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Study on the construction workforce management based on lean construction in the context of COVID-19

Lixuan Jiang (Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing, China)
Hua Zhong (Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, UK)
Jianghong Chen (Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing, China)
Jiajia Cheng (Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing, China)
Shilong Chen (Jiangsu Provincial Department of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, Nanjing, China)
Zili Gong (Jiangsu Provincial Department of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, Nanjing, China)
Zhihui Lun (Jiangsu Provincial Department of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, Nanjing, China)
Jinhua Zhang (Cailiang Construction Technology Co., Ltd., Changzhou, China)
Zhenmin Su (Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing, China)

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management

ISSN: 0969-9988

Article publication date: 14 July 2022

Issue publication date: 1 September 2023

544

Abstract

Purpose

The construction industry is facing challenges not only for workers' mobility in the pandemic situation but also for Lean Construction (LC) practise in responding to the high-quality development during the post-pandemic. As such, this paper presents a construction workforce management framework based on LC to manage both the emergency goal in migrant worker management and the long-term goal in labour productivity improvement in China.

Design/methodology/approach

The framework is created based on the integrated culture and technology strategies of LC. A combination of qualitative and quantitative methods is taken to explore factors influencing the mobility of construction workers and to measure labour productivity improvement. The case study approach is adopted to demonstrate the framework application.

Findings

For method application, a time-and-motion study and Percent Plan Complete indicator are proposed to offer labour productivity measurements of “resources efficiency” and “flow efficiency”. Moreover, the case study provides an industry level solution for construction workforce management and Lean Construction culture shaping, as well as witnesses the LC culture and technology strategies alignment contributing to LC practise innovation.

Originality/value

Compared with previous studies which emphasised solely LC techniques rather than socio-technical system thinking, the proposed integration framework as well as implementation of “Worker's Home” and “Lean Work Package” management models in the COVID-19 pandemic contribute to new extensions of both the fundamental of knowledge and practise in LC.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Cailiang construction technology Co. Ltd. Jiangsu Huayu Construction Co. Ltd. and the LC teams of Cailiang construction technology Co. Ltd. and Jiangsu Huayu Construction Co. Ltd. for the cooperation and providing access to data collection and investigation. The authors also wish to acknowledge the support from the group of Department of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, Jiangsu Province, China, who design and plan the demonstration project and are dedicating to promoting LC implementing in China.

Funding: This work is fubnded by the Soft Science Research Project of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development of China (No. 2019-R-017), the Humanity and Social Science Youth Foundation of Ministry of Education of China (No. 19YJC630019) and Jiangsu Province University Philosophy and Social Science Research Foundation of China (No. 2017SJB0182).

Citation

Jiang, L., Zhong, H., Chen, J., Cheng, J., Chen, S., Gong, Z., Lun, Z., Zhang, J. and Su, Z. (2023), "Study on the construction workforce management based on lean construction in the context of COVID-19", Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, Vol. 30 No. 8, pp. 3310-3329. https://doi.org/10.1108/ECAM-10-2021-0948

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited

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