The word came to us from the Japanese language. And it is already quite common in business circles, in world and Russian news. But what is gemba? In this article we will try to tell in detail.
What does the word gemba mean?
Gemba, gemba or genti gembutsu - all these words define the same phenomenon. It is often called the lean manufacturing tool. The word comes from the Japanese 現 地 現 物, which means "goods locally."
So what is it? Gemba is an approach actively used in managerial Japanese practice called kaizen. This is the name of philosophy (practice), which focuses on the continuous improvement of production processes, planning, management, auxiliary business schemes and aspects of human life as a whole.
Thus, in order to accurately understand what’s what, you need to come to gemba - the immediate place to deploy the workflow, familiarize yourself with the facts and make the right decision based on this.
The term became known to the general public after articles on the quality management system of the famous Japanese corporation Toyota. Gamba in kaizen is a solution to the problem immediately at the place of its occurrence. This approach is fundamentally different from the popular American one, which is characterized by the distant work of a manager.
From kaizen to gemba
Understanding gemba will help you become familiar with kaizen philosophy. I must say, it is not static - the practice is constantly supplemented, improved. Let us introduce several of its main principles for a manager:
- Do not forget about self-discipline. Control your behavior. Respect workers as yourself.
- Self-improvement is important. Start by solving your own problems and determining your area of responsibility.
- Do not forget to inform each employee about the activities of the company.
- Always focus on customers. After all, they are the main goal of your work.
- The essence of kaizen is continuous, daily changes for the better.
- Openly acknowledge your concerns. Only after their realization is it possible to improve. Do not be afraid of public discussion of problems.
- Advocate for openness. It is wrong if employees restrict their communication to a specific group.
- Create work teams.
- Develop yourself to make your experience an example for the whole company.
- Entrust a certain range of responsibilities to each employee so that he can be convinced of his own importance.
- Learn to plan. And always compare the expected with the result.
- Prevent recurrence of production problems.
- Standardization and quality are something that must never be forgotten.
From here, five important steps can be identified for improving ourselves and the company:
- Accuracy.
- Order.
- Purity.
- Standardization.
- Self discipline.
Gemba Management Rules
What is gemba? These are the 5 basic rules of a manager:
- If there is a problem, you should immediately go to gemba. That is, to the place of the work process, where it appeared.
- On gemba, first of all, you need to get acquainted with gembutsu - the environment, equipment.
- Finding a key solution to a problem is definitely necessary at the place of its occurrence (gemba).
- Now find the cause of the abnormal state of affairs.
- Record in instructions, rules, or standards how to prevent the recurrence of such a problem.
How to practice gemba?
Having dealt with the word gemba, we briefly indicate how it is possible to practice such an approach in modern Russian conditions:
- Constantly monitor production processes.
- Check the proper execution of data from previous orders.
- Always solve problems on the spot, without delay, involving ordinary employees in the process.
- Hold working meetings at banners with enterprise performance indicators.
- Introduce the practice of short discussions directly on production spaces.
Implementation Guidelines
Many managers, having learned what it is - gemba, decide on the imminent implementation of it at their enterprise. There are a number of useful recommendations that allow you to go through this process soon, smoothly and successfully:
- You need to practice gemba constantly, and not from case to case.
- It is necessary to draw up a "Plan G" ("Gemba Plan"), which will help to focus on the "sick" points of the workflow.
- The manager should not forget to look into the most unexpected and remote corners of production.
- If a problem occurs, the manager should appear in gemba as soon as possible. And the manager should be interested in solving it.
- The manager should be intolerant of any deviations found.
- The manager should not forget about strict observance of safety regulations.
- All deviations must be recorded, as well as indicate a specific period for their elimination.
- An important responsibility of the manager is to check how quickly and accurately his instructions are implemented.
What else is this?
Gemba is a mountain of the Poloninsky ridge of the Ukrainian Carpathians. It is the highest point of the massif called Polonina Borzhava - 1491 m. It is geographically located in its southwestern extension (Transcarpathian region).
It is a domed, crescent-shaped mountain. It has one of the famous Ukrainian waterfalls - Shipit (or Shipot). It is also a developed recreational zone - here is the second most important ski resort in the country (after Dragobrat) with 8 ski lifts for athletes. It stands out for the longest route in Ukraine - 3.5 km.
But the most popular meaning of the word "gemba" today is one of the approaches in Japanese management. Its brief essence is the solution of the problem at the place of its occurrence.