Gemba
Go to where the work happens
What Is Gemba?
The actual place where work is done and value is created—and the practice of going there to observe and understand.
Gemba (現場) is a Japanese word meaning "the actual place." In business, it refers to the location where value is created—the factory floor, the customer service desk, the hospital bedside, the code repository. More importantly, "go to gemba" is a management philosophy: understand reality by seeing for yourself.
Taiichi Ohno, architect of the Toyota Production System, was famous for drawing chalk circles on the factory floor and having managers stand in them for hours—watching, observing, and truly understanding the work. This practice combats the natural tendency to manage from reports and assumptions.
Going to gemba isn't a casual visit or inspection. It's respectful observation with the intent to understand: What is the work? What problems do workers face? What wastes exist? The answers are in the gemba, not in the conference room.
- •Understanding any process or problem firsthand
- •Validating assumptions about how work is done
- •Building respect and relationships with workers
- •Finding waste that reports don't show
- •Before any A3 or improvement initiative
- •When your presence disrupts the actual work
- •If you're going to judge or criticize, not observe
- •Situations requiring remote workers' privacy
- •Going to gemba to confirm what you already believe
- •Asking leading questions instead of observing
- •Making workers feel inspected or judged
- •Taking action during the walk instead of observing
- •Going once and thinking you understand
Standard Example
Situation: Warehouse manager reports picking efficiency is at target, but shipping delays continue.
Gemba Walk Observations:
8:00 AM - Order release:
• Orders printed in batches every 2 hours
• First batch not released until 8am (workers start at 7am)
• 1 hour of worker idle time at start of shift
9:30 AM - Picking:
• Picker makes 3 trips back to station for carts
• High-velocity items at back of warehouse
• Paper pick lists—can't update priority easily
11:00 AM - Packing:
• Waiting for tape gun repair (15 minutes)
• Small packing table causes hunting for supplies
• Labels printing on other side of warehouse
Discoveries vs. Reports:
• Reports show picks per hour (on target)
• Reality shows massive walking waste, waiting waste
• Efficiency metric masks flow problems
Actions from Gemba:
1. Release first batch at 6:45am
2. Relocate high-velocity items to front
3. Create dedicated packing stations with supplies
Result: Shipping same-day rate improved from 71% to 94%
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