Search results

Using Lean Six Sigma (LSS) implementation literature as an organising framework, the purpose of this paper is to explore the initial steps in a continuous improvement (CI) journey taken by an Irish university in order to identify the motivations, highlight key challenges and considers the capabilities required to initiate and sustain a CI programme.

This study focusses on one case organisation. A participative approach is adopted to learn from the initial steps taken in the establishment of a CI programme. Given this approach, the researchers had access to all documents and related archives associated with this initiative. Hence an iterative learning approach is adopted with the analysis of data from the first 12-month plan informing the next planning and implementation phase.

This paper provides a reflective account of why and how a university went about commencing a CI programme. The motivation to establish the CI programme not only reflects the current fiscal environment but also one characterised by a need to respond to a number of increasingly demanding stakeholders. The insights gained highlight the importance of alignment with strategy, role of specialists and use of a structured method informed by a LSS approach. Of particular note is the role of expertise, both internal and external, and within this context the interplay between a formal top-down approach and the coming together enthusiast staff, some of whom had CI experience from previous employment. A number of practical implications were identified as a result of the study including the key role of the project sponsor; the criticality of an understanding of the fundamental LSS concepts and tools and techniques by management; and the key role played by improvement specialists.

While in recent times a strong case for the application of LSS in HEIs has been made, there is a paucity of case studies based on the reflective practice in the field. This paper is novel in that it aims to address this and contribute to an emerging body of CI literature in the HEI area.

This paper aims to contribute to a developing literature on continuous improvement (CI), enabled by Lean Six Sigma (LSS), in higher education institutions (HEIs). It reports on the key learning points arising from the initial steps taken by an Irish university on its CI journey.

A case study strategy was adopted following a participatory research approach. This approach supports reflexivity and also provides access to all relevant documentation and staff within the case university. Thematic analysis was supported by data reduction and display techniques.

The introduction of a LSS approach rather than a reliance on lean alone introduced a structured methodology (DMAIC) that supported simplification of a number of administrative processes. A number of specific improvements were achieved including: Cycle time and cost reduction; customer or employee satisfaction; and rework and error reduction. The findings support the importance of the Readiness Factors as identified by Antony (2014), with particular insight into the role of senior and middle management, the impact of training and deployment of expertise.

This paper is based on an ongoing, longitudinal, empirical study of a single case study in Ireland.

This paper tracks the development of CI in a HEI in a longitudinal manner and adds to the emerging the literature in this area. The paper evaluates the role of management at various levels, analyses the use of LSS tools and techniques and evaluated the role of training and capacity building. Implications for Management are shared including: design and role of training programmes, role of champions at various organisational levels, including key functional areas and sustaining momentum.

To preview new titles showcased at Book Expo 2007 held in June in New York City.

The review is based on selecting for review that which was displayed by both mainstream and small presses.

Some predominant themes were leadership, management and business development.

These new titles provide a way to understand how the thinking in these areas is changing and how as a result the workplace is changing.

This is a tool that librarians can use to update their collections in these areas.

Implementing lean management (LM) provides universities with a variety of benefits and utilities. The purpose of this study is to systematically analyze the existing literature on the implementation of LM in universities.

A systematic literature review is undertaken to identify, select and evaluate the literature. A total of 68 articles were identified in Web of Science and Scopus, analyzed and synthesized from the first article published on the topic (2003) to mid-2020.

Literature analysis and evaluation have enabled us to offer a novel literature classification based around four research lines that summarize the empirical evidence on LM implementation in universities, namely, lean applied to academic management processes; lean applied to administrative management processes; factors that facilitate lean implementation and results obtained with lean. Finally, the gaps and challenges for future research into LM in universities are presented.

This study provides a characterization of the research carried out into LM implementation in universities, which facilitates the work of both scholars wishing either to begin or to dig deeper into this sphere and university professionals and managers pursuing the best outcomes from LM.

The Internet and social media have fundamentally transformed the ways in which individuals find jobs. Relatively little is known about how demand-side market actors use online information and the implications for social stratification and mobility. This study provides an in-depth exploration of the online recruitment strategies pursued by human resource (HR) professionals. Qualitative interviews with 61 HR recruiters in two southern US metro areas reveal two distinct patterns in how they use Internet resources to fill jobs. For low and general skill work, they post advertisements to online job boards (e.g., Monster and CareerBuilder) with massive audiences of job seekers. By contrast, for high-skill or supervisory positions, they use LinkedIn to target passive candidates – employed individuals who are not looking for work but might be willing to change jobs. Although there are some intermediate practices, the overall picture is one of an increasingly bifurcated “winner-take-all” labor market in which recruiters focus their efforts on poaching specialized superstar talent (“purple squirrels”) from the ranks of the currently employed, while active job seekers are relegated to the hyper-competitive and impersonal “black hole” of the online job boards.