A knowledge organization is defined as one in which people use systems and processes to generate, transform, manage, use, and transfer knowledge-based products and services to achieve organizational goals. Institutions of higher learning epitomize this definition. Throughout academe, departments are organized around academic disciplines for the purpose of creating, transferring, and applying knowledge in three principal areas: teaching, research, and service. The effectiveness in each of these areas can be measured using techniques that are well-known and have been successfully applied to the study of industrial value streams. However, there has been little interest in viewing academic processes from this perspective with an emphasis on how effective core knowledge processes are in achieving desired outcomes. This is especially problematic considering how the nation's academic infrastructure impacts the lives of each of its citizens. Our paper demonstrates how systems thinking, value stream analysis, and the principles of knowledge management can be applied to improve performance in higher education.
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