ABSTRACT
Edinburgh Napier University was a relatively early adopter of lean-type improvement in the United Kingdom Higher Education sector. The avoidance of the term “lean” was intended to allow for flexibility in approach, and was also to distance the activity from unsuccessful lean branded initiatives in other local organisations. The Edinburgh Napier University approach further evolved in 2017 and is centred on a Business Improvement Programme as one of six programmes in a Change Portfolio approach adopted by the University. The Business Improvement Framework brings together both new and existing information on Business Improvement tools, training, “people who can help”, external resources, FAQs and case studies, and is designed to support and empower staff to carry out improvements. Continuous Improvement Partners is a groundswell personal development initiative, where a small group of staff take part in an annual programme of 10 action learning sets and monthly mentoring, in order to develop skills in applying continuous improvement to their work.
