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Why is Culture Important?
The cells of our body multiply or divide into two through the process of mitosis. Think about how white blood cells gather together to attack foreign substances in the body. They do so in a self-organized style that requires all to rely on one another to attack and rid the body of disease.
Why are trust and vulnerability important to establishing and maintaining a culture?
As Patrick Lenconi taught us, and our team referenced in the first blog, all teams are built on trust.
Why are conditions and affirmations important to culture?
In this blog, Jen, Jess, and Hoots explore the relationship between conditions, affirmations, trust and vulnerability and how they feed into one another as a system. The importance of culture always drives us back to these fundamental building blocks.
The call for systemic action!
As this blog series has developed, Jen, Jess, and Hoots have discovered an iterative cycle that reminds us of another previously established cycle: the PDCA (Plan, Do, Check, Act) cycle. Our team has chosen to use a similar acronym when it comes to building Culture.
“Lean Operations Strategy” – Unpacked
This is Part 1 of a two-part post. Part 1 explains the background, context and definitions of “Lean as Operations Strategy. Part 2 will review the Original Five Principles of Lean.
The “Original Five Principles” of Lean as Operations Strategy
This post is the second of the two-part blog post that addresses “Lean Operations Strategy”. Part 1 explains the background, context and definitions of “Lean as Operations Strategy, and should be reviewed prior to reading this concluding post.
The History of Lean Construction - Part 1
It was hot, humid, and downright unbearable that afternoon in the Southeast Asia jungle. But despite the stickiness and frayed nerves, the construction battalion’s work needed to get done.
The History of Lean Construction - Part 2
In 2002, at a meeting of the Project Management Institute in Seattle, Greg Howell presented a paper he had co-written with Lauri Koskela in which they compared the Last Planner System with the Critical Path Method.
Constructive Leadership Vs Destructive Leadership: Sometimes Learning What Not To Do Is More Effective Than Learning What To Do
A teacher of art and painting once said to me that to draw a tree, one does not draw the outline of the tree and leaves, one draws the empty spaces between them.
Digital Lean: Optimizing Jobsite Communications
If 2020 and the first half of 2021 has taught us anything, it’s that adaptation is critical for progress. From COVID-19 to exorbitant lumber prices to supply chain disruptions — construction professionals are dealing with significant challenges and uncertainty.
The Future of Construction Based on the Values of the General Contractor
Looking Down on the Empire State Building I think to myself, “What values constructed the One World Trade Center in New York?” From the observatory I remember looking down on the Empire State Building. I also remember thinking about how this building across from me was constructed.
15 Skills and Practices Conducive to the Successful Guidance of High Intensity, High Performance, Lean Teams
In this segment, we will focus a little more on the ethics and principles which should serve as some of the foundational Rules of Engagement
Seven Traits of an Effective Lean Team
Does simply implementing the best lean methods guarantee success? No! Lean methods are implemented by teams of people.
Either We Heal as a Team or We Will Die as Individuals
Even though I don't follow NFL football and every time I see it I have to go over the rules, it becomes an entertaining sport because of how highly tactical and systematic it is.
What is the Secret to Creating a Culture of Learning?
We often focus on the tools and the visible elements of what makes a lean organization successful, but fundamentally the essence of lean is not about tools or projects.
9 Lean Leadership Practices To Get The Best Performance Out Of Your Team
Steve Jobs said “Great things in business are never done by one person. They’re done by a team of people.” Often when teaching classes in Lean engagement and Lean methodologies, I post two banners on the wall.
Psychological Safety: The Most Important Element of Any Successful Team
Although many people who might read this article may be familiar with David Marquette‘s YouTube video entitled “Greatness”, please allow me to suggest that before reading further. His brief video is based on his book, Turn the Ship Around.
Lean Construction Won’t Happen and Here’s Why
The concepts of lean have been applied to the design and construction of capital facilities for twenty years or more. I think it’s high time that we in the construction industry face the hard truth – lean is not going to happen in our lifetime – not really.
Culture Matters in Design and Construction
In the choosing, developing and managing of design and construction teams, the collaborative project delivery approach consciously seeks out teams of individuals that embrace certain core beliefs. The first core belief is that the current system is dysfunctional and doesn’t work well.
15 Steps to Create a Successful Training for Organizations
People always ask me: Paulo, what is the process that you follow to create training for Organizations? So, I decided to share with you the process I developed and that I’ve been using for more than 6 years. It has 15 steps.
Leverage This Period of Uncertainty by Working on Improving the Planning on Your Projects!
Sometime in college, many of us learned that it’s better to develop a good work plan so that project execution can happen smoothly. However, I have found some project teams struggle to find the time to work on project planning.
5S - Building A Lean Culture in the Field
How can 5S benefit the construction industry? It improves productivity, quality, safety and schedule. It is a core lean method to bring Lean thinking to frontline workers in the field or shop. It is simple. It costs almost nothing. And you can start doing it today. 5S is a method to keep our workplace organized, clean, safe and efficient.
A Deeper Meaning with Kaizen
Gemba Kaizen, Quality Circles, Kaizen Events, Rapid Process Improvement Workshops and Value Stream Mapping. These are all improvement tactics some organizations use to fix problems at the Gemba and remove waste from their Value Streams.
Using Plus/Delta for Feedback and Improving Social Processes
Plus/Delta is a great way to improve almost any social process. Also known as Do again / Do better and Plus / Change, it is a very simple formative feedback process that only requires 5-10 minutes, a flip chart and pens.
Organizational Transformation and Lean Thinking: In Perfect Harmony
Change in an organization is inevitable and necessary. This shouldn’t be earth-shattering to anyone. The people, processes, space and technology must constantly evolve. When we are satisfied with being on a plateau inescapably something will disrupt our steady movement and change the course.
Respect for People is Key to Lean-Driven Culture Change
Most of us know Lean, and the emphasis on removing waste to deliver higher value. What’s been largely missing in the translation of Lean from Japan to the US is the idea of respect for people as a foundation for that work.
Lean Meetings: A Collaboration Fundamental
Lean Construction requires a dramatic increase in collaboration – defined literally as “co-laboring”, working together. For better or worse, working together happens in meetings. As important as collaboration is to Lean Construction, one of the most common laments is, “There are too many meetings!"
Enthusiasm for Lean: Improving Project Team Buy-In
For many lean leaders and coaches a primary concern is obtaining the full engagement of everyone on a project team in lean practices. Despite best efforts at directing people toward lean behaviors universal lean buy-in is hard to achieve. What people are looking for is a way to create enthusiasm for lean.
Respect for People and Emotional Intelligence - The Missing Pillar of Lean
Lean Project Delivery and Last Planner System are big buzz phrases in the construction industry. Lean uses a collaborative approach to projects that eliminate waste, focus on adding value, and continuously improve.
How Lean Leaders are Changing the Construction Industry
As an engineering professional a few years into my career, I’ve focused on building my skills in a way that allows me to contribute positively to my clients, my company, and the construction industry. I quickly realized that becoming a student of Lean would allow me to do just that.
Seeing Through Lean Lenses
It is often said that, “Once you begin to understand Lean, the world will never look the same!” Is that true for you? Has it happened to you yet?
How to Create Project Success Using Lean Principles
Tracey Kidder said, “Building is the quintessential act of civilization.” Think about it. If three people washed up on a deserted island, the first thing they would do is collaboratively build a shelter.
Lean.... let’s do life better!
This June I will be speaking at the Canadian Lean Conference in Winnipeg Canada. My subject will be “Lean is Simple.” It is centered on how I built a Lean culture with my team at FastCap and how thousands of other organizations around the world have done the same.
Management By Asking Why
The 5 Whys is a management concept that has been popularized by Toyota [1]. The concept is simple - when you encounter a problem, ask why at least 5 times until you understand the root cause. Only by addressing the root cause can you truly resolve the issue and ensure that it will never occur again.
Why Lean? Why Now?
Lean project delivery has entered the mainstream of construction, yet Lean adoption lags among design professionals. Architects and engineers who transformed the industry by first pioneering sustainable design and later the use of Building Information Modeling (BIM) remain spectators while trade partners, construction managers, and some owners embrace Lean.
Knowing Lean Construction is Frustrating!
I always start the training of new Lean Practitioners with a general warning. They risk to be constantly frustrated after being trained as Lean Practitioners. If they do not think they can handle it they should leave the training immediately.
The Pocket Sensei - How to Teach Yourself to Train Your Mind
There's a revolution happening. It’s called learning while doing. Great projects are Lean — yet the majority of Lean initiatives fail. Lean is generally misunderstood to be about the tools we use rather than the people at the place where they work.
What Can be Learned About Lean from an Arts Perspective
Have you ever thought about adding to your perspective on Lean and your Lean practices in design and construction? Most of what we understand about Lean is based on observations made by people with an engineering and scientific perspective on work.
The Present State of Lean Construction in Japan and a Better Way Forward
Many people are interested in the Japanese state of Lean Construction because Lean Construction has been born out from the Toyota Production System (TPS). Even now people who know the term "Lean Construction" seem to be less than 50.
Resistance to Lean & Integrated Project Delivery Part II: Develop “Profound Knowledge” to Address the Root Causes of Resistance
In the first post of this series I argued that when stakeholders do not agree on the problem, they probably will not agree on the solution. The “problem” for which advances in Lean Construction are “solutions”.
5 Key Ideas to Make Your Lean Implementation More Successful
As a trainer and consultant of Lean Construction, I have always been passionate about the human side of Lean. I have been observing the behaviour of people in a lot of companies regarding the cultural changes that comes with implementing Lean.
Resistance to Lean & Integrated Project Delivery Part I: Three Root Causes
In my role as an “Integrated Lean Project Delivery (ILPD) Coach”, I struggle everyday to understand and address resistance to positive change in the Architectural, Engineering and Construction (AEC) Industry.
Enhancing A3 Problem Solving with Technology
A3 problem solving has been popularized by the Toyota Production System [1]. At its core an A3 is simply a standard sheet of paper that is 11” X 17”. Despite its simplicity, an A3 is a powerful tool for problem-solving and communicating complex ideas in a simple manner.
How does Toyota do it?
As an entrepreneur, manufacturer, author, speaker, and consultant I love questions? When people ask questions I know what they're thinking. And if I know what they're thinking, I have the best opportunity to help them whether it be on the shop floor in my manufacturing plant or consulting with companies around the world.
Lean IPD: Start with the Culture, not the Contract
As real estate and capital investments drive the construction industry, and owners/investors are constantly looking for the right balance of programming, quality, safety and cost. They are forced to choose between “low price” or “best value,” two confusing terms whose actual implications are not understood.
Navigating Transformational Change
In my previous post (The Matter of Metrics) I postulated that having sufficient data is not enough to launch a transformational change. So what does trigger change? Some say a burning platform is needed. Where corporate viability is at stake this may be true.
The Future of Lean: Four Disruptors of the Decade
In the early 20th century, management theories were devoted to the idea of “one best way” to perform tasks, designed by the manager and implemented by direct reports. Like many things that must change with the passage of time, management styles evolved.
The research is in: A Lean team is an “A”-team!
As the first half of the year ends, it’s a great time for a quick retrospective on your New Year’s Resolutions. If you are like me, you set some ambitious goals for the year, and your business probably did the same. Often, those resolutions are stated as goals (lag) vs. targets (lead).
Let’s Be Kids and Continuously Improve!!
When I was a kid, I used to want to win at all costs. This is what my father taught me. They don’t keep score for nothing was the mentality. As I grew up, I have grown to accept it’s not as much about the end result as it is about the journey to get there and my daughter has reinforced this more than anything.
Lean Practitioners Need Buddies
I recently joined a large international project as a Lean Manager. To join the project team I moved to another country and left the most of my professional network behind. I was a bit nervous when I started my new job. How would they perceive lean? Where do I find support and inspiration?
Lean from the Bottom Up – A Grass Roots Journey
Almost five years ago, our formal Lean journey began when a client asked us to facilitate a Lean transformation on a large, ongoing construction project. It was considered the largest Lean implementation of its kind.
Is Perfect the Enemy of Good?
My wife and I enjoy the occasional TV police drama. Now before you start to question how I spend my spare time, hear me out. One day last week one of the characters in a show we frequent stated that “perfect is the enemy of good”. That phrase stuck with me.
The Matter of Metrics
When company leaders are confronted with the prospect of changing to a Lean Project Delivery approach they will undoubtedly say, “Show me the data.” The implication is that if the data is there to support the implementation of Lean then they will get behind the change. However, this is rarely the case as I will address later, so hold that thought to the end of this installment.
The Secret Sauce: How to Make all of Your Lean Projects Successful
The big buzz phrase in the construction industry is Integrated Project Delivery or IPD. Disney has a concept called ILPD or Integrated Lean Project Delivery. This uses not only a collaborative approach to projects, but also uses the Last Planner System and Lean concepts to eliminate waste.
5 Ways to Keep Employees Engaged When Working in Remote, Outsourced and Virtual Environments
The rise in information technology, changing market and working conditions has meant the workplace environment for some design and construction workers has evolved significantly.
Reflecting on 4 Years with the Lean Construction Blog and Our Vision for the Future
This Fall marks the 4th year anniversary for the Lean Construction Blog. When we started the blog in 2015, we had one simple vision: “To take many of the wonderful lessons learned that we have experienced while being part of the LC community, attending conferences, reading research papers, etc. and make it more accessible to the rest of the world.”
Miracle in Kazakhstan: Creating a Lean Culture in 18 Months
It is hard to believe that I am on my fifth book "Miracle in Kazakhstan." In January 2015, I accepted an invitation to come to Kazakhstan’s largest construction company - BI Group - to speak about “2 Second Lean”. My job was simple; build a lean culture in a company through interpreters.
So… What is a Big Room?
When you hear the term ‘Big Room’, what image does that conjure up? Are you thinking a large, open space where a big group of people can congregate? Within the realm of Lean Project Delivery, at the very basic level, you would be correct. The Big Room is a space where the project team can meet to bring the project design to life.
The Importance of the Owner for Lean Project Success
In Germany, there is a tendency that construction companies are the first stakeholders of the whole project process who apply lean principles or at least - lean tools. I often ask myself, how much leaner can a project/construction site become if the lean principles are only executed inside the processes of the contractor.
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When the Wheels Fall Off (and They Will)
You’ve studied the Toyota Production System, you’ve attended webinars, you’ve read all the books. You’ve even learned a little Japanese in the process. Your team has been prepped and schooled in lean theory and seems enthusiastic about embracing something new.
A Self Professed Lean Simpleton
When I was in college I studied abroad in Germany for one semester. I studied German language, history, and literature. One of the books that I read was called The Adventures of a Simpleton. As I remember, it was a story of a servant class young man.
Effective Leadership Underpins Successful Lean Implementation
Creating a workplace culture where people hold a mindset of continuous improvement, proactivity and seek better ways of doing things is of substantial interest to the lean community. This mindset is needed to enable successful implementation of lean principles.
Using Lewin’s Change Model to Understand Continuous Improvement
When we are talking about Lean, we are talking about continuous improvement. Continuous improvement requires a system, process, organizational structure, and cultural change. It is necessary that involved parties understand the change process in order to initiate change.
Creating a Lean Culture: Communicating with HeaRT
Creating a lean culture sometimes requires participating in difficult conversations. Perhaps someone is not meeting their commitments, or maybe they're not fully present in meetings where their input is critical to the success of the project.
5 Tips to Developing Your Organization’s Culture and Move Towards Peak Business Performance
The current economic climate is posing real threats and challenges to many organizations’ longevity. The applicability and sustainability of organizations across the world is being questioned, resulting in many organizations wondering how to effectively respond.
Understanding The Difference Between Cooperation And Collaboration
Practically, the terms cooperation and collaboration are interpreted differently or used synonymously. Using the terms interchangeable to express “working together” can result in misunderstandings between project participants as the concepts behind cooperation and collaboration are different.
Easy Button – What Easy Button?
Construction is fascinating on all aspects – the equipment, the technology, the people – ever changing and becoming even more sophisticated. So why has the industry not increased output or efficiencies? Because it takes continuous effort and the right mindset to change. There is no easy button.
Courageous Leadership for Highly Productive Team Cultures
A courageous leader is one who not only takes actions that instill a foundation of trust, but cocreates a community where the wellbeing of the humans who work there are at the core of workplace excellence.
Improving Jobsite Culture with Digital Lean
Lean construction is understood to improve productivity by empowering our team members with clarity and the sense of ownership to optimize workflows and reduce resource waste.
Using the ABCs of Lean to Learn and Change
BSA LifeStuructures has been on a Lean journey for more than 10 years, beginning with the introduction to Lean thinking as a team member on the first Integrated Project Delivery (IPD).
10 Successful Keys to Implement Lean in Construction Companies
In this post we have compiled a set of good practices based on our own experiences that in general have worked when we have implemented Lean Construction at the company level. This post summarizes 10 years of experiences and both successes and difficulties have been considered.
Does Your Corporate Culture Align With Your Lean Initiative?
Many companies have a statement somewhere in their website’s “About Us” section that speaks to Corporate Culture or Core Values. These statements, if thoughtfully stated, communicate an organization’s mission.
On a Construction Project, Who Makes The Money?
In our industry we have lost sight of who makes the money on the construction project. The reason this is important is because this disconnected thinking leads to classical management styles and away from lean management styles.
Leader Standard Work (LSW) - how we optimize our use of time
The term “Leader Standard Work” is a mouthful. So, let’s call it what it is. It’s a practice to structure one’s time so that it is intentionally in service of their highest and best use.
3 Key Behaviors for Personal and Leader Standard Work
“Support of top management is not sufficient. It is not enough that top management commit themselves for life to quality and productivity. They must know what it is that they are committed to — that is, what they must do. These obligations cannot be delegated. Support is not enough: action is required.” – Edwards W. Deming
Embodying Lean - how to be a catalyst for positive transformation
Every one of us wants to be connected to purpose. We want our knowledge, our creativity, and our energy to be in service of something that matters. We want our actions to be catalysts for positive transformation in the world.
Recognising Your Main Assets Are Your People
Every Monday morning groups of two people from the Project Teams were given a specific daily task to observe for an hour and report on the waste identified during that time. Using the prompts from TIMWOODS, they would record what they observed on a Waste Walk sheet.
How to Put Lean in the Contract
Do you want to implement Lean on your project? If so, you must specify it. That does not mean you have to pay extra for it, although there are some more upfront costs when running a lean project.
Servant Leadership or, Why Beekeepers Don’t Make Honey
As an amateur beekeeper I very much feel like a servant leader. I don’t tell pipefitters how to fit pipes, and sure enough I don’t tell bees how to make honey.
Lean Does Not Apply To The Construction Industry?
I have been reading and responding to a recent spate of posts on LC Blog and other sites in which professional construction schedulers extol the virtues of P6 and MS Project schedules, and assert that the Last Planner System® is a fake process.
Aligning The Many Voices on a Project Team as a Foundation for Lean Practices
As many have observed, lean projects need to “go slow to go fast.” One of the most effective ways to align a team for any mission, whether it’s consistent lean practices, or whatever is important to the team, is to intentionally develop a baseline of trust.
Understanding The Five Types of People Make You Respect Others Even More
We all know by now that ‘respect people’ is one and probably the most important principle of lean. ‘Respect people’ means different things to us.
How is Your Company Progressing in its Lean Journey? Use this Lean Check-Up
This is a basic assessment to help you evaluate where your company is in its Lean journey and identify opportunities for improvement.
High-Performance Leadership #1 - Why We Need to Re-Think Leadership and Get New Skills
Most of us immediately think of someone in a top position, an organization leader, project leader, team leader, political leader, worship leader, etc. “Leader” is a title.
High-Performance Leadership #2 - High-Performance Teams Need High-performance Leadership
If you were leading a Formula One pit crew, what characteristics would that crew need to epitomize to be a high-performance team?
High-Performance Leadership #3 - The Missing Puzzle Piece
High Performance Leadership looks at the various systems of human interaction in our projects and our companies through a different, and equally eye-opening set of lenses.
More Leadership than Management
We all have noticed: Managing things is different than leading people. Because of the difference, change from management to leadership means that leaders need to change or at least learn new ways to lead.
Your Secret Recipe for Lean Success
I want to share with you about Japan's five important pivots. For those of you who have been to Japan with me, you’ve heard me articulate-this story before, but I never fully developed a deep understanding of what really transpired until now.
High-Performance Leadership #4 - Facilitation Strategies and Tools to Transform Your Meetings
Just as every problem people identify about meetings is rooted in a lack of skill in leading human interactions, then at a higher level, every problem that drives our projects off course is driven by process blindness and skill deficits in project production.
High-Performance Leadership #5 - Facilitation Strategies and Tools to Transform Your Meetings
When one develops a standard process agenda such as this, team members quickly adopt a new rhythm, and it is easy to tweak the process steps or timing as needed to match the individual meeting.
High-Performance Leadership #6 - Stakeholder Engagement
Even great facilitation skills are not enough if you can’t get the right people together to address the right issues at the right time. We need sound agreements that drive action.
Want A Better Culture? Focus on Creating Happiness
Happiness isn't just a buzzword when it comes to team engagement and employee retention. True happiness is a state of emotional well-being that goes beyond superficial benefits.
The Key To A Culture Of Continuous Improvement: Be Serious
Many lean management principles sound simple, but they are not always easy to put into practice. Even established leaders need support – through coaching and intentional practice – to ingrain them as habits.