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Developing a university-accredited Lean Six Sigma curriculum to overcome system blindness
Martin McNamara1, SeÁn Paul Teeling1,2
1UCD School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Systems, College of Health and Agricultural Sciences, Dublin 4, Ireland.
Summary
University accreditation of a Lean Six Sigma (LSS) program, grounded in systems thinking, enabled successful healthcare quality improvement projects. This approach validated LSS beyond mere technical training, fostering academic credibility.
Area of Science:
- Healthcare Management
- Systems Engineering
- Educational Program Development
Background:
- Lean Six Sigma (LSS) adoption in healthcare often faces challenges, perceived as technical training rather than strategic improvement.
- Embedding and sustaining LSS initiatives requires robust educational frameworks and academic credibility.
- Previous LSS programs lacked university accreditation, limiting their integration into healthcare organizations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the development and accreditation of a Lean Six Sigma postgraduate program for healthcare in Ireland.
- To demonstrate how conceptual frameworks, specifically systems thinking, were integrated to legitimize the LSS program within academia.
- To highlight the role of university accreditation in fostering the successful implementation of LSS projects in healthcare settings.
Main Methods:
- Development of a postgraduate Lean Six Sigma curriculum contextualized within established academic frameworks (Senge's Fifth Discipline, Deming's System of Profound Knowledge).
- Integration of systems thinking, using Oshry's work on system blindness, as a core curriculum component.
- Securing accreditation from a national research-intensive university for the LSS program.
Main Results:
- The university-accredited LSS program led to over 90 quality improvement projects across 50 Irish healthcare organizations.
- The curriculum's focus on systems thinking successfully countered misconceptions of LSS as solely technical training.
- Accreditation established the program's legitimacy and credibility within the academic community.
Conclusions:
- University accreditation is a critical factor for the successful embedding and sustainability of Lean Six Sigma in healthcare.
- Integrating systems thinking into LSS education enhances its academic standing and practical application in complex healthcare environments.
- This model provides a blueprint for developing and accrediting similar postgraduate programs to drive healthcare quality improvement.
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