https://doi.org/10.24928/2019/0257

Diffusion of Lean Construction in Small to Medium-Sized Enterprises of Housing Sector

Mani Poshdar¹, Vicente A. Gonzalez², Ricardo Antunes³, Nariman Ghodrati⁴, Milad Katebi⁵, Stanislau Valasiuk⁶, Hamzah Alqudah⁷ & Saeed Talebi⁸

¹Lecturer, Built Envir. Engrg. Dept., Auckland Univ. of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand, [email protected]
²Senior Lecturer, Civil and Envir. Engrg. Dept., Univ. of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand, [email protected]
³Civil and Envir. Engrg. Dept., Univ. of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand, [email protected]
⁴Lecturer, Built Envir. Engrg. Dept., Auckland Univ. of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand, [email protected]
⁵PhD student, Built Envir. Engrg. Dept., Auckland Univ. of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand, [email protected]
⁶Built Envir. Engrg. Dept., Auckland Univ. of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand, [email protected]
⁷PhD candidate, Built Envir. Engrg. Dept., Auckland Univ. of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand, [email protected]
⁸Lecturer, School of Art, Design and Architecture, Univ. of Huddersfield, UK, [email protected]

Abstract

The construction sector is known for its deficient productivity level compared to other sectors such as manufacturing. Lean approach, however, presents a promising option given its proven ability to improve the performance in other sectors. This study investigates the diffusion level of lean construction among the small to medium size enterprises (SMEs) by conducting a telephone survey in the Auckland region of New Zealand. The survey involved 100 enterprises active in the housing sector. The results indicated the rate of diffusion at three stages of a simplified innovation diffusion model including the knowledge exposure, decision analysis and implementation. The results are attributed to three main elements including the characteristics of SMEs as social units, the time required to attract adopters, and the level and type of communication must be used to reach the potential adopters. The study identified five main questions on the enablers and barriers of diffusion of lean construction to be addressed in future research.

Keywords

Benefits realization, action learning/research, trust, diffusion, SMEs in housing

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Reference

Poshdar, M. , Gonzalez, V. A. , Antunes, R. , Ghodrati, N. , Katebi, M. , Valasiuk, S. , Alqudah, H. & Talebi, S. 2019. Diffusion of Lean Construction in Small to Medium-Sized Enterprises of Housing Sector , Proc. 27th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC) , 383-392. doi.org/10.24928/2019/0257

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