Finding Kaizen core values in AACSB standards accreditation: a conceptual study

In recent years, derived from environmental pressures and what the twenty-first century customers demand, many higher education institutions worldwide have gradually begun to incorporate notions of continuous improvement in their educational processes. Some colleges and universities have turned their attention to international accrediting associations, not only to achieve accreditation, but also to improve and ensure the quality of their educational services. Kaizen, as a continuous improvement philosophy, can represent an approach for higher education institutions that seek to gradually improve educational processes and services in order to achieve a reputation that is attractive to students. Therefore, a vital question arises: Can we find elements in common between the Kaizen approach and the standards of North American accrediting associations (such as the AACSB)? The employed methodology was content analysis (content-based perspective) of the theoretical concepts of both the Kaizen approach and its guiding principles, as well as those from the AACSB standards. The data analysis was carried out under the comparison method. Findings answer the research question posed by demonstrating that there is indeed a link between some AACSB standards and the guiding principles of Kaizen. The main contribution of the research is the identification of seven AACSB standards with Kaizen core values. As well, the research identified differences and lessons learned. The main limitation of the research is that this work is a theoretical analysis. An empirical angle observing management practices in educational services in higher education institutions is required in order to further deepen the findings. Finding the relationship between Kaizen and the AACSB standards is the first step in discovering which of those standards are based on continuous improvement. Therefore, it can be very useful for educational services managers who are looking to accredit their organisations. The study contributes to the limited literature of Kaizen in the education sector and its relationship with the accreditation standards of higher education services. Although the literature shows works that relate Total Quality Management to the education sector, few works approach Kaizen to educational services and even less to accrediting organisations such as the AACSB.