Portsmouth Business School
Successful collaboration between HP and Business School
Mon, Dec 13, 2010
The HP employees, known as 'Lean Sigma Black Belts', are an elite group of individuals trained to use 'lean' methodology, which is based on identifying waste within an organisation and focusing on customer needs. Half way through the programme, they are reporting a significant change in how they work within the company.
Employee and student Ray Dodd said: “The course challenges my inherent beliefs, attitudes, behaviours and takes me well outside my comfort zone. I'm learning all the time and the tutors really provoke thought, self reliance and self belief.”
Hewlett-Packard, which has approximately 304,000 employees worldwide, identified Ray and 20 key contributors from their Lean Sigma community for the work-based learning programme. Each individual has taken on a specific business project, fundamental to the organisation, to form the basis of their studies.
The new, tailored delivery of the existing Masters qualification in Strategic Quality Management has been designed by the University in collaboration with HP, one of the globe’s most recognisable IT brands, to assist in meeting its strategic objectives of enhanced customer responsiveness and efficiency.
HP employee and student Mihaela Stancu said: “The course is providing me with a strong foundation for developing competent business knowledge and better understanding of how HP as a company operates. It has also enabled me to apply the knowledge I have gained within my working area straightaway.”
The MSc programme is designed to last around 18 months at which point the students’ strategic goal should be achieved. The individuals receive their Masters qualification in recognition of researching global good practice relevant to HP.
Course leader, Barbara Savage, said: “The course team have worked closely with HP to develop a new way of delivering the existing MSc in Strategic Quality Management so that it complements HP’s Black Belt training programme and integrates effectively with the students’ day to day quality improvement activities. This approach adds value to the technical content of the course, while retaining the rigour and academic standards appropriate to a Master’s qualification.
“In addition, this special delivery mode provides an efficient way to enhance the students’ knowledge and capabilities in a relatively short timescale. Just two months after the conclusion of the first university-based study week, students were reporting measurable benefits to the company that could be directly ascribed to their studies at Portsmouth, and which went well beyond that which had been anticipated.”
Students spend two week-long sessions at the university and the remaining study is done via distance learning with access to e-learning facilities and direct contact with their University mentor.