1. Method Name

Shadowing (Job Observation)

2. Alternative Names

Job Shadowing

3. Brief Description

Shadowing is a technique in which an observer (“shadow”) follows an employee during their typical workday to gain an in-depth and realistic view of their work, interactions, challenges, and processes. The observer strives to be as unobtrusive as possible.

4. Purpose / When to Use

It is used to gain a deep understanding of how processes actually work (as part of a Gemba Walk), to identify hidden waste and inefficiencies, when designing new IT systems (to understand user needs), or when onboarding new employees.

5. Procedure / How to Apply It

1. Define the objective and select a person: Be clear about what you want to find out through observation. Select a representative employee to observe.
2. Prepare and inform: Familiarize yourself with the process in advance. Inform the employee about the purpose and procedure of the observation, emphasizing that you are not evaluating their performance but are trying to understand the process.
3. Observe and record: Watch the work in its natural environment. Take detailed notes on activities, times, interactions, tools used, frustrations, and workarounds.
4. Ask follow-up questions: Ask “why” questions in an appropriate and unobtrusive manner to clarify steps that are not obvious.
5. Summarize and verify: After the observation is complete, summarize your findings and verify them with the employee you observed to ensure that you have understood everything correctly.

6. A Real-World Example

The designer of new accounting software spends two days "shadowing" an experienced accountant. He discovers that, although the company has official software, she does most of her work in Excel because it gives her greater flexibility. This insight is key to designing the new system, which must take this flexibility into account.

7. Benefits

- It provides a deep, contextual insight that cannot be obtained from interviews or questionnaires.
- It reveals “unofficial” processes and workarounds that people don’t mention in interviews.
- It builds empathy toward users and employees.
- It’s a great source of ideas for improvement.

8. Risks / Limits

- "The Hawthorne effect": The person being observed may change their behavior.
- Time-consuming for both the observer and the observed.
- Observer subjectivity: The observer may interpret events through the lens of their own biases.
- Not suitable for purely cognitive work: It is difficult to “shadow” the work of a programmer or strategist, which takes place primarily in the mind.

9. Practical Tips

- Be quiet and unobtrusive: Try to interfere with the situation as little as possible. You’ll gain the best insights when people “forget” you
.- Don’t just record activities, but also feelings: Notice when an employee is frustrated, confused, or, conversely, satisfied
.- Respect privacy and sensitive information.