{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,2]],"date-time":"2025-08-02T17:47:22Z","timestamp":1754156842120,"version":"3.41.2"},"reference-count":16,"publisher":"Emerald","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2016,9,5]],"date-time":"2016-09-05T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1473033600000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/www.emerald.com\/insight\/site-policies"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2016,9,5]]},"abstract":"\n Purpose<\/jats:title>\n \u2013 In May 2010, a new collaborative initiative was launched between the Portsmouth Business School and Hewlett Packard, wherein trained Black Belts (BB) were enabled to pursue an MSc in strategic quality management. Five years on from its commencement, the purpose of this paper is to explore the development and impact of this initiative. <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Design\/methodology\/approach<\/jats:title>\n \u2013 Inductive, exploratory, multi-viewpoint participant-observer case study that triangulates the academic, student and employer reactions to the programme. <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Findings<\/jats:title>\n \u2013 The paper evaluates how the academic dimension provided by the MSc has impacted on candidates\u2019 work as BB. <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Practical implications<\/jats:title>\n \u2013 Employee engagement and enthusiasm has been increased, as has the depth and breadth of the knowledge base among the participating BB, who are then applying these new skills in their improvement projects to make them more sustainable as well as financially valuable. They have been able to transfer knowledge to team members. <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Originality\/value<\/jats:title>\n \u2013 This approach provides a model for accelerated development of groups of quality professionals within larger organisations. There is evidence that the community spirit that grows within and across cohorts has a multiplying effect that enhances the impact for the sponsoring organisation beyond the simple sum of the performance and skills improvement on a student by student basis.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1108\/bpmj-02-2016-0032","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2016,8,9]],"date-time":"2016-08-09T06:44:31Z","timestamp":1470725071000},"page":"909-923","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Enhancing Black Belts via academic mastery"],"prefix":"10.1108","volume":"22","author":[{"given":"Barbara M","family":"Savage","sequence":"first","affiliation":[]},{"given":"Sampath Kumar","family":"Sreevathsan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]}],"member":"140","reference":[{"key":"key2020121221131463000_b1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Amin, A.\n and \n Roberts, J.\n (2008), \u201cKnowing in action: beyond communities of practice\u201d, \n Research Policy\n , Vol. 37 No. 2, pp. 353-369.","DOI":"10.1016\/j.respol.2007.11.003"},{"key":"key2020121221131463000_b2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Bolboli, S.A.\n and \n Reiche, M.\n (2014), \u201cCulture-based design and implementation of business excellence\u201d, \n The TQM Journal\n , Vol. 26 No. 4, pp. 329-347.","DOI":"10.1108\/TQM-01-2014-0015"},{"key":"key2020121221131463000_b3","unstructured":"Bryman, A.\n and \n Bell, E.\n (2011), \n Business Research Methods\n , 3rd ed., Oxford University Press, Oxford."},{"key":"key2020121221131463000_b4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Clinebell, S.K.\n and \n Clinebell, J.M.\n (2008), \u201cThe tension in business education between academic rigor and real-world relevance: the role of executive professors\u201d, \n Academy of Management Learning & Education\n , Vol. 7 No. 1, pp. 99-107.","DOI":"10.5465\/amle.2008.31413867"},{"key":"key2020121221131463000_b5","unstructured":"Collison, C.\n and \n Parcell, G.\n (2004), \n Learning to Fly: Practice Knowledge Management from Leading and Learning Organizations\n , Capstone, Chichester."},{"key":"key2020121221131463000_b6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Garavan, T.N.\n (1997), \u201cTraining, development, education and learning: different or the same?\u201d, \n Journal of European Industrial Training\n , Vol. 21 No. 2, pp. 39-50.","DOI":"10.1108\/03090599710161711"},{"key":"key2020121221131463000_b7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Gupta, B.\n (2011), \u201cA comparative study of organizational strategy and culture across industry\u201d, \n Benchmarking: An International Journal\n , Vol. 18 No. 4, pp. 510-528.","DOI":"10.1108\/14635771111147614"},{"key":"key2020121221131463000_b8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Hilton, R.J.\n and \n Sohal, A.\n (2012), \u201cA conceptual model for the successful deployment of Lean Six Sigma\u201d, \n International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management\n , Vol. 29 No. 1, pp. 54-70.","DOI":"10.1108\/02656711211190873"},{"key":"key2020121221131463000_b9","unstructured":"Kolb, D.A.\n (1984), \n Experiential Learning: Experience as a Source of Learning\n , Prentice-Hall, Eaglewood Cliffs, NJ."},{"key":"key2020121221131463000_b10","unstructured":"Maguire, P.\n (2009), \u201cTCE\n\t\t\t\t\t&\n\t\t\t\tQ strategy\u201d, unpublished Hewlett Packard internal report."},{"key":"key2020121221131463000_b11","unstructured":"O\u2019Connor, T.\n (1994), \u201cEmergent properties\u201d, \n American Philosophical Quarterly\n , Vol. 31 No. 2, pp. 91-104."},{"key":"key2020121221131463000_b12","unstructured":"Saunders, M.\n , \n Lewis, P.\n and \n Thornhill, A.\n (2012), \n Research Methods for Business Students\n , 6th ed., Pearson, Harlow."},{"key":"key2020121221131463000_b13","unstructured":"Verdurmen, A.\n (2015), \u201cWay(s) to improve articulation of tacit knowledge within the Hewlett-Packard organization\u201d, unpublished MSc dissertation, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth."},{"key":"key2020121221131463000_b14","unstructured":"Wenger, E.\n (1998), \n Communities of Practice\n , Cambridge University Press, Cambridge."},{"key":"key2020121221131463000_b15","unstructured":"Wenger, E.C.\n and \n Snyder, W.M.\n (2000), \u201cCommunities of practice \u2013 the organizational frontier\u201d, Harvard Business Review, reprinted in Harvard Business Review on organizational learning, Harvard Business Press, Boston, MA, January-February."},{"key":"key2020121221131463000_b16","unstructured":"Xiaojing, L.\n , \n Shijuan, L.\n , \n Seung-hee, L.\n and \n Richard, J.M.\n (2010), \u201cCultural differences in online learning: international student perceptions\u201d, \n Educational Technology & Society\n , Vol. 13 No. 3, pp. 177-188."}],"container-title":["Business Process Management 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