Comments on: Gemba Schmemba! How Goofy can you get? http://thecorporatecynic.wordpress.com/2007/03/13/gemba-schmemba-how-goofy-can-you-get/ From the author of "160 Degrees of Deviation: The Case for the Corporate Cynic" Sat, 08 Aug 2009 17:03:21 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: thecorporatecynic http://thecorporatecynic.wordpress.com/2007/03/13/gemba-schmemba-how-goofy-can-you-get/#comment-1227 thecorporatecynic Sun, 16 Dec 2007 00:26:31 +0000 http://thecorporatecynic.wordpress.com/2007/03/13/gemba-schmemba-how-goofy-can-you-get/#comment-1227 The beauty of a democracy is that everyone can express their opinion. Come back soon. Cheers! The beauty of a democracy is that everyone can express their opinion.

Come back soon.

Cheers!

]]> By: Idetrorce http://thecorporatecynic.wordpress.com/2007/03/13/gemba-schmemba-how-goofy-can-you-get/#comment-1224 Idetrorce Sat, 15 Dec 2007 15:20:07 +0000 http://thecorporatecynic.wordpress.com/2007/03/13/gemba-schmemba-how-goofy-can-you-get/#comment-1224 very interesting, but I don't agree with you Idetrorce very interesting, but I don’t agree with you
Idetrorce

]]> By: thecorporatecynic http://thecorporatecynic.wordpress.com/2007/03/13/gemba-schmemba-how-goofy-can-you-get/#comment-10 thecorporatecynic Fri, 23 Mar 2007 00:23:30 +0000 http://thecorporatecynic.wordpress.com/2007/03/13/gemba-schmemba-how-goofy-can-you-get/#comment-10 Spot on, Kathleen! It's great that you see the frustration and disappointment of those of us who been through a plethora of programs enacted for the wrong reasons, supported only with disinterested lip service and expected to produce instantaneous results. And they wonder why we become cynical, skeptical and hostile to any new ideas coming down from on high. Watch for the post about my experiences with TQM. Have a great day and thanks for your comment! Spot on, Kathleen! It’s great that you see the frustration and disappointment of those of us who been through a plethora of programs enacted for the wrong reasons, supported only with disinterested lip service and expected to produce instantaneous results.

And they wonder why we become cynical, skeptical and hostile to any new ideas coming down from on high.

Watch for the post about my experiences with TQM.

Have a great day and thanks for your comment!

]]> By: Kathleen Fasanella http://thecorporatecynic.wordpress.com/2007/03/13/gemba-schmemba-how-goofy-can-you-get/#comment-9 Kathleen Fasanella Thu, 22 Mar 2007 17:07:21 +0000 http://thecorporatecynic.wordpress.com/2007/03/13/gemba-schmemba-how-goofy-can-you-get/#comment-9 Just because you experienced poor implementation of what *you* consider to be a competing or similar program, does not mean Lean itself is similarly worthy of your cynicism owing to the potentiality of similarly poor implementation. I appreciate your frustration and cynicism born of disappointment through failed implementation after exemplary efforts on your part and I can only hope you will have the opportunity to work in a Lean environment (rather than LAME as Mark Graban says) to understand the benefits. Heck, even the US government thought it was a nifty thing and realized tremendous gains (TWI). Lean has been around for a very long time and it won't go away, its time has come. My only question is how it got lost for so long. PS. I always thought the green belt, black belt thing was lame. Also, I'm not a lean consultant but I did work in a mostly lean plant. Just because you experienced poor implementation of what *you* consider to be a competing or similar program, does not mean Lean itself is similarly worthy of your cynicism owing to the potentiality of similarly poor implementation. I appreciate your frustration and cynicism born of disappointment through failed implementation after exemplary efforts on your part and I can only hope you will have the opportunity to work in a Lean environment (rather than LAME as Mark Graban says) to understand the benefits. Heck, even the US government thought it was a nifty thing and realized tremendous gains (TWI). Lean has been around for a very long time and it won’t go away, its time has come. My only question is how it got lost for so long.

PS. I always thought the green belt, black belt thing was lame. Also, I’m not a lean consultant but I did work in a mostly lean plant.

]]> By: thecorporatecynic http://thecorporatecynic.wordpress.com/2007/03/13/gemba-schmemba-how-goofy-can-you-get/#comment-6 thecorporatecynic Thu, 15 Mar 2007 00:56:21 +0000 http://thecorporatecynic.wordpress.com/2007/03/13/gemba-schmemba-how-goofy-can-you-get/#comment-6 Domo Arigato for the information Jon! I can tell by your E-mail address that you obviously work for Gemba, so no disrespect. Your tool is one of many that are probably intelligently crafted and well intended when in the right hands and utilized for the correct purpose. . However, if you’ve read “160 Degrees of Deviation: The Case for the Corporate Cynic,” you can see how those 20 degrees of good intentions that corporations have when adopting these tools can be undermined by 160 degrees when the tools are misused, modified or put into the hands of nincompoops. In an upcoming post, I will write about my experience with TQM. Remember that tool? I am actually a certified TQM instructor (won’t name the method). Being the consummate skeptic and cynic, it took me a while to intellectualize that program. When I did, however, I found it to include some very powerful tools as well and I embraced many of the concepts with gusto. But guess what happened? I worked for a corporation that spent $750K on corporate-wide TQM training and then bastardized the %^&% out of it until it no longer even resembled what I supposed to instruct. Why? The payback on the investment wasn’t being realized fast enough, there weren’t enough OFI’s being written, everyone was spending too much time in meetings and, of course, the executives felt this was a program for the “workers” so they really did not want to get involved. Sorry for the sermon but you’re talking to the Corporate Cynic. I love you to death Jon. I hope you make a million bucks and retire early - and happy! Sayonara! Domo Arigato for the information Jon!

I can tell by your E-mail address that you obviously work for Gemba, so no disrespect.

Your tool is one of many that are probably intelligently crafted and well intended when in the right hands and utilized for the correct purpose. . However, if you’ve read “160 Degrees of Deviation: The Case for the Corporate Cynic,” you can see how those 20 degrees of good intentions that corporations have when adopting these tools can be undermined by 160 degrees when the tools are misused, modified or put into the hands
of nincompoops.

In an upcoming post, I will write about my experience with TQM. Remember that tool? I am actually a certified TQM instructor (won’t name the method). Being the consummate skeptic and cynic, it took me a while to intellectualize that program. When I did, however, I found it to include some very powerful tools as well and I embraced many of the concepts with gusto. But guess what happened? I worked for a corporation that spent $750K on corporate-wide TQM training and then bastardized the %^&% out of it until it no longer even resembled what I supposed to instruct. Why? The payback on the investment wasn’t being realized fast enough, there weren’t enough OFI’s being written, everyone was spending too much time in meetings and, of course, the executives felt this was a program for the “workers” so they really did not want to get involved.

Sorry for the sermon but you’re talking to the Corporate Cynic. I love you to death Jon. I hope you make a million bucks and retire early – and happy!

Sayonara!

]]> By: Jon Miller http://thecorporatecynic.wordpress.com/2007/03/13/gemba-schmemba-how-goofy-can-you-get/#comment-5 Jon Miller Wed, 14 Mar 2007 14:42:28 +0000 http://thecorporatecynic.wordpress.com/2007/03/13/gemba-schmemba-how-goofy-can-you-get/#comment-5 Jon from Gemba here. Gemba means "actual place" in Japanese. It is very much management by walking around, or as Toyota lives it, the "genchi gembutsu" principle of going to the actual workplace to get the facts when solving problems. This as well as adherence to the scientific method and a commitment to developing people have made Toyota one of the most profitable and most respected manufacturers in the world. You wrote as if you know from experience that management by walking around works. Why knock "go to gemba" before you understand what it means? Just because some consultant threw the term around does not make it any less valid as a management practice. "Personally, I don't really care." You care enough to attack it, so learn something about it first, or you're the one who looks silly. Jon from Gemba here.

Gemba means “actual place” in Japanese. It is very much management by walking around, or as Toyota lives it, the “genchi gembutsu” principle of going to the actual workplace to get the facts when solving problems. This as well as adherence to the scientific method and a commitment to developing people have made Toyota one of the most profitable and most respected manufacturers in the world.

You wrote as if you know from experience that management by walking around works. Why knock “go to gemba” before you understand what it means? Just because some consultant threw the term around does not make it any less valid as a management practice.

“Personally, I don’t really care.” You care enough to attack it, so learn something about it first, or you’re the one who looks silly.

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