An Open Letter to Deans of Business Schools

Dear Dean,

My name is Lawrence M. Schneider, founder of the Schneider Axiom Institute™ (SAI).

I am reaching out to share an emerging area of business study that I believe warrants serious academic consideration: the Discipline of Constraint Identification and Resolution.

This discipline is dedicated to the systematic identification, analysis, prioritization, and resolution of the constraints that prevent organizations from achieving their full potential. These constraints may limit revenue growth, profitability, productivity, operational efficiency, workforce performance, leadership effectiveness, customer acquisition and retention, innovation, strategic execution, organizational scalability, and long-term enterprise value.

While business schools may address some of these topics across disciplines such as management, strategy, operations, and organizational development, these subjects are typically taught in isolation. I have seen the cost of that isolation repeatedly — a manufacturer investing in a new system to solve what was actually a leadership constraint, a services firm hiring more salespeople to address what was, in fact, a market positioning problem. Constraint Identification and Resolution seeks to unify these perspectives into a single, structured discipline focused specifically on diagnosing and eliminating the underlying constraint that drives organizational underperformance. In our experience, once the governing constraint is correctly identified, the problems it was producing — the symptoms — are usually resolved as a direct result.

To support the development of this discipline, the Schneider Axiom Institute has built a growing body of work that includes more than 160 white papers and a 21-volume book series covering constraint-related challenges across multiple industries, business functions, and organizational contexts. The evidentiary case for this discipline — including U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics survival data and a historical parallel to the slow institutional adoption of total quality management — is detailed in our Academic Case Paper, available here.

The discipline itself emerged from more than fifty years of executive leadership and business experience across multiple industries. Throughout my career as a CEO, entrepreneur, and advisor, I observed a consistent pattern: organizations rarely fail due to lack of effort or opportunity, but rather due to critical constraints that were never clearly identified or effectively resolved.

These observations led to the development of a structured discipline for understanding and addressing these constraints in a systematic and repeatable way.

At this stage, SAI is not seeking to offer a traditional course. Rather, we are seeking academic dialogue regarding whether this area of study may represent a meaningful addition to the evolving landscape of business education, research, and executive development.

If appropriate, I would greatly appreciate the opportunity for a brief conversation with you or a member of your academic leadership team.

Thank you for your time and consideration. I would value your perspective.

Sincerely,
Lawrence M. Schneider
Founder, Schneider Axiom Institute™
[Phone Number] · [Email Address] · [Website]

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Read the Academic Case Paper →

Schedule a Conversation with Larry →

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