Eric O. Olsen

Eric Olsen is a professor in the Industrial Technology Area at the Orfalea College of Business, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, where he directs Cal Poly’s Lean Six Sigma Green and Black Belt Certification Program and chairs the Industrial Technology Advisory Board.

Olsen’s research and applied work center on lean transformation, continuous improvement, and building sustainable communities of practice. As director of Central Coast Lean — a self-funded initiative — he fosters collaborative learning through workshops, improvement events, and conferences across California's Central Coast. As co-lead of the Future of People at Work initiative, he unites nine improvement organizations to advance more human-centric and effective workplaces. He is also the developer of “Customer Lean,” an innovative methodology that actively engages customers as partners in organizational improvement processes.

Prior to entering academia, Olsen spent more than 20 years in engineering and manufacturing management at Caterpillar, Litton Industries, and Hewlett Packard.

Education

• Ph.D, B.A., Management and Operations, Ohio State University Fisher College of Business, 1999-2004
• MBA, Virginia Tech, 1981–1987
• B.S. Forest Engineering, University of Maine, 1975 – 1979