TY - CONF TI - Trainathon Lean Simulation Game: Determining Perceptions of the Value of Training Among Construction Stakeholders C1 - Boston, Massachusetts, USA C3 - 24th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction PY - 2016 AU - Bhatt, Yamini AU - Rybkowski, Zofia K. AU - Kalantar, Negar AU - Fernández-Solís, José L. AD - Graduate Student, Department of Construction Science, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX,77843 USA, +1 669-226-1530, yam_karthik@tamu.edu AD - Assistant Professor, Department of Construction Science, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX,77843, +1 979-845-4354, zrybkowski@gmail.com (corresponding author) AD - Assistant Professor, Department of Architecture, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, +1 979-845-7075, kalantar@tamu.edu AD - Associate Professor, Department of Construction Science, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX,77843, +1 979-458-1058, jsolis@tamu.edu AB - This research was prompted in part in response to a recent study by the Associated General Contractors (AGC) that there is a shortage of trained, skilled labor in the construction industry and this shortage is increasing. The QUESTION this paper seeks to address is: Why aren’t construction stakeholders perceiving the value of training and development of employees? The PURPOSE of the research is to develop and test a simulation that will help identify the way building stakeholders view the impact of employee training on their long and short-term profit margins. The RESEARCH METHOD used was two phased: (a) a preliminary phase involving the iterative development and testing of a 50-minute table-top simulation using readily available materials; (b) a mature phase where results from a “perfected” version of the game were subjected to statistical analysis from a larger participant pool. The trials each team went through financially at each round were recorded and results recorded via cash flow diagrams. FINDINGS suggest that players tend to underestimate the importance of upfront training and its impact on long-term cash flows. LIMITATIONS of this research include a restricted sample size that was tested during this phase. IMPLICATIONS and VALUE for this work are potentially larger than that of pure research—i.e. as an opportunity to serve as a change agent as well since a number of respondents suggested that the simulation made them think about the long-term value of training, illustrating the first principle of The Toyota Way. This dual-role for simulations fits easily within the culture of lean construction which historically has used simulations both to understand impacts of certain types of stakeholder behavior as well as transfer comprehension of specific lean principles. KW - Lean simulation KW - training KW - long-term value KW - skilled-labor shortage PB - T2 - 24th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction DA - 2016/07/20 CY - Boston, Massachusetts, USA L1 - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/1353/pdf L2 - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/1353 N1 - Export Date: 28 March 2024 DB - IGLC.net DP - IGLC LA - English ER -