Issue link: https://industrialmanagement.epubxp.com/i/249982
implement the best solution. The new senior manager did not know the real situation, which prevented him from preparing a good plan. Usually, such managers don't pay attention to the plans or how the work will be done as long as they get results. This leads to the current state in many enterprises, where companies suffer through short-lived improvements and limited sustainability with lean methodologies. Unfortunately, many business schools still teach the approach of management by results, also called management by objectives. The bad habits of modern management make the lean journey harder. The process of setting targets and pursuing the achievement cannot be separated. If a manager sets targets, she must understand the real means (the plan) to get there. This understanding comes only from daily experience at the gemba. Gemba benefits workers and customers In the traditional working environment, there often is a lack of trust between the laborers at the operational level and the top managers. Managers treat laborers like machines and overburden them to achieve corporate goals. The rule is, "Extract the maximum for lowest fees." And laborers try to preserve their jobs with tricks that keep them working with their preferred method, constraining any improvement. Gemba walks help to maintain good relations and a foundation of trust between top management and front-line workers. During these walks, leaders should watch the working environment to see if something is wrong that could affect employee safety, make sure operators are not performing risky acts, and monitor the working environment for problems that prevent laborers from doing their jobs smoothly (such as a lack of available tools, no spare parts, delays in transporting needed material and unsafe equipment in the working area). Leaders also should give high priority and commitment to workplace cleaning and organization (like doing a 5S organization). A clean, safe and comfortable environment lets laborers know that everyone in the company is committed to employee safety and satisfaction. These good attitudes permeate throughout the organization. Instead of just things to accomplish, targets become ways to drive improvements and make processes safer and easier, increasing employee productivity. All this increases employee morale. A clean, orderly place will make employees proud to come to work. It also will give a good impression to customers who are visiting the company. The theory of go and see also applies to designing products for your customers. Take another book by Liker, his best-selling The Toyota Way. Liker describes how Toyota used the genchi genbustu process to design what was suitable for drivers in the United States. When Japan was preparing to revamp its Sienna minivan, Yuji Yokoya was the chief engineer responsible for the redesign. Yokoya and his assistant Andy Lund drove 53,000 miles throughout the U.S., Canada and Mexico to figure out what design changes would benefit customers, changes that wouldn't occur to a Japanese engineer living in Japan. Yokoya noted that places in the U.S. are farther away than cities and attractions in Japan, so he learned the value of cup holders. If someone buys a can of juice in Japan, it is more common to drink the beverage outside of the car, whereas Americans making long trips usually consume their drinks in the vehicle. So Yokoya designed two cup holders per person. And after Yokoya drove the narrow streets of Santa Fe, N.M., he found it hard to turn corners. So the engineering team tightened the turning radius. • Bring your tools: A stopwatch, graph paper, pencil, eraser and calculator. • Approach the process via the team leader and the supervisor. • Introduce yourself, explain what you are doing, and don't interrupt operators while they are working. • Explain that you are watching the work, not the operator. • Show any notes you have taken. • Say "thank you" before you leave. • Keep hands out of pockets on the shop floor. People are working hard, and jamming your hands in your pockets sends a too casual message. A better message is, "We are all working hard for the customer." Going to the gemba solves current problems and develops future leaders. Because no improvement is carried out at offices, all improvement phases should be designed, planned and implemented where the work is done. Lean principles cannot succeed without real problem-solving and continuous improvement at the place where the work is done. It can be a great shock for people working in the system to make problems visible. People tend to hide their problems from bosses. Avoiding this situation requires changing the culture, making sure that management isn't based on blaming others. Developing a no-blame culture that brings problems into the light of day requires an atmosphere where employees do not fear retribution or embarrassment. But a no-blame culture does not accept and repeat problems without investigation. Going to the gemba solves current problems and develops future leaders who can make sure a culture of continuous improvement is nurtured and grows. v Leader considerations A few considerations mentioned first by Rother in Toyota Kata can help leaders get full value out of their gemba walks: january/february 2014 27