TY  - CONF
TI  - An Exploration of Knowledge and Understanding the Eighth Flow
C1  - Fortaleza, Brazil
C3  - 21th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction
SP  - 43
EP  - 52
PY  - 2013
AU  - Pasquire, Christine
AU  - Court, Peter
AD  - Professor of Lean Project Management, School of Architecture Design and Built Environment, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham NG1 4BU UK, Christine.pasquire@ntu.ac.uk
AD  - Dr Peter F Court, Senior Project Services Manager at Laing O'Rourke Australia Construction PTY email: p.court1@btinternet.com
ED  - Formoso, Carlos Torres
ED  - Tzortzopoulos, Patricia 
AB  - The argument for understanding Lean construction as a socio-technical field is growing and the need to better consider the role of human beings within construction systems is becoming the dominant factor in project success. Many current attributes of lean already focus on people and on human engagement approaches but the field of lean construction addresses project environments that are often complex and highly variable. The authors argue that the successful delivery of these projects relies on the creation of a common understanding of the project objectives within the diverse value systems of project participants and wider society. Additionally, many of the new ways of working that lean thinking brings already support the creation of a common understanding and could be harnessed to better effect. Based on a literature review and supported by case study examples the authors explore the nature of knowledge and understanding and position them within an eight flow model for construction production. The findings indicate a need to reconsider the development of a common understand for each project due to the tacit nature of experiential knowledge held within the project team and the specificity and complexity of the project environment. As a result effort is required to generate and maintain a common understanding throughout the project duration. The continued attention and action required to maintain this common understanding elevates it to a flow of equal status to those identified in Koskela’s flow production model thus increasing the number of flows to eight. A significant lean construction case study is revisited and examined to identify interventions undertaken to achieve this generation and management of common understanding thus demonstrating that this development already exists, albeit intuitively, as an element of “lean thinking”.
KW  - Lean construction
KW  - flow
KW  - complexity
KW  - systems
KW  - understanding
KW  - value
KW  - theory
KW  - knowledge.
PB  - 
T2  - 21th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction
DA  - 2013/07/31
CY  - Fortaleza, Brazil
L1  - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/938/pdf
L2  - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/938
N1  - Export Date: 26 April 2024
DB  - IGLC.net
DP  - IGLC
LA  - English
ER  -