25th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction - Heraklion, Greece - 2017

https://doi.org/10.24928/2017/0346

An Application of Control Theory to Visual Management for Organizational Communication in Construction

Koichi Murata1, Algan Tezel2, Lauri Koskela3 & Patricia Tzortzopoulos4

1Associate Professor, College of Industrial Technology, Nihon University, Chiba, JAPAN, [email protected]
2Researcher, School of Art, Design and Architecture, University of Huddersfield, Huddersfield, UK, [email protected]
3Professor of Construction and Project Management, University of Huddersfield, Huddersfield, UK, [email protected]
4Professor, School of Art, Design and Architecture, University of Huddersfield, Huddersfield, UK, [email protected]

Abstract

Insufficient process transparency is one of the main reasons for process waste, quality deviations and safety non-conformances in construction. Lean Production frequently resorts to a range of visual communication strategies called Visual Management (VM) to increase the level of process transparency and to support continuous improvement at the workplace. Although VM is a fundamental part of the Lean toolbox, theoretical or empirical studies on the role of VM in team activities are scarce. This study explores VM in construction through a block diagram used in control theory. Two VM tools for construction teams from construction companies in the UK and Japan are analysed in detail. The initial findings suggest that VM can and must cover various communication levels in construction organizations in order to break the barriers for information flows and to share valuable and newest knowledge.

Keywords

Lean construction, Visual management, Communication, Control theory

Files


Full Text
 

Reference

Murata, K. , Tezel, A. , Koskela, L. & Tzortzopoulos, P. 2017. An Application of Control Theory to Visual Management for Organizational Communication in Construction, 25th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction , 185-191. doi.org/10.24928/2017/0346

Download: BibTeX | RIS Format

 

Founded in 1993, the IGLC is an international network of researchers from practice and academia in architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) who feel that the practice, education, and research of the AEC industry have to be radically renewed in order to respond to the global challenges ahead.

2015 © All Rights Reserved.