Gemba means “the real place”—where work actually happens, problems become visible, and leadership behavior matters most. These posts explore what going to the gemba really means beyond symbolic walk-throughs, dashboards, or status updates.
Drawing from Lean, Toyota practices, healthcare, manufacturing, and knowledge work, this archive focuses on gemba as a leadership practice: listening more than talking, asking better questions, building trust, and creating the conditions for daily improvement rather than fear or performance theater.
Video – Breaking News Videos from CNN.com Sort of a funny video (linked above) on CNN/Headline News about presidential candidates being “clueless” about what they’re seeing on the campaign trail and factory tours. The Headline News version (which I can’t…
Toyota juggernaut vows to improve (Detroit News): Toyota’s president is urging his own company to remember the principle of “Genchi Genbutsu,” or “go and see.” David Mann, author of Creating a Lean Culture: Tools to Sustain Lean Conversions, puts it…
Clinton gets close-up glimpse of nurse’s life – USATODAY.com It’s probably all just political posturing, but Hillary Clinton recently spent two hours shadowing and observing a nurse at a hospital in Nevada. The New York senator spent more than two…
This is from a blog reader, Mike, in response to an earlier question about the role of senior leadership in a Lean effort. A Real-World Gemba Walk Example from a Lean Facility I’m posting this with Mike’s permission to get…
Since we’ve been talking about leadership and Lean, it’s coincidence that I got this email from a reader. I’ll let the blog readers answer this Posted with permission: I am [name withheld], 25yrs old, working for a small manufacturing firm…
Kent Blumberg: Open door policies that work Here’s another interesting take on the practice of managers going to the Gemba. Kent writes about why “open door” policies that involve waiting for employees to come through that open door to your…
TL;DR: Many so-called “Lean failures” aren’t really Lean at all. They’re examples of L.A.M.E.–Lean As Misguidedly Executed, where organizations misuse Lean to justify understaffing, layoffs, bureaucracy, or demeaning management practices. Real Lean, rooted in the Toyota Production System, focuses on…
Study Warns Of Desk Jockey Clot Danger – CBS News You might have heard of “Deep Vein Thrombosis” and blood clots as being a health risk on long plane rides, but what about sitting at a desk or in meetings…
Kent Blumberg: The Gemba – what it is and why leaders should care Kent, a reader of and sometimes commenter on this blog, found a blog (“The Corporate Cynic”) that made a wild and uninformed attack on the Toyota Production…
Bob Nardelli is Watching Update Jan 4 2007 — I really had it wrong on Nardelli, see the latest news and post. They don’t call it a “gemba walk”, but in the new Fast Company magazine, there is a profile…
Kaizen and Lean Manufacturing thoughts | Gemba Panta Rei This is a great article by Jon Miller from the Panta Rei lean blog. Here is a link to the Financial Times article he referenced (you have to do a free…
