Kaizen Theory

Adoption of the word gemba has lagged behind adoption of the
kaizen concept in the world. This is unfortunate but
understandable; being present on the gemba can be a greater
mind-set and behavior change than simply doing kaizen.
 
The Cambridge Business English Dictionary is one of a few
sources, as of November 2011, to give the definition of gemba
as an English word:
gemba
/'gemb/ noun
in Japanese business theory, the place where things happen
in manufacturing, used to say that people whose job is to
manufacture products are in a good place to make
improvements in the manufacturing process
This definition captures the spirit of gemba as it pertains to
kaizen, but we must first understand gemba in its broader
context beyond manufacturing.
The meaning of Gemba is "real place" in Japanese language,
which is actually a place which is known to host real action.
This word is extensively used in spoken Japanese language. So,
in live TV reporting for an earthquake this word is used when
the reporting is meant to be telecasted from the scene itself.
Hence, all sorts of crime scene, film location, workplace,
excavation site, meeting place etc. etc. can all be referred to as
Gemba - a place where facts and evidences can be found. But
from business perspective, the customer satisfaction derived out
of the value added services is the ones which are referred to
as Gemba. So, in Japan, Gemba is as popular a word as
Kaizen is. Not only that, experts of Japanese business sector
opioned that both these words have greater significance in
business parlance as well, so much so that important business
decisions are taken based on the understanding of a manager's
respective Gemba. Any business operation practices three
activities to maximize their profit, without which they don't exist
and they are to develop, produce and sell. And in braoder
sense, Gemba forms the common ground of all these three
major activities, wherein they occur.
In this present project, we will use the word in this narrower
context because these sites have been one of the business
arenas most neglected by management. Managers seem to
overlook the workplace as a means to generate revenue, and
they usually place far more emphasis on such sectors as
financial management, marketing and sales, and product
development. When management focuses on the gemba, or
work sites, they discover opportunities for making the company
far more successful and profitable.
In many service sectors, the gemba is where the customers
come into contact with the services offered. In the hotel
business, for instance, gemba is everywhere: in the lobby, the
dining room, guest rooms, the reception desk, the check-in
counters, and the concierge station. At banks, the tellers are
working in the gemba, as are the loan officers receiving
applicants. Most departments in these service companies have
internal customers with whom they have interdepartmental
activity, which also represents the gemba. A telephone call to a
general manager, production manager, or quality manager at a
Japanese plant is likely to get a response from the manager's
assistant to the effect that "He is out at the gemba."