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

https://doi.org/10.24928/2025/0174

Lean Construction for the Sake of What?

Randi M. Christensen1, Paz Arroyo2, Annett Schöttle3 & Glenn Ballard4

1Sustainability Director, COWI, [email protected], and Founder and Co-Director, CollabDecisions, orcid.org/0000-0002-3377-7057
2Quality Leader, DPR Construction, [email protected], and Founder and Co-Director, CollabDecisions, orcid.org/0000-0002-8098-8172
3Independent Consultant, [email protected], and Founder and Co-Director, CollabDecisions, orcid.org/0000-0001-6001-7320
4Research Associate, Project Production Systems Laboratory (P2SL), University of California, Berkeley, USA, [email protected], orcid.org/0000-0002-0948-8861

Abstract

Lean construction includes impactful and powerful tools and techniques. For many years, it has been recognized as a management approach that helps the construction industry become more efficient and productive. The aim of implementing Lean Construction is mainly to reduce costs and time or to increase the value achieved for the client. However, with the need for a more sustainable construction industry, this paper calls for a discussion of our underlying assumptions on what constitutes waste and value, and whether we have the proper definition of the customer. Through a literature review and analysis, the authors highlight the original focus on value and waste behind implementing Toyota Production Systems and review the IGLC body of knowledge. The authors argue that as a community, we have been too focused on reducing economic waste and delivering value to the paying customer. As a community, we need to agree what value and waste mean and for whom. We must expand the stakeholder definition to also include future generations and nature. Moreover, we should discuss our underlying reasons for investing in implementing Lean Construction. Perhaps it is time for us to discuss “Lean Construction for the sake of what”?

Keywords

Lean Construction, value, waste, costumer, sustainability

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Reference in APA 7th edition format:

Christensen, R. M., Arroyo, P., Schöttle, A. & Ballard, G.. (2025). Lean Construction for the Sake of What?. In Seppänen, O., Koskela, L., & Murata , K. (Eds.), Proceedings of the 33rd Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC 33) (pp. 1126–1136). https://doi.org/10.24928/2025/0174

Shortened reference for use in IGLC papers:

Christensen, R. M., Arroyo, P., Schöttle, A. & Ballard, G.. (2025). Lean Construction for the Sake of What?. IGLC33. https://doi.org/10.24928/2025/0174

 

Founded in 1993, the IGLC is an international network of researchers from practice and academia in architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) who feel that the practice, education, and research of the AEC industry have to be radically renewed in order to respond to the global challenges ahead.

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