climate and Leadership Practices Creating Structure to Support LHE Selecting an LHE Initiative Organizing LHE Project Teams What Do They Really Want? Identifying What the Beneficiaries of Higher Education Value and Expect The Beneficiary Defines Value; The University Delivers Value Listening to the Beneficiaries of Higher Education: What Do They Value and Expect? Establish Metrics for Assessing What Beneficiaries Value and Expect Final Thoughts: Higher Education as a Monastery or Market Preparing Visual Maps for a Comprehensive Understanding of University Processes Preparing a Current State Visual Map Creating a Visual Map: The Approval Process for New Courses Eliminating Waste and Improving Flow Identifying Waste in University Processes Eliminating Waste from University Processes Improving Flow in University Processes Implementing LHE Solutions and Sustaining Improvements Identifying and Implementing LHE Solutions Sustaining the Gain: Institutionalizing the New Process The Approval Process for New Courses: Identifying, Gaining, and Sustaining Support for LHE Initiatives Realizing the Promise of LHE: Current Challenges, Future Directions, and Next Steps Challenges to the Broader Adoption of LHE Opportunities for the Broader Adoption of LHE Next Steps Each chapter concludes with a "Summary"