As president of TCS Education System, I regularly find myself describing our model to others. In short, we’re a collaborative system of colleges and universities that uses shared brainpower and economies of scale to enhance student success while optimizing efficiency. We achieve these goals with a laser-sharp focus on continuous improvement: measurement and benchmarking, auditing and re-evaluating, ideating and innovating. It’s a relentless, sleeves-rolled-up approach to operational excellence that doesn’t happen easily — but yields massive rewards.

Over the years, I’ve noticed a pattern. When I enumerate the principles that guide our System, many colleagues within higher education are often perplexed, sometimes even a bit uncomfortable. Despite years of experience, many administrators simply aren’t used to looking at their organizations through a continuous improvement lens. When talking with peers outside higher education, in contrast, I’m met with a different kind of perplexity, one that could be summed up in the phrase “so what?” To paraphrase a recent blunt but respectful exchange: “Your model isn’t unique. It’s completely commonplace in business, healthcare, tech and many other sectors.”

That unvarnished comment shines a light on an underlying truth: Many higher education institutions (and, I hypothesize, other NPOs as well) lag behind on continuous improvement practices that drive success in the business world. Lest my argument is misunderstood as a push to “turn colleges into businesses,” let me be clear that that is not my intent. But far from being enemies of the academic endeavor, rigorous operational efficiency and bold, strategic innovation — both revered principles in business — should be viewed as sources of potential untapped power for colleges and universities.

Read the full article about Michael Horowitz's business approach to higher education at Forbes.