Planet Lean: The Official online magazine of the Lean Global Network
A Jishuken event in hospitality

A Jishuken event in hospitality

Planet Lean
August 20, 2025

FEATURE - Three days of learning-by-doing and hands-on improvement work to bring real results for a hotel in Colombia, as Lean Global Network gathered in the Caribbean for its latest Jishuken event.


Words: Planet Lean


This past June, lean practitioners and Lean Global Network representatives from Colombia, Spain, Chile, and Argentina gathered in Colombia for an inspiring Jishuken event at Hotel Zuana Beach Resort, on the country’s Caribbean coast. LGN is not new to Jishuken, a cornerstone of Lean Thinking. Unlike typical kaizen practices that involve suggesting or implementing changes, jishuken is a hands on learning workshop focused on “learning by doing” at the gemba. Originally developed by Toyota, it brings together department and section managers to identify real operational issues, experiment with process adjustments, and deepen their understanding of standardized work, waste elimination, and lean principles directly on the shop floor.

At Hotel Zuana Beach Resort, participants delivered tangible results for the organization. The initiative not only delivered visible improvements in key hotel processes, but also sparked a shift in how the team thinks, acts, and leads. The experience highlighted the power of the LGN to raise the standard of Lean work across sectors. This week reaffirmed how collaborative value creation can elevate client performance to a whole new level.

In the video below, you can learn more about this Jishuken event in a hospitality setting:


Read more

Lean logistics at Thales LAS
November 23, 2020
Lean logistics at Thales LAS

NOTES FROM THE GEMBA – Thanks to the effective application of Just-in-time and Jidoka, Thales LAS has managed to turn around its logistics department. Catherine Chabiron reports.

Continue reading
How lean thinking changed an automotive supplier in Brazil
October 23, 2014
How lean thinking changed an automotive supplier in Brazil

INTERVIEW - Lean manufacturing principles, successful training programs and the involvement of management in daily continuous improvement are transforming Brazilian automotive supplier ZEN.

Continue reading
Follow the gemba walk in a SNCF train maintenance center
November 7, 2016
Follow the gemba walk in a SNCF train maintenance center

NOTES FROM THE GEMBA - We follow the author on a visit to a train maintenance center in France. Through practical examples and pictures from the gemba, she explains how the center is transforming itself.

Continue reading
Why lean marketing is the future
July 23, 2020
Why lean marketing is the future

FEATURE – No organization can expect to survive without a sound marketing strategy. The author outlines the main elements and advantages of a lean marketing approach.

Continue reading

Read more

Jishuken at Toyota Motor Kyushu
March 2, 2019
Jishuken at Toyota Motor Kyushu

INTERVIEW – A team from LGN just spent a week on the gemba with Toyota veteran Hideshi Yokoi for a jishuken exercise. We asked him to explain to us how he used this practice while at Toyota Motor Kyushu.

Continue reading
Jishuken at a Coloplast distribution center
September 10, 2020
Jishuken at a Coloplast distribution center

VIDEO - In February, a group of Lean Global Network coaches visited Coloplast's Parts Distribution Center in Hungary to help the local team improve the internal lead-time across the facility.

Continue reading
Enabling change with a value stream Jishuken
December 17, 2020
Enabling change with a value stream Jishuken

FEATURE – In March 2019, this hospital partnered with the Lean Global Network on a two-day Jishuken event. Nearly two years later, the authors reflect on the legacy of that initiative.

Continue reading
When digitalization reaches the gemba
May 3, 2021
When digitalization reaches the gemba

FEATURE – During a recent Jishuken workshop, Poland-based Schumacher Packaging experimented with a newly-developed App to quickly create standardized work instructions at the gemba.

Continue reading