A business management idea shows up in 3 cultures

THERE is a similar management idea that appears in three cultures around the world. This idea is generally about executives and managers getting out of their office to walk around the company's premises to tune in to their business affairs and their employees on the ground.

In the US, this idea is called "management by walking about" or MBWA. In Japan, it goes by the name gemba. And in Singapore, in the local Hokkien vernacular, we call it kia lai kia kee or KLKK as a former colleague abbreviates it. When translated to English, KLKK means "walking around".

You may be wondering, how can a local phrase with a negative association be related to management concepts such as MBWA and gemba.

Let us first take a look at the American concept of "management by walking about". Going by The Economist, MBWA became popular when it was a part of "The HP Way". This is the style of management practised by the founders of Hewlett Packard, David Packard and William…