5 ways to improve our connection with the gemba

The gemba is the place where value is created in an organization, the “sacred” place for lean management. It is there that the most important things happen: the work of people and machines that transform materials and information into products and services for society.

It is in the gemba that our main problems lie. It is where we can investigate the relationships between causes and symptoms, and devise and try out countermeasures and solutions. It is in the gemba that real learning about how to do the work takes place. It is in the gemba that leaders and mentors, based on respect for people, can support the ongoing evolution of their teams and processes.

For all these reasons, discussions and examples about the gemba will always be present at the Lean Summits, certainly permeating and detailed in the dozens of talks and by the participating companies.

For these and other reasons, the lean way of practicing management suggests that we place emphasis on connecting with the gemba. That is where the main levers of management are, the means we have to improve performance and sustain results.

In the world we live in today, there are millions of people who work without leaving home. The “digital gemba” has been a reality around us for some time now and is here to stay. And this has demanded unprecedented skills from all of us, both to do the work and to manage it.

Perhaps more than ever, we face the need to find better ways to be in the gemba, whether virtually or in person. Being in the gemba materializes the essential “space-time” of management. It is when the work of management meets the work of the worker.

There is a series of essential human processes that need to happen in the gemba. And it is up to leadership to “design them” precisely, so that this interaction is fruitful and constructive. Otherwise, the effects can be counterproductive. A well-intentioned visit to the gemba can cause serious damage if it is not well structured.

That is why it becomes essential to assess how our management practices can evolve, so that we go beyond the basics when we are in the gemba.

Calibrate mindsets

Much is said about the need to go to the gemba to see with our own eyes how things are actually happening. However, it is not just a matter of “going”, but of “how to go”. Our mindset needs to be calibrated and aligned with the perspectives of the people we are talking to.

The basis of this process is to be present “body and soul” in order to capture the real situation regarding the conditions surrounding the work. To perceive what lies behind the “makeup” or any kind of corporate illusionism that might divert attention from exactly what happens on a regular basis.

Being in the gemba represents the possibility of a deeper dive, of a multifaceted understanding of reality. Only then can we strengthen our analyses, using more scientific approaches to problem solving, such as PDCA, for example, so that we arrive at more effective countermeasures, capable of eliminating problems for good.

However, we need to develop the ability to align the basic thinking premises in this process of interaction, not only among leaders, but above all between leaders and the people they lead.

Everyone must see the gemba no longer as a limited space for doing things “the way they have always been done”, but as a place to develop a critical view of the work, to find more advanced forms of organization for high performance.

When this happens – leaders and team members in the gemba, together, with well-calibrated mindsets –, the fundamental conditions are in place for the “magic” to happen: open communication, deep and collective learning about how to reveal problems and the best ways to solve them.

Define the purpose and plan the interactions

All of this is weakened if there is no preparation for the types of interactions between people that need to take place when leaders and team members meet in the gemba. Just as with good planting, we need to prepare the ground, otherwise the seed will not germinate.

First of all, we need to make clear to everyone what the purposes of the interaction in the gemba are. “Why are we doing this?”, for example, may be the first question to be answered clearly. Bear in mind that there may be different purposes for being in the gemba:

• Understand the nature of the work and how we are serving customers.
• Improve the organization of work, both locally and systemically.
• Assess the capabilities of the people involved in the work.
• Check how the strategic direction is permeating the routine.
• Understand how managerial work is organized.
• Identify opportunities to improve managerial work.
  
  

Thus, the people we interact with need to be prepared for the interaction to be effective. Everyone needs to be on the same “wavelength”, with an aligned sense of purpose as the main facilitator of the communication process.

Understand the context

Every process is embedded in a specific context, with characteristics that make it a “universe in itself”, and this varies from organization to organization. So one cannot go to the gemba without first understanding each of the contexts in depth.

Within the same company there may be different contexts. It is necessary, then, to understand the nature of the work that takes place  in a given area or department. To do so, it is sometimes necessary to have prior knowledge of the reality we are part of. In other words, to learn in advance at least the basics of the work being performed there.

Sometimes, certain leaders are responsible for different sectors or departments with contexts that are very different from one another. As a result, they may not immediately understand the specifics of each of these places. Going to the gemba without preparing can lead to distortions, a false perception of problems, and short-sighted or simply illusory solutions.

When this happens, when we do not prepare beforehand to understand the essence of the work carried out in each specific place, the search for improvements, whether local or systemic, is severely compromised. Some cognitive barriers may be insurmountable.

We often need to go further and dig deeper technically to truly know the real capabilities of the people involved in the work. Only then will we be able to provide, in a more natural (and therefore sustainable) way, the support they need to improve their respective work.

Assess management routines

Every gemba is governed by a specific way of managing. It is therefore essential that the visit to the gemba also be used to perceive how the work of management is organized in practice.

In other words, we need to understand how management routines are structured: what mechanisms, methods and management procedures are used to put actions into practice and make decisions.

All management is put into operation through certain routines, which are generally established by leaders. So it is necessary first to understand the effectiveness of these routines, whether they are aligned with the lean culture or whether they are still remnants of, let us say, more “traditional” practices. And whether this is clear to those who conduct immediate day-to-day management. Other applications include observing whether communication has been effective and what the opportunities are to improve managerial work.

Check adherence to the plan

Going to the gemba also allows us to assess how the plan is being executed. We need to see “what” and “why” people actually do what they do and how they do it.

More than that, how they know, for example, that the work they are doing has the quality required or set out in manuals and procedures. We must always ask ourselves whether people are putting their work energy into the right things, in the right way and at the most appropriate time.

And when this does not happen, we need to establish, in the gemba, easy, spontaneous and immediate ways to perceive abnormalities and seek help. In other words, everyone needs to have, “on the tip of their tongue”, the answers to questions such as:

• How do you know if you are doing it with quality?
• How do you know if you are ahead or behind?
• What do you do when you cannot do your work as expected?
• What do you do when you identify a problem (a defect, for example)?
  
  

We need to establish clear and instructive methods for exposing and solving problems. Similarly, we need procedures for documenting and disseminating the most relevant of these experiences, so that they can be used in other areas and at other times in the organization.

These are some of the possible ways to improve our visits to the gemba. There are certainly others, and many of them will depend on the specific needs of each organization. We need to reflect on and practice, every day, new and better ways to make the most of our opportunities when we are in the gemba.

The lean management culture suggests the triad “go see, ask ‘why’ and show respect”. The phrase represents fundamental practices, but ones that need to be deepened and adapted through practice.

Going to the gemba with a clear purpose, a calibrated mindset, good planning and respect for the context can make all the difference. We cannot waste the opportunities we have to improve our connection with the gemba.