ERIC Number: ED394585
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1996-Feb
Pages: 8
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
A Practical Approach To Identify and Solve Problems: Continuous Improvement Strategies.
Burgess, Michael; And Others
The current pressures of reduced government funding, lower enrollments, and greater scrutiny by governing boards require institutions of higher education to redesign processes and systems to survive. Despite resistance to Total Quality Management (TQM) in academia, it can provide the tools to implement systemic change and quality improvement. Continuous improvement is not an event or a program, but a process predicated on a long-term organizational commitment to fundamental change and requiring a high level of commitment and strong leadership. Essential tools in implementing a change process include Deming's Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle, which provides a road map for identifying potential areas of improvement, pilot-testing remedies, evaluating effects, and institutionalizing the changes. Other tools include the use of control charts, scatter diagrams, and new management plans and practices to map existing processes, identify areas for action, set priorities, measure results, and determine directions for future improvement. Finally, key elements that can help ensure success include maintaining a focus on customers, primarily students, and maintaining leadership to guide and sustain the endeavor. Contains 11 references. (BCY)
Publication Type: Opinion Papers; Speeches/Meeting Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Note: In: The Olympics of Leadership: Overcoming Obstacles, Balancing Skills, Taking Risks. Proceedings of the Annual International Conference of the National Community College Chair Academy (5th, Phoenix, AZ, February 14-17, 1996); see JC 960 276.