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Lean Culture for the Construction Industry: Building Responsible and Committed Project Teams
Given that the greatest risk factor on any project is manpower costs, problems resulting in delays, rework, or overtime will lower profits through increased labor costs. Most of these process-generated costs are fully preventable. An in-depth exploration of the application of Lean initiatives in the construction industry, Lean Culture for the Construction Building Responsible and Committed Project Teams addresses employee issues in terms of productivity and waste by applying behavioral psychology principles at both tactical and strategic levels. Written by a veteran consultant in the construction field, the book draws a connection between how construction professionals act as leaders and how their attitude and behavior affect productivity and waste daily. He expands the notion of ethics beyond the simple litmus test of right and wrong, so team leaders can adopt professional and diplomatic attitudes and behaviors toward the implementation of Lean improvements. Poorly devised organizational structures, unclear roles and responsibilities, unresolved interpersonal conflicts that are allowed to fester, and an overall lack of focus on improving team process―any of these attitudes and behaviors on a construction job can cripple productivity and result in waste and lost profit. This book demonstrates how, in a business intrinsically loaded with a wide range of people and personalities, ineffective management structures, and poor communication, Lean thinking can make the difference between a profitable, competitive construction team and mass inefficiencies and lost profitability. The author can be contacted at www.interactiveconsulting.biz
267 pages, Hardcover
First published December 1, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 22, 2022
More research for a job (that wasn't what I was led to believe, and it turned out I was "way overqualified" for...) This made a lot more sense and was more accessible than the academic essays of the last one (Lean Construction: Core Concepts and New Frontiers - those were academic studies about academic studies), but it is not without its own problems. Santorella has a bias and may not know it, but... that's quibbling, although he cited a lot of actors I am not fond of or think overrated (Lencioni, Goleman, pop into mind). The book did pretty much confirm that I've already been doing a hybrid of the concepts... different contractual arrangements, different focus, so it was a matter of learning a different dictionary.
Handful of takeaways I highlighted:
[on continuous improvement] Perfectionism is exhausting and demoralizing. Continuous improvement is about optimism—that we can exert control over the things we can control and make our world a little better every day.
{Spot on with that assessment of perfectionism. The Demings TQM and zero-defect ideas (ideals?) are essentially unobtainable, and we should learn to work with "close enough" - all while moving the bar closer to "enough"]
[on measurement] But if measurement becomes our entire focus we’re missing something vital: the human element. Creating the perfect process as the be all and end all doesn’t encapsulate Lean. The heart of Lean is about people: collaborating, sharing information, and helping each other to improve workflow.
["If it can't be measured, it can't be managed." A lesson I learned a long time ago is that when you mire yourself in the weeds of data, you miss the big picture.]
[and as to that big picture] But Lean isn’t about simply throwing a bunch of tools at problems and then naively believing that you are a “Lean company.” Yes, each Lean tool has a specific purpose, but their deployment can’t be done in a vacuum. If you make changes without considering the entire system, then you could actually create more waste than you are trying to eliminate— and this is where culture comes into the picture.
{This is the essence: holistic project management from concept to operations with the life cycle as a keystone.}
[on attitude, in the construction world] Leaders understand the big picture. Want to succeed and want the people under them to succeed. Willing to provide people with the tools to do the job. Create trust by having people’s backs who produce. Have regard for people and company policies. Leaders expect everyone, including themselves, to live up to their commitments.
{Too often, people make the mistake of "managing" construction, when the greatest successes are from leading construction.]
[more on leadership] Please don’t misinterpret what I’m saying. This isn’t about “buying” people’s loyalty, cooperation, and teamwork. It is about having their backs so they don’t have to be diligent about watching their own.
[where Santorella goes wrong] The biggest mistake that GCs and subcontractors alike make on public works jobs is to assume that all of the various "clients' who are involved in a project actually care about the job getting built. Most times, they don’t. The sooner you realize that the primary thing that most in the public sector care about is how you are making them look, the better off you are going to be.
[…]
In the public sector it is all about dotting your i’s, crossing your t’s, and avoiding anything that could negatively come back on you. That’s not to say that there aren’t such characters in the private sector, but they tend to be the exception rather than the rule.
{I had issues with this. He couldn't be more wrong and he really doesn’t understand public sector. And while it shouldn't, it does color my perception of everything I read after that.}
[and where Santorella REALLY goes wrong] So, what does all this have to do with being an effective Lean leader? I certainly don’t mean to compare a job site with a concentration camp (though some of you who have worked on particularly trying projects may disagree).
{Okay, I'm going to go ahead and share the note I made on this passage: "jerk". That's in the whole "I'm not a racist but..." vein.}
[one of the epigraphs that resonated] A guy who shows up everyday on time, never calls in sick, and does what he says he’s going to do is less likely to *&%# you in the end than the guy who has an incredible resume but is less reliable. Skills can be taught. Character you either have or you don’t.
Anthony Bourdain - Kitchen Confidential
{Character matters. Always.}
[a truth about design] In our current state, we are demanding a crushing level of information from architects, and we are demanding it be provided within shorter and shorter time frames. And with the advent of more and more technology, we also seem to be carrying around more misperceptions in our heads as to what is doable. 3-D platforms such as Revit evoke the promise of delivering a revised product with a click of a button, when in actuality, changes are painstakingly slow and labor intensive to administer.
{This is so important to convey to owners/stakeholders. Changes are almost never simple.}
Handful of takeaways I highlighted:
[on continuous improvement] Perfectionism is exhausting and demoralizing. Continuous improvement is about optimism—that we can exert control over the things we can control and make our world a little better every day.
{Spot on with that assessment of perfectionism. The Demings TQM and zero-defect ideas (ideals?) are essentially unobtainable, and we should learn to work with "close enough" - all while moving the bar closer to "enough"]
[on measurement] But if measurement becomes our entire focus we’re missing something vital: the human element. Creating the perfect process as the be all and end all doesn’t encapsulate Lean. The heart of Lean is about people: collaborating, sharing information, and helping each other to improve workflow.
["If it can't be measured, it can't be managed." A lesson I learned a long time ago is that when you mire yourself in the weeds of data, you miss the big picture.]
[and as to that big picture] But Lean isn’t about simply throwing a bunch of tools at problems and then naively believing that you are a “Lean company.” Yes, each Lean tool has a specific purpose, but their deployment can’t be done in a vacuum. If you make changes without considering the entire system, then you could actually create more waste than you are trying to eliminate— and this is where culture comes into the picture.
{This is the essence: holistic project management from concept to operations with the life cycle as a keystone.}
[on attitude, in the construction world] Leaders understand the big picture. Want to succeed and want the people under them to succeed. Willing to provide people with the tools to do the job. Create trust by having people’s backs who produce. Have regard for people and company policies. Leaders expect everyone, including themselves, to live up to their commitments.
{Too often, people make the mistake of "managing" construction, when the greatest successes are from leading construction.]
[more on leadership] Please don’t misinterpret what I’m saying. This isn’t about “buying” people’s loyalty, cooperation, and teamwork. It is about having their backs so they don’t have to be diligent about watching their own.
[where Santorella goes wrong] The biggest mistake that GCs and subcontractors alike make on public works jobs is to assume that all of the various "clients' who are involved in a project actually care about the job getting built. Most times, they don’t. The sooner you realize that the primary thing that most in the public sector care about is how you are making them look, the better off you are going to be.
[…]
In the public sector it is all about dotting your i’s, crossing your t’s, and avoiding anything that could negatively come back on you. That’s not to say that there aren’t such characters in the private sector, but they tend to be the exception rather than the rule.
{I had issues with this. He couldn't be more wrong and he really doesn’t understand public sector. And while it shouldn't, it does color my perception of everything I read after that.}
[and where Santorella REALLY goes wrong] So, what does all this have to do with being an effective Lean leader? I certainly don’t mean to compare a job site with a concentration camp (though some of you who have worked on particularly trying projects may disagree).
{Okay, I'm going to go ahead and share the note I made on this passage: "jerk". That's in the whole "I'm not a racist but..." vein.}
[one of the epigraphs that resonated] A guy who shows up everyday on time, never calls in sick, and does what he says he’s going to do is less likely to *&%# you in the end than the guy who has an incredible resume but is less reliable. Skills can be taught. Character you either have or you don’t.
Anthony Bourdain - Kitchen Confidential
{Character matters. Always.}
[a truth about design] In our current state, we are demanding a crushing level of information from architects, and we are demanding it be provided within shorter and shorter time frames. And with the advent of more and more technology, we also seem to be carrying around more misperceptions in our heads as to what is doable. 3-D platforms such as Revit evoke the promise of delivering a revised product with a click of a button, when in actuality, changes are painstakingly slow and labor intensive to administer.
{This is so important to convey to owners/stakeholders. Changes are almost never simple.}
July 23, 2014
Good easy read. A lot of the lean concepts are common sense but can definitely apply in the construction industry.
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