Several years ago, my wife and I obtained a personal trainer. He’s a 40-pound terrier mix named Squirt (named by the previous owner). Squirt makes sure that we take a morning and an evening walk every day. While the exercise is probably good for our health, it can get rather monotonous. It seems like we have seen everything there is to see within our neighborhood.
Although we have a “usual” course that we take most days, we occasionally make variations to the route. We may do this route in reverse, or add in a cul-de-sac that we don’t often include. This allows us to notice things that we might be missing on a day-to-day basis, such as an overgrown flowerbed, a broken fence, or a recently installed pergola.
The same change-up in routine can be very useful in one’s daily trip to and from work, especially as one goes from the entrance to the office/work area. Managers and other leaders can benefit from regular walks through the various areas for which they are responsible. The Japanese term for this is “gemba”, which can be translated as “the real place.” In the context of process improvement, it means the place where work is done.
By changing our travel routine in the office / manufacturing area in which we work, we are more apt to obtain a different perspective on how activities are being carried out. These insights can lead to a better understanding of current processes and reveal areas for process improvement.
Have you noticed something new at work that you haven’t seen before? Take a gemba walk to see how well things are going around your area and identify areas that may need a little process improvement clean-up.
How are you helping your employees to work smarter by reducing the amount of time they spend on non-productive activities and correcting errors? If your business processes need a “check-up,” please email me! I’d love to help you get back to a healthy, productive workplace.
Recent Comments