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Lean Term: Gemba

Gemba has several different meanings, so to start let’s use the literal Japanese translation and define gemba as meaning ‘the real place’.

In traditional (i.e. manufacturing) Lean, gemba is frequently used synonymously with ‘shop floor.’ (You may hear the term genba-with an ‘N’-used interchangeably with gemba. Lean is funny that way. There are many ways to say the same thing.)

But as Lean has migrated to the office, gemba has a new meaning. This ‘real place’ can be in an engineering cubicle, at a cash register in a retail store, or in front of a computer where orders are entered.

It is not as common to hear the term gemba specifically used in the Lean office, but the principle behind ‘going to gemba’ (meaning the real place where the work is being done) is just as strong.

The foundation of this Lean principal is that in order to really understand a process, you have to go to the spot where the work is being done. The concept of gemba is part of a bigger philosophy known as the ’3 Reals’.

You have to go to the

(1) real place to observe the

(2) real thing to get the

(3) real facts and data.

‘Go to Gemba‘ is a common refrain that Lean experts use when facilitating events. It is surprising to hear how often people will try to argue one another into believing that what they say is correct, when they are only 50 feet from seeing the answer firsthand.

Lean managers should be out in gemba regularly. They should spend a big chunk of their day out on the shop floor. In fact, there’s another Japanese term for this: genba kanri-which means shop floor management in English.

Managers cannot possibly get a feel for what is happening if they are not out in the work areas watching what is going on.

I even go so far as to recommend moving your office out to the shop floor. You can always use a conference room for phone calls and private meetings.

Being in the ‘real place’ will help you learn more about the processes in your area than any other method. When you see an operation day in and day out, you get familiar with it, and any hiccup you witness begs for attention. If you only pass through intermittently, those same problems won’t call out to you. And if they don’t call out, how will they ever get solved?

Go to gemba. Managers, you should be on the shop floor or walking around your offices every day, a few times a day. Even better, move your desk right into the heart of your area. Nothing beats your presence near your team as a leadership tool.

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Lean Definition, Lean Terms | Tags: ,

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2 Comments

  • Antonio Souza Jr says:
    December 16, 2011 at 6:06 am

    Hello Folks,

    In Xerox we have a strong Lean Six Sigma culture. Go to GEMBA for us is normally referred as “Walk the Process”.

    Regards,

    Antonio Souza Jr

    Reply
    • Jeff Hajek says:
      December 16, 2011 at 7:46 am

      Antonio,

      Good point. There are lots of different ways to label the same thing. The important thing, though, is that the terminology is used consistently throughout the organization to prevent confusion.

      To that point, I use the term “process walk” differently than “going to gemba”. For me, it is a thorough review of an operation during an improvement project. It involves detailed documentation and observation. Going to gemba, in my mind, is more of a quick check to avoid discussing something that can be observed firsthand, or simply a leadership style of being present in an operation.

      Thanks for the comment.
      Jeff

      Reply

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