Superintendent’s method used by Boeing, Motorola by Helen Gao
The three M’s – managing for innovation, management by fact and market focus – are unfamiliar phrases to most people in the educational establishment. But don’t be surprised if, in the coming months, leaders of the San Diego Unified School District start spouting corporate-speak. Management principles long embraced by companies seeking a competitive edge are making inroads in the public school system, as Superintendent Carl Cohn pushes the district toward “Becoming America’s best.”
…
When the training was over, one question on employees’ minds was: “Will the district follow through with Baldrige?” After all, other improvement efforts had come and gone.
Good question. I think the Baldrige criteria can help, but it is not the most effective strategy (it is too often just a surface attempt to apply some “tools” without real change). I believe improvement methods, strategies and tools can work for education but the education area has special factors to consider. I suggest the following resources: David Langford, Alfie Kohn - books and articles by Kohn, Applying Lean Tools to University Courses, Ivan Webb’s School Improvement website, books on education improvement, k-12 education improvement links, Jenks Public Schools - 2005 Baldrige Award - UW- Madison Office of Quality Improvement, Improving Engineering Education
