Kaizen Events at the University of St. Thomas: Experiential Learning for Students

This paper describes how the Operations and Supply Chain Management Department at the University of St. Thomas uses kaizen events as a vehicle to integrate undergraduate and professional programs with local area organizations. A unique business collaboration was created where the faculty members led an actual lean kaizen event at a local organization. Project team members included lead and support faculty, undergraduate students, professional certification students, and company representatives. In a one-week intensive experience, teams addressed real issues at a local organization and implemented changes that had positive impacts on the student learning experience and the bottom lines of the participating organizations. This paper discusses how to conduct a kaizen event student project as well as challenges and benefits related to this approach.