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

https://doi.org/10.24928/2025/0194

Perceptions of Lean Concepts From Japan: Using an Interactive Game to Teach Lean Terminology

Ming Shan Ng1 & Qian Chen2

1Professor, Center for the Possible Futures, Kyoto Institute of Technology, Matsugasaki Hashikamicho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8585, Japan, [email protected], orcid.org/0000-0003-2610-3561.
2Assistant Professor, Construction Integration and Digitalization (CID) Lab, Faculty of Applied Science, School of Engineering, The University of British Columbia, 1137 Alumni Ave, Kelowna BC, V1V 1V7 Canada, [email protected], orcid.org/0000-0002-5899-9342.

Abstract

Lean terminology is commonly used and taught in the construction industry within the context of a production factory scenario, which could limit the perception of lean concept. This makes it challenging for industry practitioners, researchers and students to fully understand and implement these concepts in practice. Nevertheless, many lean concepts such as kanban that translates to “visual signage” in English are deeply rooted in daily scenarios in Japan. A comprehensive perception of lean concepts can potentially assist in thorough lean adoption beyond the production lines. However, there is little research that studies the perception of lean concepts in scenarios other than that in the typical production factory. To address this gap, this study presents the research titled “Beyond production lines: Perceptions of lean terminology from Japan” using an interactive game to teach lean terminology through relatable daily scenarios. The main purpose of this work is to investigate the perceptions. In the first phase of this study, 16 lean concepts were selected; four rounds of simulations were conducted involving 61 industry practitioners and students from diverse global backgrounds. The results reveal varied perceptions of lean concepts. The findings provide valuable insights and lay the groundwork for future research on lean education.

Keywords

Lean education, simulation, lean game, communication.

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Reference in APA 7th edition format:

Ng, M. S. & Chen, Q.. (2025). Perceptions of Lean Concepts From Japan: Using an Interactive Game to Teach Lean Terminology. In Seppänen, O., Koskela, L., & Murata , K. (Eds.), Proceedings of the 33rd Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC 33) (pp. 1506–1515). https://doi.org/10.24928/2025/0194

Shortened reference for use in IGLC papers:

Ng, M. S. & Chen, Q.. (2025). Perceptions of Lean Concepts From Japan: Using an Interactive Game to Teach Lean Terminology. IGLC33. https://doi.org/10.24928/2025/0194

 

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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