Kaizen and genba
Genba (or gemba) refers to the actual place where something happens. It may be
understood in the West by the dismissive phrase “go and see for yourself”. However, it is
highly distinctive within each Japanese organisation. In the context of business-process
improvement, the genba is the place that adds value, such as a manufacturing area or a
workshop. But it is more than just the physical place. Genba includes both context and the
occurrence of events; it is the place where events happen, where experiences are gained,
where knowledge is generated and shared and a place where the intrinsic becomes
explicit, and the intangible becomes tangible. It is the place where the underlying
philosophy of Japanese culture manifests as exemplary practice. Genba is then the
interface of the worker with his audience, where attention is called to ideas and action
based on circumstance and accumulated experience. Genba does not, therefore, translate
to a workbench or production line, for it is entirely holistic, enduring, encompassing and, for
the West, comparatively suffocating.