Gemba Walk

A leadership practice of going to the actual workplace to observe and engage.

"Gemba" (現場) means "the actual place" in Japanese — the shop floor, the worksite, the clinic, wherever the value-creating work happens. A structured gemba walk follows a standard observation sheet covering safety, quality, delivery, and housekeeping. It is not a management inspection; questions are open-ended and the goal is learning, not fault-finding.