Dear leaders, please go to the Gemba.
Dear leaders, have you considered scheduling a Gemba walk next month?
Gemba is deeply rooted in Japanese continuous improvement practices. It can be translated as "the place where value is created." Think about the factory floor of an automobile company or the operating room of a hospital.
During a Gemba walk, a leader observes the workplace to help identify opportunities for improvement.
We see at least three reasons why a Gemba walk can be a great leadership habit:
(1) Valid data-gathering.
Personal observation is an essential form of data-gathering, and it helps to build a valid understanding of what is happening. And, conversations with employees during Gemba walks also help leaders learn more about why things are the way they are.
(2) Recognition.
A Gemba walk implicitly demonstrates recognition for the people you observe and talk to. It signals: "What you do matters to the organization, and I invest my time to be with you and to serve you in improving things." Presence is an often undervalued gift bestowed on leaders.
(3) Decision effectiveness.
Decisions made by a leader after a Gemba are more likely to be implemented by employees. Why? Because decisions based on direct observation and dialogue help to lower resistance to change. A sense of fairness increases and statements like "leadership has no clue what's going on here" won't resonate loudly at the coffee machine.
So, if you want to try out a Gemba walk to learn if it fits your set of impactful habits, consider the following guidelines:
(1) Mindset.
A Gemba walk is not about "observe to judge" but "observe to understand". Take a notebook along the walk and make detailed notes about what you hear, see, and feel. If your brain prompts immediate judgment during your walk (which would be a very human tendency), consider writing down these judgments in a separate section in the notebook so you explicitly train yourself to distinguish observation from judgment.
(2) Communication.
Let people know you will do a workplace walkthrough. Although culture-specific, teams may find it suspicious when a senior leader suddenly walks in, even though the intentions are to serve improvement. So, especially for the first few walks, let people know you will be doing a Gemba walk and help them understand why you do this.
(3) Involvement in decision-making.
When observations during a Gemba walk lead to change, involve the people affected by the envisioned change, as this considerably increases the odds of successful implementation.
I wish you an insightful Gemba walk, and I hope it will help you in continuously building a higher-performing organization—by starting with an act of empathy.