Gemba Kaizen summary

Most people who hear “Gemba Kaizen” or “lean business” think about conveyor belts, car manufacturing and the like. But that’s only part of the story. Let’s look at the beginnings of Gemba Kaizen, when it emerged as the only strategy that could save Toyota.

Japan is a country with few natural resources, and after World War II, much of its industrial infrastructure was destroyed. Companies couldn’t afford to waste any assets or resources. Japanese employees were hired for life, so their continuous improvement became a vital factor for economic success, too.

Though many corporations strive for efficiency, few are so outstanding in their organization as nature’s humble ant colony. So what’s the secret behind these incredibly effective insects? Ants achieve order through a set of simple standard processes, and we too can benefit from standards.

Standards represent the best known way to do things at a given time. With firm standards, everyone knows what to do and what’s expected of them. This eliminates mistakes caused by the idiosyncrasies of individual workers in one clean sweep. Think about it: when you’re new at a job, the first thing you look to are the workplace standards, so you can find your footing.

Self-discipline plays a key role in Japanese culture, especially in the workplace. The workplace, Gemba, is where value is generated. Kaizen philosophy influenced five powerful practices that use self-discipline to keep the Gemba streamlined. These are the five Ss.

The first of the five Ss of proper workplace organization is Seiri, which means to sort out all unnecessary items from the Gemba. It’s a popular Kaizen technique, in which a leader will walk through the Gemba and mark everything that’s not essential with red tape. Next, the workers have the opportunity to object to any labelling and prove that a tagged item is necessary. After that, all items still tagged will be removed.

These days you often hear people claiming to be visual thinkers. Well, the truth is that we all are! Pictures and charts are great aids for understanding abstract situations and concepts. And that’s where visual management comes in. This strategy employs a combination of simple visual tools to provide information on working processes.

Visual management helps identify problems and makes it easier to maintain standards. When a manager makes her rounds, she doesn’t have the time to play detective and look for hidden problems. Instead, visual tools will provide her with all the essential information.

Gemba Kaizen isn’t just a strategy: it’s a mind-set. It must be practiced by the head of the company, and practiced in a way that provides a leading example for employees. Think of it this way: a hand couldn’t possibly carry out a motion without the necessary nerve impulse from the brain.

A CEO must make it totally clear that Kaizen will be implemented and that everybody has to come on board; otherwise, the goals of productivity and efficiency just won’t be fulfilled. But people don’t always respond well to change. Sometimes employees need a little convincing, and the CEO is the best person for that task.

To understand problems and maintain standards, the manager needs to be in touch with the Gemba. Since standards are the backbone of the working process, they must be maintained constantly.

Picture a pizza manufacturer where the mozzarella keeps spoiling over the course of each afternoon.  The solution is for all workers to wash their hands more frequently – this consequently becomes a standard.