Evaluation and Background to Lean Construction Case Study

Evaluation and Background to Lean Construction - Case Study Example The ambition of the Task Force was to bring about a Radical change in all the industries and by their experience bring about efficiency and improvements within the construction environment which would benefit all. (Paragraphs 15, 16 and 18) Lean Construction, in general, refers to a construction that would help to maximize the customer’s needs whilst satisfying the necessary and required parameters and in doing so, using the minimum amount of resources (Howell 1999). It is actually the â€Å"physics† of construction mainly based on the principles of production management (Howell 1999). It refers to a whole new kind of project delivery system which can be utilized by any type of industry including construction though best suited for complex, uncertain and quick projects (Howell 1999). There are many definitions pertaining to Lean Construction. Some define it as a â€Å"way to design production systems to minimize waste of materials, time and effort in order to generate the maximum possible amount of value† (Koskela et al. 2002). According to Koskela, the construction theory needed to be reviewed to centralize on optimizing the project by taking into account the flow of work between activities and the formation and release of value (Wright 2000). The Lean Project Delivery System (LPDS) and the Last Planner System of Production Control was developed by LCI where the principles pioneered in manufacturing were applied to construction (Pinch 2005). PDS's origins can be traced back to Lean Production Management which is a manufacturing approach brought into the limelight by Toyota Motor Company in the 1980s (Pinch 2005). The term was introduced by the Toyota engineer â€Å"Ohno† (Pinch 2005). His recommendation was to stop the production line instead of delivering a defective part downstream.  This approach resulted in streamlining the workflow, minimizing inventory and obtaining an up-graded end-product of good quality (Pinch 2005).  Ã‚  

Change Model Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Change Model - Assignment Example How change is introduced in an organization greatly determines how it will be accepted by the employees which will contribute to organizational success. Companies want to grow and expand in the long run but the problem arises where change is an intimidating step among the management and employees since the outcome is unknown and since they are moving out of their comfort zone (Van de Ven & Sun 2011). For change to be effective, a detailed plan has to be made in advance, implementation has to be slow and steady and most importantly is that the people it affects have to be consulted and involved in the change process rather than being by- standers. The change has to be measurable, ideally achievable and realistic. Some important questions need to be answered before introducing the change; what is it that we want to attain from the change, how will we know that we have attained the change we long for, who are the people that will be directly affected by the change and what is their expe cted response? It is by answering these questions that will form the basis of how to explain to the employees of the reasons for the change and help them understand and contribute positively towards the achieving the change (Van de Ven & Sun 2011). ... Since opening up the shop in Shanghai is for a short time, the organization may be testing the waters to see how well their company will respond to international change where the people as well as their culture are different. In the first stage of unfreeze, the organizations tries to break the status quo by explaining that these changes are necessary and should be accepted for the company to grow. The key to this stage is to develop a compelling message to the employees of the need for change perhaps due to worrying financial results, poor customer satisfaction, or just the need for improvement and expansion of the company for it to grow (Van de Ven & Sun 2011). For the change to be successful, it is important that the employees be prepared psychologically by changing their core beliefs and attitudes about the organization. If the company wants to go global, there is need to change the mindset of the employees, stopping them from looking at the company in its regional state but as an international company. For goals to be achieved, they have to be foreseen before they are worked towards achieving them. The first part is very hard and stressful since when change starts, people have to start adapting to the new ways of doing things which pushes them off balance. It is for this reason that during early stages of the new store would seem slow and progress to be almost none. If this phase is not handled carefully, rebellion is likely to be seen among the employees (Mariana & Violeta 2011). The second phase is the change part where people are inculcated into the new radical ways of doing things. People have to see that the change is meant to benefit the entire company.