Going to Gemba

I have related below our efforts to spread the word about Lean techniques (aka Toyota Production System), for example to our residents, and apply them to the hospital setting. We're also conducting a similar set of training sessions for our senior management team.

For those not familiar with Lean, one of the concepts is "going to Gemba," where Gemba is the place that work is actually done, where value is created for the customer. By witnessing problems and work-arounds in real time, the team can have a better idea of how to solve problems to root cause and make incremental improvements in work flows. This is a critical part of a program of continuous process improvement, the theory behind BIDMC SPIRIT.

Here are (from top) Senior Vice Presidents Jayne Sheehan and Walter Armstrong following nurse Pam Moss, and Radiology Chief Jonny Kruskal following nurse Sarah DeCristoforo. The purpose of today's exercise was not actually to solve problems but to train our team in aspects of going to Gemba. As always, we all left with an enhanced appreciation for the dedication, outstanding work, and endurance of our nurses in the high-pressure environment of a medical-surgical floor.