Hoshin Kanri in Higher Education

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 wbalzer@bgsu.edu. 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.

Section I. Introduction to Hoshin Kanri, 1. Introduction to Hoshin Kanri, 2. A Practitioner's Guide to Hoshin Kanri: Process and Tools, 3. The Usefulness of Selected Goal Theories in Hoshin Kanri, 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, 5. Implementing Hoshin Kanri at the University of Nottingham, 6. Hoshin Kanri as a Strategic Management Tool in a University of Art: A Case Study of the Academy of Music in Bydgoszcz, 7. Linking Team Activity to Department Strategy Using Hoshin Kanri in an HE Setting, 8. Expanding Catchball as Part of the Continuous Improvement Journey to Implement Hoshin Kanri, 9. The Edinburgh Napier University Strategy Development and Implementation Journey, 10. Hoshin Kanri in Service of Delivering Value, 11. Introducing Hoshin Kanri at Maastricht University: The Journey from Individual Green Belt Lean to Strategy Deployment at the Institutional Level, 12. Hoshin Planning in an 800-year-old University: Proving the Value, 13. Senior Leadership Support and Commitment of Resources: Key Elements in Hoshin Kanri Strategy Development, Deployment, and Management at Bowling Green State University, 14. Adapting Hoshin Kanri for COVID Recovery and Reshaping at Michigan State University, 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, 16.Novel Approaches of Hoshin Kanri in Higher Education, 17. Getting Started: General Guidance for Implementing Hoshin Kanri in Higher Education, Section IV. Implications for Practice and Research, 18. Hoshin Kanri: Implications for Practice and Research