https://doi.org/10.24928/2024/0105

Transition to a Lean Mindset Through the “Hero’s Journey”

Tobias O. Malvik¹ & Atle Engebø²

¹PhD Candidate, Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway, [email protected], https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7588-1899
²Researcher, PhD, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway, +47 905 71 902, [email protected], orcid.org/0000-0002-5293-0176

Abstract

Transitioning from a conventional, established, and familiar project mindset to a Lean mindset has proved challenging and is a barrier to implementing Lean Construction. It has been argued that shifting from traditional management thinking to a Lean mindset can be considered a paradigm shift. Such substantial changes will require overcoming innate resistance and adjusting ingrained habits to become progressive and open-minded to the potential benefits of new ideas. This conceptual paper investigates how the potentially demanding change from a traditional mindset to a Lean mindset can be dealt with by employing Joseph Campbell’s “Hero’s Journey” framework. The Hero’s Journey describes a generic journey about overcoming challenges met when facing unfamiliar territory. It is found in antique stories but is also applicable in life. A way to tackle the challenging task of adjusting to the ongoing change in the construction industry using the Hero’s Journey is proposed in this paper. The research shows that applying the Hero’s Journey framework in a construction context can be valuable for making the transition to a Lean mindset less daunting for practitioners.

Keywords

Lean construction, Hero’s journey, Collaboration, Storytelling, Change

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Reference

Malvik, T. O. & Engebø, A. 2024. Transition to a Lean Mindset Through the “Hero’s Journey”, Proceedings of the 32nd Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC 32) , 1086-1098. doi.org/10.24928/2024/0105

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