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Gemba Walk
Observe, Engage, Improve
© Operational Excellence Consulting. All rights reserved.

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Contents
02 03 04 05
The 4 Steps of
Gemba Walk
The 3 MUs:
Muda, Mura & Muri
Kaizen Eyes:
Ability to See
Opportunities for
Improvement
Taking the Gemba
Walk
01
Introduction to
Gemba Walk
NOTE: This is a PARTIAL PREVIEW.
To download the complete presentation,
please visit: https://www.oeconsulting.com.sg

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What is Gemba?
§ The term “Gemba” comes from the Japanese word which means
“the actual place”
§ A Gemba is literally any direct location where the action is taking
place
§ Taiichi Ohno, a Toyota engineer and leader, is often credited with
developing the concept of the “Gemba Walk”– the idea that leaders
should regularly and frequently be present to observe the work of
their organization when and where it takes place
§ Within the Lean culture, it refers to the location where value is
created and ultimately improved

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“Farming looks mighty easy when your
plow is a pencil and you’re 1,000 miles
away from a corn field.”
- Dwight Eisenhower

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Why Gemba?
§ To grasp how value is actually created
in the organization
§ Helps to see and reconcile the value
creation process (“the horizontal”) with
leadership direction (“the vertical”)
§ Builds relationships and trust between
leadership and staff
§ Shows management commitment to
Lean initiatives
§ Drives accountability within the
organization

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Why Gemba?
A Gemba Walk helps managers see and reconcile
the horizontal with the vertical.
Value flows
horizontally
across
organizations
to customers
Organizations are vertical and complex;
Managers look up toward the top (the CEO)
for direction
Customers

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What is a Gemba Walk?
§ In business, Gemba refers to the
place where value is created and the
general notion is that the best
improvement ideas will come simply
from going to the Gemba (‘bottom-up’
vs. ‘top-down’)
§ In a Gemba Walk, leaders visit the
front lines to glean first-hand
knowledge regarding:
§ How products are built
§ How services are provided
§ Current challenges
§ Opportunities for improvement

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Gemba Walks bring managers closer
to what is happening within the
organization through observation and
questioning.

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“Management by walking
around' is hardly ever
effective. The reason is that
someone in management,
walking around, has little
idea about what questions
to ask, and usually does not
pause long enough at any
spot to get the right
answer.”
Dr. W. Edwards Deming
Out of the Crisis, 1982

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Gemba Walks vs. Management By Walking Around
(MBWA)
Gemba Walks Management By Walking Around
Different Goals The goal is to examine the current state of a
particular process by observing it in action at
the place where it occurs. This aim is narrow,
focused, and very specific.
Involves seeing what’s going on more broadly
(or, done badly, just saying hello and visiting
people in the workplace).
Different
Destinations
The Gemba Walk takes the leader to a specific
place to observe a defined activity.
The destination is unstructured and undefined,
with the leader walking around checking in with
employees on equipment and processes at
random.
Different Tactics During a Gemba Walk, the manager asks very
in-depth questions about the process being
observed, like:
§ Who is involved?
§ What materials are used?
§ What do you do? How do you know what to do?
§ When does the task take place?
§ What depends on the outcome?
Does not involve that degree of depth, and
usually lacks the critical element of a focus on
asking open ended questions.
Different
Outcomes
Managers visit the Gemba to ask questions
rather than to give answers, which helps them
identify varied opportunities for improvement.
Leaders, when practicing MBWA, might think
they are being helpful by throwing solutions at
people. However, these changes are often half-
baked and can be more disruptive than helpful.

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What Gemba Walk Is NOT
§ Gemba is not an audit
§ Management policing or checking up on everyone
§ Finding fault in others
§ A time for solving problems and making on the spot changes
§ By-passing middle management
§ Participating or observing a daily or tier management meeting
§ Gemba is not a manager’s desk

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Why Gemba Walk?
1. Obtain first-hand knowledge on
how work is actually done
2. See the gap between how
processes look on paper and how
they are executed in real life
3. Provide a fresh set of eyes as
frontline workers may be so used
to their process or problems that
they no longer recognize them as
problems
4. A chance to emphasize quality
and safety
5. A chance to talk with employees,
to hear what problems are not
getting solved
6. Instill discipline (e.g. standard
work practices)
7. Communicate both the value of
the work being done and the
importance of continuous
improvement
8. Connect team goals with the
organization’s strategy

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People are often more open to providing
feedback and explaining the reasons for their
behavior when they are in their own space.

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Who’s Doing It?
“There was a perception that I
was going out to catch
people,” he says. “Over time
they understand that I just
want to see it like a customer.
I can do my job better if I have
firsthand exposure to the
good, the bad and the ugly.”
Bob Nardelli
CEO Home Depot
“Michael Dell was known for
popping in, unannounced and
without an entourage, at the
factories in Austin. He would
just walk around, look, and
listen to people.”
Mark Graban
Internationally recognized consultant
in Lean Management

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Three Keys to Lean Leadership
§ Go See
§ “Senior Management must spend time
on the plant floor”
§ Ask Why
§ “Use the “Why?” technique daily”
§ Show Respect
§ “Respect your people”
Fujio Cho
Chairman, Toyota Motor Corporation

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Go See, Ask Why, Show Respect
Why must you
go and see?
Because you cannot know what’s going on in a
problem situation, no matter how much
experience you have, unless you have seen
this specific problem in-depth.
Why ask why?
Because you need to question what you’re
seeing. You need to be clear about what you
are seeing by asking: Why is this happening?
What do I need to know more about it? What do
others here know that I don’t?
Why show
respect?
In many ways, that’s the most critical step in
solving a problem. If you don’t show respect to
people doing the work, they are not likely to
share what they know, and you don’t.
Source: Lean Enterprise Institute

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Objective of Gemba Walk
§ The objective of a Gemba walk is not to
draw a map, or to solve a specific
problem, or to Plan or Do or Check or
Act
§ It is to grasp the situation by involving
everyone touching the process to
understand purpose, process, and
people
§ Once the situation is understood,
improvement is possible and more likely
to succeed

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Your Approach is Key
Before you go to the Gemba you
have to know how to approach the
Gemba:
§ The observer must have a deep
interest in understanding what is
really going on
§ Leave all assumptions and opinions
at the office

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Your Approach is Key
§ Direct observation takes a specific
skill set – is essential to getting the
most out of your Gemba
§ The goal is to fully understand
Gemba behaviors and how they
relate to the current situation within
the Gemba

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Your Approach is Key
§ Show respect
§ Your direct interaction with the
employee(s) is important to the
Gemba
§ Make sure they feel respected to get
the most out of your Gemba
§ Great opportunity to strengthen your
Lean culture

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“When you are out
observing on the
Gemba, do something
to help them. If you do,
people will come to
expect that you can
help them and will look
forward to seeing you
again on the Gemba.”
Taiichi Ohno

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It is important that employees understand
the ultimate goal of Gemba Walk is to
improve conditions, processes, and
instructions for all employees.

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Gemba Walk: 4 Steps to Gemba Success
1
Know Your
Purpose
2
Know Your
Gemba
3
Observe
the
Framework
4
Validate

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“Genchi Genbutsu [go
and see the actual
situation] means
imagining what you
are observing is your
own job, rather than
somebody else’s
problem, and making
efforts to improve it.”
Akio Toyoda
President of Toyota Motor Corporation, 2009

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Operational Excellence Consulting is a management training and consulting
firm that assists organizations in improving business performance and
effectiveness. Based in Singapore, the firm’s mission is to create business
value for organizations through innovative design and operational excellence
management training and consulting solutions. For more information, please
visit www.oeconsulting.com.sg