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.
I’ve already written one blog post about this excellent Bloomberg BusinessWeek article about the Lean transformation at GE Aerospace, a post that focused on CEO Larry Culp saying that “a problem-solving culture is far more effective operationally than a finger-pointing…
tl;dr: Toyota’s culture treats problems as opportunities for learning–not failures to hide. Lessons from Toyota leaders show how kaizen, psychological safety, and trust enable frontline problem-solving, sustainable improvement, and long-term success. I have been really enjoying this book, released in…
Scroll down for how to subscribe, transcript, and more My guests for Episode #495 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast are Catherine Chabiron and Fabrice Bernhard, who are discussing her new book Learning to Scale at Theodo Group: Growing a…
TL;DR: Gemba and genba are the same Japanese word (現場), meaning “the actual place.” Japanese speakers, including native speakers and bilingual Lean professionals who’ve lived in Japan, all confirm: it’s a romanization difference, not a meaning difference. The Lean world…
tl;dr: In a riveting discussion, Ford CEO Jim Farley and Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi delve into Lean principles, cultural shifts, and operational challenges. From crisis management to employee respect, discover how these transportation industry leaders are transforming their companies. A…
tl;dr: In the blog post, we delve into MLB’s ongoing struggle with slow and lengthy games, analyzing recent rule changes aimed at reducing game time. Special focus is given to the newly enforced pitch clock for the 2023 season, its…
I was surprised that GEO CEO Larry Culp’s opening remarks weren’t shared in the YouTube recordings from the GE Lean Mindset event held in New York and live-streamed earlier this month. Larry Culp’s Opening Remarks on Lean at GE His…
tl;dr: In this post, Mark discusses key takeaways from the GE Lean Mindset events, particularly focusing on the diversity of backgrounds among attendees. He emphasizes how a varied set of perspectives contributes to a richer understanding and application of Lean…
Reposted from 2014… It’s Valentine’s Day. I’ll be on a flight home from Boston later, hoping to see my wife at least a little bit on this day. Anyway, we never go out to dinner on Valentine’s Day proper —…
TL;DR: Larry Culp’s AME keynote shows that Lean leadership at GE is about how leaders think, learn, and respond to problems–not tools. Katie Anderson and Mark Graban discuss psychological safety, gemba, learning from mistakes, and building culture through daily leadership…
We’re tired, but not tired of whisky. A gemba walk will pick us up… Listen: Here is the episode if you want to stream the audio: In Episode 35, Mark is recently back from his Scotland gemba visit. He isn’t…
Gerald Harris spent 25 years leading lean transformations in automotive manufacturing before shifting into healthcare consulting, and his origin story starts with a Toyota supplier in crisis that went from shipping 250 door sets per shift to 2,400. In this…
