Quality Management and Higher Education: Big-Q, Little-q, Leadership, and Culture
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33423/jabe.v26i5.7355Keywords:
business, economics, quality management, Big-Q, little-q, higher education, Six Sigma, Lean, W. Edwards Deming, leadership, cultureAbstract
Quality management is a philosophy that seeks to improve excellence in products, services, processes, and people. Quality management is more than a collection of tools and techniques. At its heart, it offers a different way of thinking about the organization, one that offers a unifying culture. Quality management has been successfully applied in manufacturing, service, healthcare, and a host of other fields, but applications to higher education have been comparatively limited. In this paper we distinguish between Big-Q (characterized by an overarching quality management system) and Little-q (a projects-based approach). We apply Deming’s 14 points to higher education leadership and culture, and we report on a case study which illustrates these principles in action.
References
Antony, J., Krishan, N., Cullen, D., & Kumar, M. (2012). Lean Six Sigma for higher education institutions (HEIs): Challenges, barriers, success factors, tools/techniques. International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, 61(8), 940–948.
Balzer, W.K., Brodke, M.H., & Thomas Kizhakethalackal, E. (2015). Lean higher education: successes, challenges, and realizing potential. International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, 32(9), 924–933.
Deming, W.E. (1986). Out of the crisis. Cambridge, MA: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Center for Advanced Engineering Study.
Deming, W.E. (1993). The new economics for industry, government, and education. Cambridge, MA: Massachusetts Institute of Technology for Advance Engineering Study.
Deming, W.E., & Walton, M. (1986). The Deming management method. New York, NY: Dodd, Mead and Company.
Doman, M.S. (2011). A new lean paradigm in higher education: A case study. Quality Assurance in Education, 19(3), 248–262.
Duderstadt, J.J. (2007). The view from the helm: Leading the American university during an era of change. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.
Goetsch, D.L., & Davis, S. (2013) Quality management for organizational excellence. Boston, MA: Pearson.
Graban, M. (2013). Don’t threaten people with this famous Dr. Deming quote. [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.leanblog.org/2013/02/dont-threaten-people-with-this-deming-quote/
Grant, D., Mergen, E., & Widrick, S. (2004). A comparative analysis of quality management in US and international universities. Total Quality Management & Business Excellence, 15(4), 423–438.
Gryna, F.M., Chua, R.C.H., & Defeo, J.A. (2007) Juran’s quality planning & analysis for enterprise quality. Boston, MA: McGraw Hill.
Kezar, A., & Eckel, P.D. (2002). The effect of institutional culture on change strategies in higher education: Universal principles or culturally responsive concepts? The Journal of Higher Education, 73(4), 435–460.
Liberale, A.P., & Kovach, J.V. (2017). Reducing the time for IRB Reviews: A case study. Journal of Research Administration, 48(2), 37–50.
Liker, J.K., & Franz, J.K. (2011). The Toyota way to continuous improvement: Linking strategy and operational excellence to achieve superior performance. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Maguad, B.A. (2011). Deming’s “profound knowledge”: Implications for higher education. Education, 131(4), 768–774.
Manatos, M.J., Sarrico, C.S., & Rosa (2017). The integration of quality management in higher education institutions: A systematic literature review. Total Quality Management, 28(2), 159–175.
Mark, E. (2013). Student satisfaction and the customer focus in higher education. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, 35(1), 2–10.
Papanthymou, A., & Darra, M. (2017). Quality management in higher education: Review and perspectives. Higher Education Studies, 7(3), 132–147.
SACSOC. (n.d). Quality enhancement plan. Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Retrieved from http://www.sacscoc.org/pdf/081705/Quality%20Enhancement%20Plan.pdf
Seyfried, M., & Pohlenz, P. (2018). Assessing quality assurance in higher education: Quality managers’ perceptions of effectiveness. European Journal of Higher Education, 8(3), 258–271.
Tettah, G.A. (2018). Quality in the higher education system: Use of the quality function deployment tool. Quality Approaches in Education, 9(1), 17–36.
Thomas, A., Antony, J., Haven-Tang, C., Francis, M., & Fisher, R. (2017). Implementing Lean Six Sigma into curriculum design and delivery–a case study in higher education. International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, 66(5), 577–597.
Vukadinovic, S., Djapan, M., & Macuzic, I. (2017). Education for lean & lean for education: A literature review. International Journal for Quality Research, 11(1), 35–50.
Waldman, J.D., & Schargel, F.P. (2006). Twins in trouble (II): Systems thinking in healthcare and education. Total Quality Management & Business Excellence, 17(1), 117–130.
