Don’t Trust Your Numbers, Go to the Source
Many companies rely heavily on dashboards and KPI reports to run their operations. The numbers look neat and give a sense of control. But numbers never tell the whole story. If you want to know what is really happening in your business, you need to go to the source. That is what a Gemba walk is for.
Gemba, the Japanese word for “the real place,” means the workplace where value is created. In manufacturing it is the shop floor, in logistics it is the warehouse, in maintenance it is the workshop, and in offices it is where the daily processes run. Going to the Gemba means leaders see the work as it is, not as it is reported.
The Limits of Dashboards
Reports and KPIs are not useless, but they are narrow. They measure what is easy to capture, not necessarily what matters most.
Take “machine downtime” as an example. One shift may log downtime when a machine is fully stopped, another might count minor stoppages. Both sets of numbers end up in the dashboard, but they are not measuring the same thing.
Or look at “output per hour.” The numbers may look fine, but what the dashboard does not show is how much time employees spent walking back and forth for supplies, waiting for instructions, or looking for misplaced items. All of that waste is hidden behind a single output figure.
Leaders who rely only on reports end up making decisions based on partial truths.
What Gemba Walks Reveal
A Gemba walk shows what numbers cannot. Leaders who walk the workplace and observe for themselves see where time and energy are really lost.
Tools, materials, or documents scattered across different places.
Employees wasting minutes searching or waiting for clarification.
Walkways blocked by clutter or equipment.
Safety risks that never appear on a dashboard.
None of these issues are unusual. In fact, they appear in almost every facility where leaders have not gone to look for themselves. The data may say performance is stable, but Gemba shows the daily frustration employees face.
Gemba walks also build trust. Employees see leaders paying attention to reality, not just asking for more numbers from behind a desk.
The Pattern Behind the Problems
What leaders notice during Gemba often points back to the same root cause: disorganization.
If people are walking too much, the workplace is not set in order.
If tools or materials are missing, the workplace has not been sorted properly.
If hazards are ignored, there is no routine of inspection.
If every team works differently, there is no standardization.
If improvements fade after a few weeks, the sustain step is missing.
The problems are easy to see once you look, and they almost always map directly onto the gaps that 5S is designed to fix.
Turning Observations Into Action
Gemba walks show the problems that reports cannot. Missing materials, wasted walking, clutter, and inconsistent practices become visible the moment you look. The solution is usually not complicated. It comes back to the basics of 5S: remove what is not needed, put things in order, create clear standards, and make sure they last.
By linking Gemba observations with 5S improvements, leaders move from talk to action. The walk shows the problem. 5S provides the fix.
How Leaders Should Use Gemba
Leaders should not see Gemba as a special event. It should be part of daily or weekly management. Walk the floor, talk to employees, look for waste, and ask simple questions like: “Does this setup make the job easier?” or “What slows you down most here?”
The answers rarely require advanced analysis. They point to basics: clutter, confusion, missing standards. And in most cases, fixing those basics with 5S improves performance faster than any new dashboard can.
Daily meetings then have a new role. Instead of debating the accuracy of numbers, teams can discuss what leaders saw in Gemba and what actions will be taken. This makes meetings practical and forward-looking.
From Numbers to Reality
Dashboards and KPI reports create the illusion of control, but they never tell the full story. To understand performance, leaders need to go to the Gemba, where the work actually happens.
What you see there will almost always be the same: wasted time, unnecessary movement, unclear standards, and clutter that slows people down. Numbers may hide it, but Gemba makes it visible.
And once you see it, the solution is straightforward. 5S gives you the framework to remove the waste, set things in order, and create standards that last.
At 5S Now we help companies connect leadership Gemba walks with practical 5S solutions. If you want your meetings and reports to drive real improvement, start by going to the source. Schedule a free site visit with us, and we will show you how Gemba and 5S turn numbers into action.
