Abstract:

Lean Management (LM) principles and practices are key to achieving high levels of efficiency and quality in business processes. Industrial engineering graduates are often responsible for developing business processes and therefore require knowledge of the various aspects of LM. While LM originates in manufacturing, its principles and practices and practices are also used to enhance administrative processes and project management, for example. Therefore, there are diverse opportunities for students to specialise on LM deployment and pursue a career in the field of LM. For example, the postgraduate programme Master of Business Administration & Engineering (MBA&E) at the HTW Berlin, Germany, offers a four-module specialisation option in LM that aims at providing its graduates the readiness to succeed in a variety of LM related job profiles.

With the broad range of potentially relevant competencies related to LM, universities must pay attention to an effective programme design. With limited learning time, priorities must be set and trade-offs made among general industrial engineering learning objectives, LM specific learning objectives, and transferable skills that allow graduates to successfully bring their competencies to bear at the workplace. In addition, the choice of content is influenced by the availability of effective teaching practices, facilities that support them, as well as the teaching staff competencies. In order to produce an effective programme design, the education provider must be aware of a variety of factors including employer expectations, student learning motivation and capabilities and education delivery capabilities.

This study investigates the properties of effective programme designs through a questionnaire survey in order to discover the stakeholder perceptions of effective LM education. We report on a survey (n=18) with quantitative and qualitative elements in order to understand and prioritise the elements of effective LM education. As a result, we emphasise five competencies and areas of expertise: Overall understanding of LM methods and tools, Lean problem-solving methods, change management practices, and specific Lean Manufacturing and Lean Office expertise. In addition, the study revealed the need to develop a range of transferable skills, in particular the interpersonal skills of communication, teamwork and training. On this basis, we develop programme design recommendations and reflect them against the current design of the MBA&E programme.

Keywords:

Lean Management, Industrial Engineering, Higher Education, Germany.