Perceptions of Lean Concepts From Japan: Using an Interactive Game to Teach Lean Terminology

Lean terminology is commonly used and taught in the construction industry within the context of a production factory scenario, which could limit the perception of lean concept.This makes it challenging for industry practitioners, researchers and students to fully understand and implement these concepts in practice.Nevertheless, many lean concepts such as kanban that translates to "visual signage" in English are deeply rooted in daily scenarios in Japan.A comprehensive perception of lean concepts can potentially assist in thorough lean adoption beyond the production lines.However, there is little research that studies the perception of lean concepts in scenarios other than that in the typical production factory.To address this gap, this study presents the research titled "Beyond production lines: Perceptions of lean terminology from Japan" using an interactive game to teach lean terminology through relatable daily scenarios.The main purpose of this work is to investigate the perceptions.In the first phase of this study, 16 lean concepts were selected; four rounds of simulations were conducted involving 61 industry practitioners and students from diverse global backgrounds.The results reveal varied perceptions of lean concepts.The findings provide valuable insights and lay the groundwork for future research on lean education.