Understanding The Meaning Of Gemba and The Importance Of Gemba Walk 

The concept of Gemba originated from the Japanese and involves leaders in business visiting floors of product, or value manufacturing to observe the work done and offer insights. If business leaders conduct gemba walk throughout their organization, they can maximize efficiency in minimal time with less waste. 

In this blog, we’ll learn what Gemba means in various sectors along with the importance of the Gemba walk. 

What Does Gemba Mean?

The concept of Gemba (現場) was created by the Japanese meaning “the actual place” or “the real place where things happen”. Gemba promotes the concept of gemba walk which means, managers or leaders visiting the place where customer value products are being created. 

The concept of Gemba is used by lean thinkers who work to constantly revise and improve their manufacturing processes by eliminating waste. In business, gemba points to the physical location where products are manufactured such as the warehouse, factory floor, or sales floors.

Japanese companies alternate the term Gemba with “Genchi Gembutusu” which means, “go see for yourself” referring to observing procedures as they happen in real-time. The concept of Gemba and Genchi Gembutusu is commonly practiced by the Toyota Production System and is a key part of lean management. 

The meaning of Gemba varies from industry to industry. Refer to the table listed below to gain a deeper understanding of what gemba means based on each industry. 

What Does Gemba Mean In:

Now, that we’ve grasped the basic concept of what gemba means based on industry. You can further explore the part Gemba plays in lean management. 

What does Gemba mean in Lean?

In lean management, Gemba means the “actual place” or “physical location where value is created”. Value refers to the products valued by the customer, so this gemba simply means going to the main location where products are produced. Lean management focuses on working to enhance productivity and improve existing manufacturing processes. 

The concept of Gemba is commonly applied in lean management as it involves the active participation of leaders or individuals in charge to visit the actual workplace to identify and eliminate waste. Lean thinkers emphasize the need for Gemba in various workplaces to ensure productivity and improve efficiency. 

Now, that we’ve explored what the definition of Gemba, you can move to the next step. Practicing gemba, or learning what a gemba walk is. 

What Is A Gemba Walk?

A Gemba walk is a walkthrough through different areas of the workplace which aims to observe employees, ask about their tasks, and identify areas of improvement. The main purpose of a Gemba walk is to identify areas where more productivity can be achieved rather than highlight deficiencies. 

Essentially, a gemba walk is the physical manifestation of what gemba means. It is a lean management practice where leaders conduct a walkthrough throughout the office or organization. A Gemba walk primarily focuses on the “actual places where value is created”, meaning visiting the places where products are being produced. 

In simple terms, a Gemba walk means when leaders visit the workplace to observe the actual work being done in real-time. It’s a lean management practice for leaders to learn about the inner workings of their organization by observing their employees, asking relevant questions, and focusing on a collaborative effort to work towards improvement. 

Understanding what Gemba Walk means and its application in the workplace can be used as a problem-solving tool in the manufacturing process to help identify waste. 

Principles of Gemba Walk:

The definition of Gemba is produced on a few basic principles which act as the foundation to help introduce improvement and efficiency in organizations. The principles of Gemba are:

Continuous Improvement:
The root of Gemba is focused on continuous improvement and ensuring that the purpose of the Gemba walk is to highlight weak areas and work on them to increase efficiency. 

Gemba Walk Objective:
Leaders should conduct Gemba Walks every 3 to 6 months after gaining statistics and reports to assess the product management process and address issues in the reports on actual findings. 

Develop Relevant Gemba Questions:
Employees or product manufacturers closely work with the product until it is sent off for delivery. Leaders need to ask questions to get an overview of the manufacturing procedures. 

Engage Employees:
When conducting a Gemba walk, remember to treat your employees with respect and ask insightful questions on how to make changes as any change made directly concerns them. 

Document Observations:
During your workplace walkthrough, document observations to help you assess the statistics with your findings. This helps compare the data with the work being done in product manufacturing.

Waste Reduction:
In hindsight, Gemba means working to reduce waste or practices that do not generate profit. After closely assessing the manufacturing processes, you can determine what factors to add or eliminate to reduce lead time. 

Follow Up:
After implementation of the changes to improve productivity, visit the actual place of the work being done, or Gemba and observe the changes made. 

The 5G’s of Gemba

The 5G’s of Gemba are Japanese structural problem-solving methods designed to improve workflow management and address and resolve issues:

Gemba: Means “the actual place where work is being done.” The meaning of Gemba essentially means visiting the actual site where work is being performed. 

Gembustu: Means “the real things” referring to the people, and materials. Equipment, and procedures involved in the work being done. 

Genjitsu: Refers to the analysis of the work being done and the data gathered in the process. 

Genri: includes the theoretical side of Gemba. Meaning it takes into account concrete data of every process and analyzes its importance and relevancy. 

Gensoku: Points to the standards of the organization and whether they need adjustment to match their work procedures. 

Finding Improvement Opportunities on a Gemba Walk

When done properly, using Gemba will give you an insight and the opportunity to identify many different areas of improvement to then action solutions. By spending time where work is being done, you can spot potential problems, look for inefficiencies, see safety hazards, and much more.

One of the biggest reasons that a Gemba, or a Gemba walkthrough, is so effective is because it facilitates open communication between the front-line workforce and executives and others. This open conversation can help you to hear different ideas on how to improve processes right from the lips of those doing the work. These are often ideas that would have otherwise gone unheard if you were to wait in your office for someone to share.

Gemba is one of the simplest workplace improvement concepts out there today, but it is also one of the most effective. Since it can be used alongside any other improvement strategy, there really is no significant reason not to use this concept.

Conclusion: 

Gemba is an improvement tool that can be used to assess areas requiring improvement in the workstation. When every leader or manager visits each workstation to offer expert insights and showcase their expertise, it can help get the work done in little to no time. Leaders should explore the meaning of Gemba and work towards applying the concept of Gemba to achieve maximum productivity with little effort.