The university’s research center collaborates with JMP for reform.

Shanghai has lofty goals. The city is armed with recently approved plans to transform itself into an international financial and shipping hub by 2020. And its university has aspirations to become one of the top academic institutions in eastern China.

But who will take the lead? Enter Professor Steve Si, dean of the School of Management at Shanghai University since last year. His idea is to establish the Shanghai University Research Center of Continuous Process Improvement (CPI) and Lean Six Sigma Authentication Center. The purpose of the center is to educate students and business professionals who hope to learn how to bolster overall performance in current or future organizations.

Founding the center is not only a strategy to gain prestige and increase the research capability of the school, but it is also a sign of the institution’s commitment to quality management, an opportune topic as China’s State Council and the Shanghai Municipal Government plan to position Shanghai as a leading port and financial center within a decade.

Reaching these goals will be largely dependent upon the abilities of regional businesses to make their processes more efficient and cost effective. It will also depend upon the university center’s ability to provide guidance during the conversion.

A shifting paradigm

While Shanghai University is the second in the country to establish a CPI/Lean Six Sigma center, it is the first to focus on the education of students and businesses together under one roof. This is in contrast to other centers that primarily compete with consulting firms for quality management contracts.

Si’s primary challenge is to raise awareness for the CPI/Lean Six Sigma center. After working in North America for 16 years and being removed from his Chinese network, Si might have confronted resistance in a relationship-centric society. However, many have recognized the value of data-driven, methodological quality initiatives and Si has a solid working relationship with government leaders. Good timing, as Shanghai moves toward its 2020 status.

Lending credibility to the center’s establishment was the June 11 opening ceremony. Situated in the northwestern corner of Shanghai, the CPI/Lean Six Sigma center opened its doors to speakers and School of Management faculty, who view the facility as a meaningful professional opportunity for students and businesses alike.

Si officiated, first announcing that JMP statistical software from SAS will be exclusively used by the center for research and training. He followed by introducing John Sall, co-founder and Executive Vice President of SAS, through what some described as “a diplomatic telegraph.” Sall sent a congratulatory letter commending the center’s founding, identifying it as a tremendous resource in both the city’s and the university’s progressive ventures.

“John Sall is a famous statistician from the United States,” Si happily explained to the attendees. “I am really honored to have received such a letter.”

The true value of this initiative is more substantial than the improved reputation and university rank that will likely result. “The new CPI center will greatly help the students get firsthand knowledge of the real world, rather than from a textbook,” said Bryan Yan, Country Sales Manager for JMP China and a part-time instructor at the CPI/Lean Six Sigma center.

Yan predicts a shift in university thinking. “I think in the long run, it will be a trend to make business schools more competitive by inviting high level managers from leading industries to be part-time teachers. The CPI center goes even further in this way.”

In the past, Chinese business schools have relied on Excel or Minitab for class instruction. However, concrete lessons have proven more meaningful. After taking over as dean, Si invited professionals from consulting firms to train management school students. “I heard that the training went very well, as the students never [before] got a chance to know how to run a company, how to provide consulting service to manufacturers, how to improve quality and efficiency of a service company,” said Yan.

Because JMP is designed in a way that allows users to visualize data and to interact with the numbers, it has enhanced the work of varied organizations for 20 years. JMP has the potential to provide a rich and tangible learning experience for students who hope to run companies, and for managers who already are.

A partnership is born

The relationship between the university and software company is a reciprocal one. The JMP China team will support the centers with CPI/Lean Six Sigma training. The partners will hold joint marketing events in December 2009. “The center will not only use JMP, but probably recommend JMP to their stakeholders, such as companies seeking Lean Six Sigma service or certification from the center,” Yan added.

Sall echoed the sentiments, writing, “We are pleased to be with you from the beginning. We look forward to working together over the next 20 years to enhance your university curriculum and to partner with you in finding new paths to excellence for your students and for the industries and organizations they will serve.”

The year 2020 will be here soon. Luckily, the university is dedicated to sustaining the city it calls home. Shanghai is prepared with development plans, and now its university is prepared with the quality management tools needed to reach its reform goals.