Supporting Organizational Design Towards Lean with the Viable System Model Theory 73 SUPPORTING ORGANIZATIONAL DESIGN TOWARDS LEAN WITH THE VIABLE SYSTEM MODEL Michael T. Schmidt 1 , Fatos Elezi 2 , Iris D. Tommelein 3 , Klas Berghede 4 and Udo Lindemann 5 ABSTRACT This paper provides an approach to support design of organizational control structures in lean construction projects. Abstracting and analyzing lean practices from the perspective of Management Cybernetics and the Viable System Model (ViSM) in particular was found to elevate understanding of the former in previous research. It seems promising to further investigate how applying the ViSM can aid the implementation of lean thinking in environments that face cultural- and other hurdles to sustainably establishing lean practices. To take further steps in this direction of research we present an approach for identification and design of organizational control structures in the context of lean practices utilizing the ViSM. Then, we present an exemplary application of said approach, showcasing supportive design of control structures within a pull-based material supply system at a hospital construction project in San Francisco, California. The example shows that the ViSM and its underlying principles of Management Cybernetics can largely support establishing control structures in lean context. Responsibility assignments and information channels could be transparently included in the organization structure and their assumed contribution to sustainable lean implementation could initially be verified. KEYWORDS Management Cybernetics, Viable System Model, Lean Construction, lean control mechanisms, lean implementation INTRODUCTION Lean Thinking, originating in Toyota’s production system initiated by entering the automobile industry and facing economic challenges in the early 1950s, has evolved to being a management approach of major success, not only in car manufacturing 1 Graduate Student, University of California, Berkeley, USA and Technische Universität München, Germany, michaeltschmidt@mytum.de 2 M. Sc., Institute for Product Development, Technische Universität München, Germany, fatos.elezi@pe.mw.tum.de 3 Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, and Director of the Project Production Systems Laboratory (p2sl.berkeley.edu), 215-A McLaughlin Hall, Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-1712, USA, Phone +1 (510) 643-8678, tommelein@ce.berkeley.edu 4 Production Manager, The Boldt Company, 455 Market Street, 5th Floor, CA 94105, San Francisco, klas.berghede@boldt.com 5 Professor, Institute for Product Development, Technische Universität München, Germany, lindemann@pe.mw.tum.de