I’ve always loved Gemba!  Recently, I was reminded just how much I love it and why!

While engaged on a project with a client, I suggested that all the stakeholders walk the process together from the end to the beginning.  This is so everyone can “see” what is really happening from the customers’ point of view. 

It was a cross-functional team with multiple handoffs throughout the full process.  It was a great learning opportunity for everyone involved to better understand what other stakeholders did, how they did it, and what challenges they faced.  Of course, the real benefit came when they understood the challenges or problems they created for each other or how it would be much easier for the downstream process if they did things just a little differently.  All of this was great and is a great benefit of Gemba!

However, what was truly awesome, and why I love Gemba so much, were the treasures of previously unknown issues beyond the immediate process we were reviewing that the various teams were totally frustrated with and needed upper management’s assistance and support to resolve.  These were things that the team members had accepted were just the way it is and assumed upper management was fully aware of, which they weren’t.

I believe Gemba is a leader’s most powerful tool.  What I don’t understand is why so few leaders actually do it on a regular basis!  Everyone involved in a Gemba learns, and problems are identified, addressed, and resolved. 

If you’re interested in Gemba or would like to learn more about it, below is a summary and link to several of my most popular posts on the topic.

1. 10 Important Steps of Effective Gemba Walks or “Go See”  – 10 practical tips on how to conduct an effective Gemba walk from preparing for and what to do while on Gemba.
2. Toyota’s Worst Best Kept Secret & The Top Five Reasons For It – a brief article that explains Gemba using the letters that spell the word.
3. The best place for a meeting…is on the roof! – a success story of using Gemba to obtain out-of-budget approval for an item of capital expenditure.
4. Teaching your eyes to see – a success story about learning to see 1/10th of a second kaizens and techniques on how to learn to see problems and improvement opportunities.
5. 3 Steps to Having Time for Gemba – Want to do Gemba more often?  These 3 simple tips should help!
6. Gemba by any other name is… Go & see!  Gemba is not just for manufacturing processes! – A too common misconception is that Gemba is a manufacturing tool and not for office work.  This brief article busts this myth.
7. Gemba Walks – Tip #1
8. Gemba Walks – Tip #2

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