Biography
Darrin is a Lecturer in Management at South East Technological University (SETU) School of Business, Waterford. He is Joint Programme Director of the SETU Lean Organisational, Operational, and Enterprise Excellence portfolio of executive/practitioner programmes, and Co-Lead of the Academy of Lean Enterprise Excellence in the RIKON Research Centre. He lectures Lean modules on several executive/practitioner programmes, including the Master of Business Studies in Lean Enterprise Excellence, the Executive MBA, the Higher Diploma in Business in Operational Excellence, and the Diploma in Lean Fundamentals. He supervises postgraduate research on Lean, Continuous Improvement, and Change Management in public and private organisations of all scales and sizes and from across a variety of sectors.
Darrin’s research interests are primarily focused on the Socio elements of Lean as a Socio-Technical System. He regularly contributes to various Lean conferences and events, and researches and publishes in the Lean space, including past case books commissioned by Enterprise Ireland and Lean Construction Ireland.
Prior to entering academia in 2004, Darrin worked for over a decade in the private sector as an operations manager and in consultancy. He collaborates extensively with industry, encompassing public and private organisations across services, manufacturing, healthcare, public services, and construction. He is a Co-Founder and Steering Committee Member of Lean Business Ireland. He is Co-Chair of the South East Lean Network, and advised on the establishment of the other Regional Lean Networks throughout Ireland. Darrin supported Lean Construction Ireland (LCi) 2015-2022 in several parallel roles, including as Special Advisor to the LCi Board of Directors and to the LCi Client Forum, as LCi Capability Development Lead, as Creator and Editor of the LCi Annual Book of Cases 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021 (global sectoral first-of-kind), and led development of a standardised Lean Construction Course Portfolio at White Belt, Yellow Belt, Green Belt levels (global sectoral first-of-kind).
Darrin joined the South East Technological University School of Business in 2004 and has lectured a variety of modules at undergraduate and postgraduate levels in the areas of Management, Strategy, Leadership, Communications, Operations, and Lean.
He presently delivers modules in Lean on the Master of Business in Lean Enterprise Excellence; the Executive Master of Business Administration; the Higher Diploma in Business in Operational Excellence; and the Diploma in Lean Fundamentals. He also provides Research Supervision on the Lean Masters and Executive MBA.
Darrin's research interests are in Lean, Continuous Improvement, Organisational/Operational/Enterprise Excellence, with particular emphasis on the Socio elements.
Sample Publications:
Hines, P., Butterworth, C., Greenlee, C., Jekiel, C., & Taylor, D. (2022), 'Turning the lean world upside down', International Journal of Lean Six Sigma, Vol.13, No.5, pp.989-1024. DOI: 10.1108/IJLSS-09-2021-0166
Hines, P., Taylor, D., & Walsh, A. (2020) 'The Lean journey: have we got it wrong?', Total Quality Management & Business Excellence, Vol.31, No.3-4, pp.389-406, DOI: 10.1080/14783363.2018.1429258
Darrin has experience in management and consultancy roles having spent more than a decade working in industry before embarking in 2004 on an academic career at SETU. Darrin worked in food processing for two of those years and spent the remainder working in the services sector. In his role as Operations Manager for an Online Tourist Information & Booking Services enterprise, Darrin was responsible for managing all internal and external operations, the management of key supply networks across Ireland, the UK, and Europe, and the management of key client relations. In addition, Darrin managed the company's legal and financial affairs, including due diligence on several rounds of investment encompassing venture capital funds, Enterprise Ireland equity funds, and private equity investors. Subsequently, Darrin established and led his own consultancy firm that operated as a strategic partner to a leading Media & Communications company for the latter's online operations and communications and those of its corporate and State clients, as well as managing the accompanying supply networks and key client relations.