It’s not often I get to go into full geek mode. It’s like the opposite of the superhero transition, where I twirl round and go from Wonder (SBL) Woman, to bespectacled Business Theorist. I can’t help it. Just say the names, Humphrey, Porter and Covey, or start talking to me about Lean, Six Sigma or Start with Why? and watch me start to spin. I’ve had this affliction for most of my adult life. My children used to be very patient when walking past ‘Zara’ in town, eventually learning to pre-empt me by saying, “yes Mum, supply chain management” before I had chance to speak. I once received a copy of ‘Leaders Eat Last’ from my Finance Team, and a 2nd hand copy of Porter’s ‘Competitive Advantage of Nations’, gifted to me by my son Jake, is a prized possession.
So today, you can imagine, I was totally in my element at the ISBL launch of their Operational Excellence Framework for Schools and Trusts. You can download for free the results of the research, and the resulting framework HERE.
Definitely not dry
Before I arrived at the launch today, I had immersed myself in operational excellence on the internet. There is a lot out there and, take it from me, some of it is very dry (I’m not quite sure how some YouTube presenters manage to suck all the fun out of business theory) but there was no dryness today. With support from The Key Group, ISBL has developed a practical framework which schools can use to improve their operational effectiveness. The Why? To provide the best conditions for teachers to teach, and pupils to learn.
There is no arguing with a framework that is, at its heart, a structure which will enable schools to improve outcomes for pupils. That is, after all, our ‘raison d’etre’ and we are all aware that there is always room for improvement in every process and system. I always think that even if we are currently using a cutting edge, no-one-is-going-to-make-this-baby-any-leaner process, someone will come along tomorrow and introduce a new piece of technology which makes our system look old-school.
So, what’s in it for me? (I hear you ask)
The benefits of operational excellence are that it creates capacity, reduces risks inherent in our established processes, reduces waste and brings about a change in culture. It’s not about cost saving, (although that is inevitably a potential benefit), its more about setting up good, documented, efficient systems so that schools are not just overly reliant on good people, who have a nasty habit of moving on and taking all their knowledge with them.
There is no suggestion that we leap straight in and start changing all our traditional school processes. Just that we read the framework and what ‘good’ looks like, and consider whether an improvement in one system might demonstrate the power of the Operational Excellence methodology in our own setting. Feeding back your success will enable ISBL to develop support services to assist schools in an incremental implementation, if they need it.
ISBL have taken disciplines, which have been proven to drive success in business, and developed a powerful, practical tool for schools and trusts to use, not only to improve their business systems, but also more importantly, outcomes for children.
Emma
