34th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC 34) - Singapore, Singapore - 2026

https://doi.org/10.24928/2026/0100

When you meet Lean Construction gurus - beware!

Eelon Lappalainen1, Antti Ainamo2, Dominic Desmarais3 & Ana Reinbold4

1Visiting Scholar, Civil Engineering, Aalto University, Espoo, Finland, [email protected], orcid.org/0000-0002-7573-344X
2Associate Professor, Institute of Computer Science, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia, [email protected], orcid.org/0000-0003-0210-0294
3Assistant Researcher, Civil Engineering, University of Alberta, Alberta, Canada, [email protected], orcid.org/0009-0002-0506-5041
4Doctoral Researcher, Civil Engineering, Aalto University, Espoo, Finland, [email protected], orcid.org/0000-0002-7774-7984

Abstract

Research shows that people can become dependent on “gurus” or teachers whose theories and systems they deeply respect. Such dependence can become an anxious form of attachment that hinders critical thinking, genuine understanding, and independent decision-making. Building on these premises, this article revisits lean construction (LC), a recent, fashionable construction management paradigm that challenges established construction practices. Limited attention has been paid to guru discourse in the context of LC. Drawing on prior research on gurus and LC, we argue that the interpretive flexibility of LC has enabled continuous reinterpretation and provided fertile ground for guruism. Using a Google search, we collected LC discourse-related data in the form of 100 posts posted between 2019 and 2025 on LinkedIn, a professional social media platform. We analyzed these posts using netnographic methods as a theory-testing approach. Our findings identified five interrelated dimensions: (a) charismatic expertise, (b) rhetorical simplification, (c) framing LC as a universal solution, (d) emphasis on doctrinal purity and orthodoxy, and (e) prosocial community building. We argue that these dimensions shape online communities on social media platforms and crowd out reflexive, critical, professional judgment in contemporary LC discourse.

Keywords

Lean construction, guru, charismatic leadership, social media, discourse analysis.

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Reference in APA 7th edition format:

Lappalainen, E., Ainamo, A., Desmarais, D. & Reinbold, A.. (2026). When you meet Lean Construction gurus - beware!. In Hamzeh, F., Poshdar, M., & Garcia-Lopez,, N. P. (Eds.), Proceedings of the 34th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC 34) (pp. 899–910). https://doi.org/10.24928/2026/0100

Shortened reference for use in IGLC papers:

Lappalainen, E., Ainamo, A., Desmarais, D. & Reinbold, A.. (2026). When you meet Lean Construction gurus - beware!. IGLC34. https://doi.org/10.24928/2026/0100

 

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