Enhancing Black Belts via academic mastery

Abstract

Purpose

In May 2010, a new collaborative initiative was launched between the Portsmouth Business School and Hewlett Packard, wherein trained Black Belts (BB) were enabled to pursue an MSc in strategic quality management. Five years on from its commencement, the purpose of this paper is to explore the development and impact of this initiative.

Design/methodology/approach

Inductive, exploratory, multi-viewpoint participant-observer case study that triangulates the academic, student and employer reactions to the programme.

Findings

The paper evaluates how the academic dimension provided by the MSc has impacted on candidates’ work as BB.

Practical implications

Employee engagement and enthusiasm has been increased, as has the depth and breadth of the knowledge base among the participating BB, who are then applying these new skills in their improvement projects to make them more sustainable as well as financially valuable. They have been able to transfer knowledge to team members.

Originality/value

This approach provides a model for accelerated development of groups of quality professionals within larger organisations. There is evidence that the community spirit that grows within and across cohorts has a multiplying effect that enhances the impact for the sponsoring organisation beyond the simple sum of the performance and skills improvement on a student by student basis.

Citation

Savage, B.M. and Sreevathsan, S.K. (2016), "Enhancing Black Belts via academic mastery", Business Process Management Journal, Vol. 22 No. 5, pp. 909-923. https://doi.org/10.1108/BPMJ-02-2016-0032