Gemba is a Japanese term that has been translated as: place, real place, actual place. Westerners have further defined gemba to include: where the action is, the go-and-see place, where the work is done, the place to go for improvement, and the place where value is added, and more. 

The environment in which the word is used determines the gemba. For a detective, gemba is the crime scene; for a fisherman, gemba is the net in the sea; for a production supervisor, gemba is the factory floor. 

In any culture or environment, gemba concerns activities that are value adding and nonvalue adding; to discern the value one must see what is happening firsthand and “walk the gemba” or “go to gemba first.” 

The “father of kaizen,” Masaaki Imai, wrote in his book, Gemba Kaizen: A Commonsense, Low-Cost Approach to Management (McGraw-Hill, 1997):

“As a matter of routine, managers and supervisors should immediately go to the site and stand in one spot attentively observing what goes on. After developing the habit of going to the gemba, the manager will develop the confidence to use the habit to solve specific problems. 

“In reality, about 90 percent of all problems in gemba can be solved right away if the managers see the problem and insist that it be addressed on the spot. 

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