“In Toyota, they never believed that […that classroom training alone is effective at developing people…]. They always believe that what really matters is not the hours of classroom training, but what people have learned which turns into a demonstrated skill. What they need to learn is a new way of thinking that is rigorous, and they need to learn skills. One thing we know about learning is that you do not learn skills, and you do not fundamentally change your way of thinking, by sitting in a classroom. The worst possible environment for developing skill is in a classroom. The best possible environment is at the Gemba. If you want to learn golf, you do not sit in a nice air-conditioned hotel and watch the instructor swing a club. You go to the driving range or the golf course — the Gemba — and you hit many balls.” 

Developing Lean Leaders at all Levels by Jeffrey K. Liker with George Trachilis (Lean Leadership Institute, 2014) p. 30.