TITLE:
Lean, Six Sigma and Lean Six Sigma in Higher Education: A Review of Experiences around the World
AUTHORS:
Sylvie Nadeau
KEYWORDS:
Lean, Six Sigma, Higher Education, University
JOURNAL NAME:
American Journal of Industrial and Business Management,
Vol.7 No.5,
May
22,
2017
ABSTRACT: Economic, demographic, social, technological and
political changes worldwide are putting academic institutions under intense
pressures. In response, universities are adopting new managerial approaches to
their activities: lean, six sigma and lean six sigma. A portrait of this
experience emerges from reviewing the literature published over the past decade
using the databases Compendex & INSPEC/Engineering Village and Scopus.
These approaches have been applied primarily on a highly localized basis to
teaching-related processes or to services such as financing, data processing
and building maintenance. Some of the challenges raised are not unknown outside
of the university setting. The complexity of universities, the difficulties of
interpreting notions such as the client, added value, and the connexions
between teaching and research, make the implementation of these approaches
difficult. While the few measured results available suggest that they do hold
promise, their impact remains to be determined.