Why Every Lean Foundation Should Start at the Gemba
Lean is often associated with tools, methodologies and continuous improvement. Concepts such as Value Stream Mapping, Kaizen, the 5 Whys and PDCA are well known by professionals working in process improvement. Yet one of the most powerful principles of Lean is also one of the simplest: Go to the Gemba.
Susaan Demers-Ghajar
7/1/20265 min read
"Gemba" is a Japanese word that literally means the real place—the place where value is created. In manufacturing, this may be the production floor. In healthcare, it is where patients receive care. In government, it is where citizens interact with public services. In an office environment, it is wherever employees perform the work that ultimately delivers value to customers.
Despite its apparent simplicity, the Gemba remains one of the most underutilized concepts in organizations today.
Too often, improvement initiatives begin in meeting rooms rather than where the work actually happens. Decisions are made based on reports, dashboards and assumptions instead of direct observation. Managers discuss performance indicators while employees quietly develop workarounds that are never reflected in the data.
The consequence is predictable. Organizations solve the symptoms rather than the underlying problems.
Seeing Before Solving
One of the biggest misconceptions in process improvement is that data tells the complete story. While data is essential, numbers only describe what is happening. They rarely explain why.
A Gemba Walk closes that gap.
A Gemba Walk is not an inspection, an audit or an opportunity to tell people how to do their jobs better. Instead, it is a structured practice of observing work, asking respectful questions and learning from the people who perform the process every day.
This requires curiosity instead of judgement. Rather than asking, "Why are people making mistakes?" a Lean Foundation asks, "What makes it difficult to perform this work consistently?" That small shift changes everything.
Instead of focusing on individuals, attention shifts to the process. Instead of searching for someone to blame, the organization starts identifying obstacles that prevent people from doing their best work. This is where sustainable improvement begins.
The Role of the Client or Sponsor
Every Lean improvement initiative has a client, sponsor or opdrachtgever. Whether this is a department manager, an executive or a project owner, their involvement is often the determining factor for success. Unfortunately, sponsors are frequently disconnected from daily operations.
Their calendars are filled with strategic meetings, financial updates and performance reviews. Decisions are based on reports prepared by others, creating an increasing distance between leadership and reality. A Gemba Walk bridges that distance.
When sponsors regularly visit the workplace, something remarkable happens. They begin to understand not only the process but also the people behind it. They see interruptions that never appear in management reports.
They notice unnecessary waiting time. They discover duplicate work, unclear responsibilities and systems that unintentionally create frustration. Most importantly, they experience the reality that employees face every day.
This creates empathy. And empathy is a surprisingly powerful driver for organizational change.
Human-Centered Lean
At Susaan Consulting, we strongly believe that Lean is not simply about eliminating waste. It is about creating environments in which people can perform meaningful work without unnecessary obstacles. Too often, organizations introduce Lean as if it were merely a collection of efficiency tools.
Employees then experience Lean as another management initiative designed to make them work harder. Nothing could be further from the original philosophy. Lean is about removing the barriers that prevent people from delivering value. The Gemba reminds us that every process is ultimately carried out by human beings.
When people create workarounds, they are usually adapting to a system that no longer supports them. When employees resist change, they are often protecting themselves against uncertainty rather than opposing improvement itself. When errors occur repeatedly, the process usually deserves more attention than the individual.
This human-Centered perspective is essential for every Lean Foundation.
Learning to Observe
Observation sounds easy. In reality, it is one of the most difficult professional skills to master. Most people arrive at the workplace already carrying assumptions. They immediately begin analysing, judging or suggesting solutions. Lean teaches us to slow down.
Observe first. Understand before improving. Ask questions before drawing conclusions.
This disciplined way of thinking prevents organizations from implementing solutions for problems that do not actually exist. It also builds trust. Employees quickly recognize whether someone visits the workplace to learn or to control.
One of the most overlooked skills during a Gemba Walk is active listening. Many improvement professionals believe they are listening, while in reality they are preparing their next question, validating their own assumptions or searching for a solution before fully understanding the problem.
Active listening creates psychological safety. It encourages employees to share what really happens instead of what they think management wants to hear. That is where hidden waste, recurring frustrations and opportunities for improvement become visible.
In other words, if you want to improve the process, you first have to understand the people who live that process every day. The quality of the conversation changes accordingly.
The Power of Asking Better Questions
A successful Gemba Walk depends less on having the right answers than on asking the right questions. Questions such as:
"What makes your work difficult today?"
"Where do delays usually occur?"
"What would make this process easier for you?"
"If you could change one thing tomorrow, what would it be?"
These conversations reveal insights that no dashboard can provide. Employees possess an enormous amount of practical knowledge. The challenge is creating an environment where that knowledge is actively sought and genuinely appreciated. When people feel heard, engagement increases.
When engagement increases, improvement accelerates.
The Sponsor Walks Too
One of the strongest signals an organization can send is when its opdrachtgever regularly participates in Gemba Walks. Not to inspect. Not to evaluate. Not to solve every problem immediately.
But to demonstrate genuine interest.
Leadership behavior shapes organizational culture far more than mission statements or improvement programs ever will. When leaders consistently spend time where value is created, they communicate that people and processes matter.
Employees notice. Trust grows. Communication improves. Problems surface earlier. Improvement becomes part of daily work instead of a separate project.
Becoming a Lean Foundation
Learning Lean is about much more than understanding concepts or passing an examination. It is about developing a different way of seeing organizations. A Lean Foundation learns to recognize waste that others have accepted as normal. They learn to facilitate improvement rather than impose it.
They understand that sustainable change is built together with the people performing the work—not for them. Above all, they appreciate that every successful improvement starts at the Gemba. Because that is where reality lives. That is where value is created. And that is where meaningful conversations begin.
Develop the skills that make Lean successful
Successful Lean Foundations do more than analyze processes. They observe with curiosity, ask meaningful questions and know how to create conversations that uncover the real issues behind everyday work.
That is why, alongside our Lean Foundation training (delivered in Dutch), we also offer the eCourse Active Listening. It helps professionals develop one of the most underestimated skills in process improvement: truly listening before trying to solve.
Whether you are facilitating a Gemba Walk, leading a change initiative or coaching a team, active listening enables you to understand what is really happening beneath the surface.
Discover both programs at www.susaanconsulting.com.
Because successful Lean is not about changing processes first.
It starts with understanding the people who work within them.