Using the Holon Framework : from Enquiry to Metrication – A Higher Education Case Study

This paper discusses the Holon Framework, which aims to improve and control processes within a School in a university in the United Kingdom. The developing framework has emerged from the Systems Movement and Software Engineering, combining aspects of Soft Systems Thinking and Hard Systems Thinking. We highlight the key characteristics of Higher Education Process Improvement and Control. An overview of the soft and hard part of the Holon Framework is provided. We justify the case study approach given the nature of the investigation. The soft part of the framework, which is linked to improvement, is employed to identify relevant problems and generate a baseline metrics programme. The research design of the case study is used to evaluate our findings. Finally, we outline future work in employing the hard part of the framework which is linked to control; this will complete the full cycle of research and further establish the Holon Framework. “I keep six honest serving-men: (They taught me all I knew) Their names are What and Where and When And How and Why and Who.” (Rudyard Kipling 1912)