1st Edition
Hoshin Kanri in Higher Education A Guide to Strategy Development, Deployment, and Management
Strategy, the link between mission and operational plans to improve an institution’s performance, is a critical element to the future success of higher education (HE). Hoshin Kanri (HK), the application of Lean principles and practices to strategy development, deployment, and management, is a systematic and effective approach to support institutional success, particularly when competition is high. Surprisingly, despite its known effectiveness and advantages over other approaches to strategy development, deployment, and management, the application of HK in HE is limited.
This book promotes greater awareness, appreciation, and application of HK at HE institutions.
The book is divided into four sections:
- The first section (Introduction to Hoshin Kanri) provides a general overview of HK and its potential contributions when used in HE settings
- The second section (Case Studies) provides several examples where aspects of HK were introduced at HE institutions. These case studies, which vary in scope, use of HK practices and tools, and identified benefits, offer insights both for helping senior leaders recognize the value of HK (and adopt the HK process) and for on-the-ground experiences using HK tools and techniques – including barriers and challenges – during implementation
- The third section (Expanding the Application of Hoshin Kanri in Higher Education) includes several chapters on how to begin an HE institution’s HK journey. The chapters include practical steps for gaining support for and implementing HK strategy development, deployment, and management tailored for HE institutions across both typical and novel applications of HK
- The fourth and final section (Implications for Practice and Research) presents a high-level summary of the "current state" of HK in HE and offers thoughts and recommendations on the "future state" directions for practice, research opportunities, and challenges for HK in HE
The book underscores the key benefits HK can offer HE institutions. With its Lean roots of continuous improvement and respect for people, HK offers HE institutions an effective and sustainable approach to strategy development, deployment, and management. HK can be used institution-wide or at any level or area within an institution. While the local application of HK won’t achieve the full benefits possible through institution-wide adoption, it offers a marked improvement over other strategy approaches that fail to respect people and leverage their knowledge, expertise, and insights to apply continuous improvement to move their office, department, or function forward.
Preface
Acknowledgments
Contributors
About the Editors
Introduction
Section I. Introduction to Hoshin Kanri
1. Introduction to Hoshin Kanri
William K. Balzer and Tammi Sinha
2. A Practitioner's Guide to Hoshin Kanri: Process and Tools
Tammi Sinha and William K. Balzer
3. The Usefulness of Selected Goal Theories in Hoshin Kanri
Marek Bugdol and Justyna Maciąg
Section II. Case Studies: Examples of Hoshin Kanri Development, Deployment, and Management at Higher Education Institutions
4. Embedding Hoshin Kanri for Continuous Improvement: Lessons Learned from Managing AACSB Accreditation
Laura Roper
5. Implementing Hoshin Kanri at the University of Nottingham
Luke Phillimore and Aimee Aubeeluck
6. Hoshin Kanri as a Strategic Management Tool in a University of Art: A Case Study of the Academy of Music in Bydgoszcz
Justyna Maciąg, Marek Bugdol, and Marek Czerski
7. Linking Team Activity to Department Strategy Using Hoshin Kanri in an HE Setting
Graeme Gilkes and Katie Ballantyne
8. Expanding Catchball as Part of the Continuous Improvement Journey to Implement Hoshin Kanri
Carien van Horne and Irene Oenes
9. The Edinburgh Napier University Strategy Development and Implementation Journey
Brent Hurley
10. Hoshin Kanri in Service of Delivering Value
Vincent Wiegel
11. Introducing Hoshin Kanri at Maastricht University: The Journey from Individual Green Belt Lean to Strategy Deployment at Institutional Level
Ellen van der Aar, Irene Salemink, and Lejla Brouwer-Hadžialić
12. Hoshin Planning in an 800-year-old University: Proving the Value
Linda Spinks, Elena Carpenter, and Rebecca Shipley
13. Senior Leadership Support and Commitment of Resources: Key Elements in Hoshin Kanri Strategy Development, Deployment, and Management at Bowling Green State University
William K. Balzer and Rodney K. Rogers
14. Adapting Hoshin Kanri for COVID Recovery and Reshaping at Michigan State University
Tariq Sami Abdelhamid and Vennie Gore
Section III. Expanding the Application of Hoshin Kanri in Higher Education
15. Cycle of Lean: Using the People’s Dialogue to Improve the Hoshin Kanri Process
José C. M. Franken and Carien van Horne
16. Novel Approaches of Hoshin Kanri in Higher Education
Tammi Sinha
17. Getting Started: General Guidance for Implementing Hoshin Kanri in Higher Education
William K. Balzer
Section IV. Implications for Practice and Research
18. Hoshin Kanri: Implications for Practice and Research
Tammi Sinha and William K. Balzer
Index
Biography
Bill Balzer is author of Lean Higher Education: Increasing the Value and Performance of University Processes 2nd Edition (2020, Routledge), an update to his 2010 book and acknowledged to be the definitive book on Lean Higher Education (LHE). Balzer’s research interests include understanding and improving the application of Lean principles and practices in higher education and expanding the contributions of Industrial-Organizational psychology to the understanding, application, and evaluation of Lean and higher education. Balzer continues to publish and present work on LHE and has been an invited keynote speaker on the topic of LHE. He has participated in numerous university initiatives to improve university processes and effectiveness, and advises colleges and universities contemplating the adoption and implementation of Lean. He is a certified black belt in Lean Six Sigma. He is a member of the Global Lean HE – Americas steering committee.
Balzer has over 35 years of experience in higher education. He is emeritus professor of IO psychology at Bowling Green State University. He most recently served as Vice President for Faculty Affairs and Strategic Initiatives and helped integrate the application of Hoshin Kanri in university-wide strategic planning. Balzer has served in several leadership roles at the university including program director of the nationally ranked doctoral program in IO psychology, chair of the department of psychology, dean of BGSU’s regional Firelands College, AVP and dean of continuing and extended education, and interim VP for university advancement. He also served as interim President of Owens Community College for the 2020-2021 academic year.
For more information, visit http://leanhighereducation.com or contact Bill at [email protected].
Tammi Sinha is a lean and sustainability practitioner, prac-academic and change agent to build institutional capability in change, innovation, sustainability, and improvement in higher education and more widely across commercial and public sectors. Her work is guided by a "communities of inquiry, practice, and place" approach to institutional effectiveness. Sinha joined the University of Southampton as an iSolutions Continuous Improvement Lead in 2022, leading a program to weave continuous improvement and regenerative leadership principles into the fabric of higher education. She previously held appointments as Senior Lecturer and Sustainability Champion, Faculty of Business, Law and Digital Technologies at Solent University, Director for Climate Action at University of Winchester, and Principal Lecturer in operations strategy, lean operations, and creativity and business improvement at the University of Portsmouth. Her professional role and research Interests include climate action through systems thinking, circular design, operations, and supply chains.
Tammi earned her PhD in operations strategy while working as an engineer at British Aerospace. Her professional specialization includes improvement and transformation in aerospace, manufacturing, and the public sector. Her most recent work includes developing approaches to sustainable business eco systems and circular/regenerative approaches to operations in higher education and business. Dr Sinha has been involved in the UK Government’s enterprise productivity and sustainability drive via the "Help to Grow" initiative, and previously worked with the small business leadership program to help small- and mid-sized enterprises enhance their resilience, productivity, and sustainability.
