IGLC.net
EXPORT DATE: 19 June 2026

@CONFERENCE{Alfassi2026,
author={Alfassi, Dan },
editor={Hamzeh, Farook and Poshdar, Mani and Garcia-Lopez,, Nelly P. },
title={Democratizing lean: development of an AI-augmented cultural transformation}, 
journal={Proceedings of the 34th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC 34)}, 
booktitle={Proceedings of the 34th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC 34)}, 
year={2026},
pages={911-921},
url={http://www.iglc.net/papers/details/2441},
doi={10.24928/2026/0103},
affiliation={Lean Manager, Gammon Pte. Limited, Singapore, Singapore, dan.alfassi@gmail.com, orcid.org/0009-0005-1207-2102 },
abstract={Scaling Lean culture is expensive. To succeed, large construction organizations need substantial and costly resources. They would rely on external consulting firms or extensive internal teams. This paper presents a “resource-constrained” deployment strategy at a Tier-1 Contractor. A single Lean Lead utilized Generative AI (GenAI) to accelerate curriculum development.
The study compares two approaches: the traditional consultant-led effort, and the “Human Lean Lead” in-the-loop method to develop content. The use of GenAI enabled a single professional to develop a bespoke curriculum in two weeks, a task that would typically take a larger team of consultants several months to deliver. This shift highlights the importance of aligning tools with specific organizational and operational contexts. The methodology applied prompt engineering to infuse human-centric philosophies (e.g. “Start with Why”) and complement with regional construction context, ensuring relevance for the Asian workforce.
A pilot rollout to 88 staff members validated the efficacy of this accelerated curriculum, achieving a nearly 80% proficiency rate (>80% score) on core principles, and without aids. The paper concludes that GenAI, guided by deep subject matter expertise, can democratize Lean education. It enables corporations to adjust their focus from “content creation” to “human connection” and behavioural change. },
author_keywords={Action learning research, AI, continuous improvement, Kaizen, standardization, cultural transformation. },
address={Singapore, Singapore },
issn={2789-0015 },
publisher={ },
language={English},
document_type={Conference Paper},
source={IGLC},
}