What does Gemba mean?

Gemba is a Japanese term that translates to ‘the real place.’ When used in the context of workplace improvement or increased efficiency, the Gemba is the place where actual work is done. For example, in a factory setting, the Gemba would be where the machines and other equipment are putting together the products. It is often referred to as ‘the place where value is created.’

The principles of Gemba, a Lean manufacturing tool, is used for many things in many workplaces. Any business whose objective is to focus on continuous improvements to efficiency, safety, and production will want to understand what Gemba means and what it is in the workplace.

What is a Gemba Walk?

A Gemba Walk is a core practice in Lean management. The core principle of a Gemba Walk is for leaders and managers to visit these real places and observe work processes firsthand. This direct observation allows them to gain a deeper understanding of how tasks are actually being completed, identify areas for improvement, and engage with employees directly. 

Unlike traditional inspections or audits, Gemba Walks are not meant to find fault or assign blame. Instead, they aim to foster a collaborative environment where leaders can learn from frontline workers and solicit their input on potential improvements. Through open communication and a focus on continuous improvement, Gemba Walks can lead to increased efficiency, better problem-solving, and a more engaged workforce.

What sets Gemba Walk apart is that it is not conducted randomly to surprise employees, instead, every Gemba walk is purposeful to observe business operations and to interact with employees. Employees are usually informed about the walk and welcome to openly discuss processes with leadership and share their own operational insights. 

What is a Safety Gemba Walk?

Building upon the core principles of a Gemba Walk, a Safety Gemba Walk specifically focuses on identifying and mitigating potential safety hazards within the workplace. This targeted approach involves managers or safety professionals visiting work areas and observing daily tasks with an eye towards safety risks. During the walk, they actively look for unsafe practices, improper use of equipment, or environmental hazards that could lead to accidents or injuries. 

However, a Safety Gemba Walk goes beyond simply identifying issues. It emphasizes open communication with employees to understand the root causes of these safety concerns. This allows for a collaborative problem-solving approach, where workers and management can work together to develop and implement practical solutions that improve overall workplace safety.

What Gemba is Used For

This term is most commonly used in areas such as factories and warehouses. The most well-known way that is used for describing Gemba walks. A Gemba walk is when department heads such as supervisors and executives walk around the factory floor to view how work is actually being done. Unlike management by walking around, the objective of Gemba walks is to ask questions.

Organizations do this because while the work that team members do in their offices is important, it is no substitute for actually looking at how it is done and talking to employees who are doing it. Of course, management will have people on the floor who report up to them with any issues or concerns, but again that can’t be used to the exclusion of having supervisors on the shop floor themselves.

Purpose of Gemba walk

The main purpose of the Gemba Walk is to observe, learn, listen, and provide assistance, and helps leaders to understand what is and is not working by being present with the workers on the floor. It also involves exploring how workers approach problem-solving and continuous daily work improvement. 

The major reasons why organizations implement these walks are:

How to Do a Gemba Walk

Before you walk into the workspace, it's important to create a plan on your goals and objectives.

While the implementation of a Gemba Walk may differ across companies, depending on the nature of their work, the following steps offer a general overview of the process:

1. Prepare Your Team 

   The team to be observed should be notified and prepared for the Gemba walk. It is important that all team members understand that this is a regular process to achieve continuous improvement. By developing this shared understanding, employees will feel more comfortable and motivated to collaborate.

2. Prepare Your Questions 

   During Gemba walks, managers should take a proactive approach and ask detailed questions about various activities and processes. Some examples of questions to ask include: Who is responsible for this task? What are the steps involved in this process? How frequently is this task performed? How much time does the process take? What is the margin of error? The specific questions may vary depending on the industry and sector of activity. The 5 Ws (Who, What, When, Where, and Why) can provide a useful framework for preparing questions. It is crucial to value and seriously consider the input provided by employees.

3. Follow the Value Stream 

   The most significant opportunities for improvement often arise at the points where processes, departments, or individuals interact. By following the value stream, these critical areas can be observed, prone to potential waste and reveal underlying issues. Encouraging employees to suggest processes, shifts, or work areas for a Gemba Walk is a valuable approach. This not only helps uncover improvement opportunities that may have been missed but also creates a collaborative effort. Frontline employees, actively involved in the work, can provide insights into processes and areas that could benefit from a fresh perspective. 

4. Observe Attentively 

   A Gemba walk is not meant to evaluate employee performance; its goal is to observe, understand, and improve processes. The walk should never be conducted in a punitive manner, and it is not the right time to engage in managing employee tasks. If you solely focus on individual abilities, you will encounter resistance.

5. Document Your Observations 

   Take note of everything that catches your attention during the Gemba walk, or you can even use your smartphone to record it. At times, you might feel like providing an immediate solution, but it's important to resist that urge. Save the analysis for later when you have gathered all the necessary information. By doing so, you will be more accurate and precise in your assessment.

6. Walk in Teams 

   While not every Gemba Walk requires a team, it can be beneficial to include managers or employees from different departments to get new ideas and diverse perspectives. Individuals who are unfamiliar with a specific process can ask a variety of questions, which can help identify problems and areas for improvement.

7. Communicate with Employees 

   Even if you don't discover any significant findings during your Gemba walk, it is important to share what you have learned or observed with the team. Otherwise, your employee may feel like they are being monitored without any feedback. If you plan to take action based on the walk, communicate the upcoming changes to the team and explain the reasons behind them.

8. Measure Key KPIs 

   Once you have implemented improvement projects, it is important to monitor performance and measure key performance indicators to assess if the desired results have been achieved. Additionally, conducting regular Gemba walks allows your staff to directly analyze the implemented improvements.

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.

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Additional Gemba facts:

• Gemba is a Japanese word meaning "the actual place." In lean practices, the gemba refers to "the place where value is created," such as the shop floor in manufacturing, the operating room in a hospital, the job site on a construction project, the kitchen of a restaurant, and the workstation of a software programmer. Source: https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/gemba/
• The term "going to the gemba" is described by the Japanese term "genchi gembutsu" which means "go and see for yourself." It is a key principle of the Toyota Production System, which emphasizes the importance of firsthand observation and problem-solving at the source of value creation. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gemba
• A popular approach in companies who implement lean principles is called "Gemba walks," which denote the action of going to see the actual process, understand the work, ask questions, and learn from those who do the work (showing respect to them). It is an opportunity for management and support staff to break away from their day-to-day tasks to walk the floor of their workplace to identify wasteful activities. Source: https://www.lean.org/lexicon-terms/gemba/
• Gemba walks are crucial to maintaining the disciplined adherence to lean process designs, part of the lean support role permeating all leadership positions. Executives should expect to spend 45 to 60 minutes every week or two gemba walking with a lean teacher, or Sensei, for six months to a year. Thereafter, they should regularly gemba walk on their own. Source: https://ca.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/what-is-gemba