Parmatech’s manufacturing team has been reinventing their approach to Gemba walks. What is a Gemba walk? It is a process in which team members “go and see” how lean is happening in our facilities. How are we reducing waste? How are we making the process simpler and more effective? How are we promoting learning and engagement?
Using the ATW brand of Genius leadership, in which collaboration and learning are part of how we do business, the Parmatech team has redesigned our Gemba walks to maximize the fun and effectiveness of the process.
Executives, managers, and production techs team up to learn better ways of asking questions rather than giving answers. This approach creates better engagement, and encourages everyone’s voice to be heard. The Parmatech team developed a set of coaching questions using the Navigational Compass (developed with our consultants at Karen Tax & Associates at the IAM Way), including the following:
- How do you see yourself differently over the last year?
What is working well that we can build on? - How would you train someone on this process?
- How can we make this easier?
- What milestones can we celebrate?
The team completely reinvented the format of the walks, maximizing time in small groups for meaningful discussion and clear takeaways. Look forward to more innovation from this team!
