Go to Gemba
One of the tenants of continuous process improvement is to go to the workplace to see problems. In lean terms, this is know as going to "gemba". Gemba is a Japanese word that loosely translates to real-place or the place that work is done. In the western culture, gemba is almost holy. It is widely accepted as the source of all truth for seeing and eliminating wasted time and activity in the workplace. This gemba term is accepted for both product and service industries and applies anywhere work is done. This blog is not about gemba, however, but rather lack of gemba. I am somewhere between concerned and appalled at the lack of gemba visits by both leaders and continuous improvement people alike. I'm sure this blog will not be popular with all readers, especially the firm "work from home crowd", but let me explain. In the last two months alone I have personally encountered the following that impacted my clients ability to generate meaningful positiv