Gemba Walk: The Magic of 'Going to the Real Place'
We visited a company where the CEO spent 80% of his time in his office, analyzing reports. The numbers said everything was fine, but staff turnover was rising. When we invited him to walk the plant floor, he discovered that the 'efficient' machines were causing excessive fatigue among operators. That walk changed the strategy for the year.
The desk disconnect
In the corporate world, we tend to make decisions based on spreadsheets and PowerPoint presentations. But the reality of operations is often very different. The 'Gemba' (the real place) is where value is created.
How to run an effective Gemba Walk
1. Go to see, not to judge: The goal is to understand the process, not to evaluate people.
2. Ask 'why', not 'who': Look for the root cause of problems, not for someone to blame.
3. Show respect: Appreciate the work of the people in daily operations.
Tangible results
In a recent engagement, we implemented weekly Gemba Walks at a logistics company. The result: they identified 15 unnecessary micro-processes that saved 20 person-hours a week. But most important of all, the operations team felt heard for the first time in years.
