IGLC.net
EXPORT DATE: 19 June 2026

@CONFERENCE{Wang2026,
author={Wang, Zhong and Davis, Walter and Bock, Thomas and Mei, Qipei and Lee, Gaang and González, Vicente A. },
editor={Hamzeh, Farook and Poshdar, Mani and Garcia-Lopez,, Nelly P. },
title={The cultural dialectics of standardization and innovation from the Japanese ethos to the global practice of Lean Construction}, 
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={594-605},
url={http://www.iglc.net/papers/details/2451},
doi={10.24928/2026/0123},
affiliation={PhD Candidate, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Alberta, Canada, zhong15@ualberta.ca, orcid.org/0000-0002-7113-3439 ; Associate Professor, Department of Art & Design, Faculty of Art, University of Alberta, Canada, wdavis1@ualberta.ca ; Chair of Building Realization and Robotics, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany, bockrobotics@web.de, orcid.org/0000-0002-1278-7440 ; Assistant Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Alberta, Canada, qipei@ualberta.ca, orcid.org/0000-0003-1409-3562 ; Assistant Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Alberta, Canada, gaang@ualberta.ca, orcid.org/0000-0002-6341-2585 ; Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Alberta, Canada, vagonzal@ualberta.ca, orcid.org/0000-0003-3408-3863 },
abstract={The global construction industry faces a persistent productivity crisis, often attributing the failure of "Lean Construction" implementation to technical rather than cultural misalignments.  This paper investigates the cultural dialectics of standardization and Kaizen as Lean principles move from Japan’s collectivist culture to Western individualistic and transactional construction environments. Using a PRISMA 2020 systematic literature review and comparative cultural analysis, the study examines Wa (harmony), Monozukuri (craftsmanship), and Shu-Ha-Ri (mastery stages). It examines the indigenous Japanese concepts of Wa (harmony), Monozukuri (craftsmanship), and Shu-Ha-Ri (stages of mastery) to elucidate how Japanese culture harmonizes strict standardization with continuous innovation, challenging the Western binary view that standardization stifles creativity. The study reviews related works on Kaizen implementation and Standardized Work (SW) in construction, identifying that Western resistance often stems from a "craftsman" identity that views autonomy as the absence of rules. The analysis concludes that successful Lean adoption requires reframing standardization not as a bureaucratic constraint, but as the necessary cultural foundation for innovation and psychological safety. },
author_keywords={Standardization, continuous improvement/Kaizen, innovation, Lean culture. },
address={Singapore, Singapore },
issn={2789-0015 },
publisher={ },
language={English},
document_type={Conference Paper},
source={IGLC},
}