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

https://doi.org/10.24928/2025/0179

Evaluating the Perceptions of UK Construction Professionals on the Adoption and Implementation of Lean Construction

Imram Phiri1 & Emmanuel Itodo Daniel2

1Master’s Student, Construction Management, School of Architecture and Built Environment, University of Wolverhampton, Wolverhampton, UK, [email protected], orcid.org/0009-0008-0631-8470
2Associate Professor, School of Architecture and Built Environment, University of Wolverhampton, Wolverhampton, UK, [email protected], orcid.org/0000-0002-5675-1845

Abstract

This study explores barriers to adopting Lean Construction (LC) principles within the UK construction industry, with particular focus on how these barriers are perceived across various job roles. The study utilises a quantitative survey of 116 professionals, including project managers, contractors, engineers, architects, and support staff. The study revealed that financial constraints, organisational culture, and regulatory requirements are perceived to be important barriers to LC implementation across all job roles. Leadership roles (e.g. project managers) and technical roles (e.g. Engineers, architects) place more importance on barriers, perhaps due to their project direction and resource allocation responsibilities. In contrast, labourers and admin staff viewed barriers as less important. Future intentions to adopt LC principles vary, with technical, administrative/support roles and leadership roles expressing a stronger willingness to adopt LC in comparison to labour roles. This research fills a gap in LC literature by examining the role-specific perceptions of barriers, providing a foundation for tailored frameworks to support LC adoption across the construction sector.

Keywords

LC, Organisational culture, financial constraints, Regulatory requirements, UK construction industry

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Reference in APA 7th edition format:

Phiri, I. & Daniel, E. I.. (2025). Evaluating the Perceptions of UK Construction Professionals on the Adoption and Implementation of Lean Construction. In Seppänen, O., Koskela, L., & Murata , K. (Eds.), Proceedings of the 33rd Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC 33) (pp. 1380–1391). https://doi.org/10.24928/2025/0179

Shortened reference for use in IGLC papers:

Phiri, I. & Daniel, E. I.. (2025). Evaluating the Perceptions of UK Construction Professionals on the Adoption and Implementation of Lean Construction. IGLC33. https://doi.org/10.24928/2025/0179

 

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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