33rd Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC 33) - Osaka and Kyoto, Japan - 2025

https://doi.org/10.24928/2025/0131

A Decade of Transformation: the Role of the German Lean Construction Institute in the Construction Industry

Marc Weinmann1, Thomas Bär2, (Paul) Christian John3 & Shervin Haghsheno4

1PhD Student, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Germany, [email protected], orcid.org/0000-0003-3871-0553
2Managing Director, German Lean Construction Institute – GLCI e.V., Karlsruhe, Germany [email protected], orcid.org/0009-0002-2644-1376
3PhD Student, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Germany, [email protected], orcid.org/0009-0005-0648-9331
4Professor, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Germany, [email protected], orcid.org/0000-0002-0602-6370

Abstract

Since its foundation in 2014, the German Lean Construction Institute (GLCI) has made a significant contribution to the diffusion of Lean Construction in Germany. During this time, the GLCI has professionalised structurally by establishing an office with full-time employees, and the application of Lean Construction has developed considerably. This paper examines the impact of the GLCI as an institution on this development and is based on a survey reflecting the perception of the construction industry in Germany. It also analyses what value such an institution must offer in order to further promote the diffusion of Lean Construction. The survey results show that conferences, networking opportunities, community building, training and further education programmes, and publications are perceived as main added values of the GLCI. The study clearly demonstrates that the GLCI exerts a substantial impact on the awareness of Lean Construction in Germany, while its impact on the practical implementation within the industry is also assessed as significant. The findings provide valuable insights for the further development of the GLCI and offer international perspectives for other Lean Construction institutions to accelerate the diffusion of Lean Construction principles and tools.

Keywords

Lean construction, Germany, diffusion, institution, network.

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Reference in APA 7th edition format:

Weinmann, M., Bär, T., John, (. C. & Haghsheno, S.. (2025). A Decade of Transformation: the Role of the German Lean Construction Institute in the Construction Industry. In Seppänen, O., Koskela, L., & Murata , K. (Eds.), Proceedings of the 33rd Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC 33) (pp. 1540–1550). https://doi.org/10.24928/2025/0131

Shortened reference for use in IGLC papers:

Weinmann, M., Bär, T., John, (. C. & Haghsheno, S.. (2025). A Decade of Transformation: the Role of the German Lean Construction Institute in the Construction Industry. IGLC33. https://doi.org/10.24928/2025/0131

 

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