A Requirement Model for Lean Leadership in Construction Projects

A growing number of construction companies are implementing the Lean philosophy to improve the customer’s value and identify waste. A recently conducted survey with corporate members of the LCI showed that main barriers in Lean implementation are managerial based. Many construction companies mainly focus on the implementation of Lean Construction methods and tools and often social factors for cultural change are neglected. To achieve the required change, site managers play a very important role as the linkage between the people responsible for value-adding activities on the construction site and the top management. A role shift is necessary, which results in changing requirements for leadership: From a strongly centred role of a manager to the role of a leader. The new leadership role has both to support collaboration between subcontractors and to continuously improve the skills and knowledge of the individuals. Based on a comprehensive literature study in the field of Lean Leadership and leadership approaches in general, the authors develop a requirement model for construction managers for the Lean transformation process. The requirement model can serve as a basis for further research and the development of further training programs for construction managers.