Integration of Lean and Agile Principles into Innovation Management

Abstract

Innovation, is located in the center of construction management literature for decades and accepted as an important determinant of competitiveness. Agility and leanness, on the other hand, are two indisputable courses of competitiveness in construction. Today, in order to sustain an advantageous position in the global market, construction companies should focus on adopting innovative approaches together with lean and agile principles. This study aims to gather all these concepts into same ground and improve construction industry’s innovation capabilities through integrating lean and agile principles. With this aim, twofold research was conducted with interdisciplinary and international and professionals. In the first part, participants’ innovation and innovation barrier perceptions were determined through a questionnaire survey. Then, in the second part, by taking the survey results into consideration, the ways to integrate lean and agile principles into innovation process were discussed. Findings of this study is expected to contribute to construction management practice and literature by developing a roadmap for diffusion of lean and agile concepts into innovation field.