How do you foster a culture of continuous improvement through a gemba walk?

1 Plan your gemba walk

Before you go to the gemba, you need to have a clear purpose and scope for your walk. What are the goals and objectives of your walk? What are the key performance indicators and metrics that you want to check? What are the main processes and activities that you want to observe? Who are the stakeholders and team members that you want to talk to? How will you document and communicate your findings and actions? You should also prepare a list of open-ended questions that will help you understand the current situation, the problems, the root causes, and the potential solutions.

2 Conduct your gemba walk

When you go to the gemba, you should follow the principle of "go see, ask why, show respect". Go see means that you should observe the actual work processes and conditions, not just the reports and data. Ask why means that you should ask questions that will help you uncover the underlying reasons for the problems and the gaps, not just the symptoms and the opinions. Show respect means that you should listen to the team members, acknowledge their contributions, appreciate their challenges, and involve them in the improvement process. You should also avoid jumping to conclusions, giving orders, or imposing solutions.

3 Follow up on your gemba walk

After you complete your gemba walk, you should review your notes and observations, and analyze the data and information that you collected. You should identify the strengths and weaknesses of the current processes, the opportunities and threats for improvement, and the root causes and effects of the problems. You should also prioritize the actions and solutions that will have the most impact on the customer value and the business results. You should then communicate your findings and recommendations to the stakeholders and team members, and assign responsibilities and deadlines for implementation. You should also monitor and measure the progress and outcomes of the improvement actions, and provide feedback and recognition to the team members.

4 Benefits of gemba walk

A gemba walk can bring many benefits to your organization, such as improving the quality and efficiency of work processes, increasing customer satisfaction and loyalty, enhancing team engagement and motivation, strengthening problem-solving and innovation skills, and building a culture of continuous improvement. By eliminating waste and variation, delivering more value, giving team members a voice and role in the improvement process, and applying the Lean Six Sigma tools and methods, gemba walks can help organizations become more successful. Making it a habit and a routine will help to further embed this culture of improvement.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?