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

https://doi.org/10.24928/2026/0163

Team building workshop series: laying the foundation of a Lean Construction transformation

Jeferson Shin-Iti Shigaki1, Satomi Yokoyama2, Koichi Ishikawa3, Shojiro Taira4 & Hiroaki Yamasaki5

1Senior Research, Research & Development Institute, Takenaka Corporation, Inzai, Chiba, Japan, [email protected], orcid.org/0000-0003-4513-6334
2Associate Chief, Construction Division, Takenaka Corporation, Koto-ku, Tokyo, Japan, [email protected], orcid.org/0009-0005-7458-3215
3Chief Expert, Construction Division, Takenaka Corporation, Koto-ku, Tokyo, Japan, [email protected], orcid.org/0009-0000-4929-2946
4Senior Chief Expert, Construction Division, Takenaka Corporation, Chuo-ku, Osaka, Japan, [email protected], orcid.org/0009-0000-0451-4867
5Group Leader, Construction Division, Takenaka Corporation, Koto-ku, Tokyo, Japan, [email protected], orcid.org/0009-0006-6309-9345

Abstract

This paper describes the early stages of a Lean Construction journey with a focus on the social aspects of a broader organisational transformation undertaken by a Japanese construction company. The Team Building Workshop Series was designed not to teach methods and tools, but to create team awareness and a constructive communication environment by closing gaps between functions, roles, and generations with different value systems, thereby promoting a more collaborative work style. Action research was the methodological approach selected to guide the continuous improvement of workshop design and implementation in a real-world setting. The empirical activity involved cycles of planning, conducting, and reflecting on the observed impacts of six workshops conducted between 2023 and 2025, involving 176 professionals. Participants reported immediate positive effects on communication and mutual support, noting benefits from attentive listening and increased opportunities to share thoughts in a psychologically safe environment. These workshops have provided the foundation for further Lean activities such as Takt Production training, BIM-based collaborative sessions, and retrospective meetings to transfer lessons learned to future projects. The study demonstrated how systematically designed team-building workshops can address the often-overlooked social foundations of Lean Construction through a scalable approach from individual awareness to organisational change.

Keywords

Lean Construction, team building, training, collaboration, organisational change.

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Reference in APA 7th edition format:

Shigaki, J. S., Yokoyama, S., Ishikawa, K., Taira, S. & Yamasaki, H.. (2026). Team building workshop series: laying the foundation of a Lean Construction transformation. 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. 1040–1051). https://doi.org/10.24928/2026/0163

Shortened reference for use in IGLC papers:

Shigaki, J. S., Yokoyama, S., Ishikawa, K., Taira, S. & Yamasaki, H.. (2026). Team building workshop series: laying the foundation of a Lean Construction transformation. IGLC34. https://doi.org/10.24928/2026/0163

 

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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