
Learning Lean Management: The Sensei and Gemba Walks ◾ 183
CASE STUDY 7.5: LEARNING LEAN
MEANS EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING
A manufacturing VP who had a good grasp of Lean concepts agreed
to participate in a kaizen event, the goal of which was to simplify the
process in a workstation where component parts were subassembled
before going through a finishing process and then to final assembly.
The VP’s Lean preparation had been by gemba walks with internal
Lean resources, in which he learned to see where Lean tools could
apply. He was a quick study, and had soon begun gemba walking his
subordinates, energizing the Lean initiative throughout the company