Abstract

Gemba is the Japanese term for “the actual place.” It is used in lean manufacturing to refer to places where value-creating work happens, such as the shop floor. But what should you do when you get to the actual place? The authors introduce the GOALs 4 improvement model, which expands on gemba by describing some of the primary processes that should take place when you arrive at the actual place, including getting out to look, listen, learn and lead. Visiting the actual place is particularly important in supply chain management because operations often are scattered around the globe and separated by time zones, distance, languages, and company and country cultures.