1. GEMBA WALK STAGE
During and after the Gemba Walk
2. BRIEF DESCRIPTION
Idea management should be a well-known process carried out by employees and, when practiced frequently, it becomes a routine. Improvement ideas can be captured during or after the Gemba Walk to be structured and further analyzed after the Gemba Walk. Such process enables leaders to transparently review, prioritize, follow and assign ideas to be implemented, as well as to review ideas generated outside the Gemba Walk by other employees. Employees will typically be able to contribute with ideas at any time, as well as to review ideas and actions they have been assigned to.
3. HOW TO USE THE IDEA MANAGEMENT IN THE GEMBA WALK
Idea management should be a well-known process performed by employees and when practiced frequently it becomes a rutine. Improvement ideas can be captured during or after the Gemba Walk to be structured and further analyzed after the Gemba Walk. Such process enables leaders to transparently review, prioritize, follow and assign ideas to be implemented, as well as to review ideas generated outside the Gemba Walk by other employees. Employees will typically be able to contribute with ideas at any time, as well as review ideas and actions they have been assigned to.
4. ROLES AND ACTIVITIES
Leader: Guarantees resources for the idea management process (physical or virtual), together with the employees agrees on idea ownership, actions to be taken to follow up the idea, prioritizes ideas and follows the execution
Facilitator: Responsible for providing the process and guidelines for the idea management process, for training and supporting leaders and employees
Team member: Submits improvement ideas and follows-up the implementation of the assigned ideas
5. EXPECTED BENEFITS FOR THE GEMBA WALK
Employees’ pain points and experience are taken into account for continuous improvement, increasing their engagement and morale. It also enhances the creativity of employees
Fosters collaboration, providing an opportunity for employees to talk and share in order to learn from each other
Fosters a continuous cross-departmental interaction for collaborative problem-solving
Helps respond to customer needs and process improvement faster
Encourages proactiveness and participation
6. ORGANIZATIONS THAT CARRY OUT IDEA MANAGEMENT
Airbus Defence and Space, CEMEX, Swisscom and Thermo Fisher Scientific