Is Management by Walking Around Genchi Genbutsu?

How similar is Management by Walking Around (the visibility of management in the workplace) to Genchi Genbutsu (which means “go and see for yourself” and it is an integral part of the Toyota Production System)?

Here’s a range of opinions:

Sanjeev Sadavarti: Head – Corporate Quality at Apollo Tyres Limited

The intent behind both the concepts is same – go at the place where it is happening. Traditionally MBWA has always been basically to get information from shop floor / down the level people to support right management decisions. This ensures more realistic assumptions and easier implementations of decisions taken.

On other hand Genchi Genbetsu is traditionally used to understand work place problems and find its causes at the places where it has happened. Solving problems just from experience is replaced by focus that each time problem can be due to new cause and it is critical to learn directly at the point of event.

Principally one is management tool other is bit universal. In any case, if you are evaluating them for application I will prefer Genchi Gembetsu because of one single assumption. MBWA usually assumes problem and is typically used to validate assumptions, while GG is all at workplace from defining problem to reaching solution. GG can be used to define higher level problems, while MBWA is difficult to use at lower levels.

Martin Thomas: Expert in developing businesses; especially internationally or into new spaces, with complex stakeholder management.

Similar but not the same. Gemba is about being where the root cause of a problem is – being on hand at the point…

MBWA is as much a mindset of management as anything else and is about getting management involved with actual people and interacting and rewarding and generally being visible and part of the operation.

It’s not a part of QA or problem solving per se though very obviously a valuable piece of it nonetheless.

Shaun Sayers: Managing Director

I suspect that the answer is “structure”. I’ve heard of MBWA but so far have never seen it expressed as anything more detailed and structured than a principle or a concept

James Roncevich: President, JMR Financial Grp, Fresh Org Perf Consulting in Sales / Services / Operations / CRM / Metrics Strategies

I’ve been a fan and an implementer of MBWA (In Search of Excellence) for 20 years. I must be getting old! Genchi Genbutsu, I haven’t implemented (if there is a formal process.) Difference; my educated guess: MBWA is more proactive and doesn’t require stimulus; whereas, go see for yourself suggests that something need “attention”.

Funny Story: At the annual meeting of a $200B+ Global 500 company, the President handed out, on stage in front of all the Home Office employees a pair of red, Chuck Taylor sneakers to his 13 direct reports. The employees loved it.

He then required each one to put the sneakers by their door as a symbol for their role in understanding what is happening “where things happen” (MBWA). I was always ready with an answer to his questions when he saw me in the hallway, restroom, cafeteria or “you name it”. He always asked a detailed, specific impact question or provided a complement (very seldom was it just “hello”). He was one-of-a-kind with great success.

Hopefully there’s an idea or two that will contribute toward your continued success.

Michael Hortiatis: President at FrozenPhoenix LLC

Surely the both concepts are similar and are intended to deliver the same result. GG is targeted to “go to the problem” and MBWA is perhaps an on-going process that if conducted with “eyes open” will anticipate issues and/or understand issues when identified.

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By robthompson on December 23rd, 2009 at 8:26 am

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