how kata fits in

How Does KATA Fit in Our Improvement Process?

ByMike Rotherand Jeff LikerNovember 2014

It's AboutDevelopingScientificThinking!

Rother & Liker - November 2014 2

• Is it a more advanced problem solving method to go beyond A3?

• Does it replace daily huddles to address yesterday’s problems?

• Should we stop all “Lean” activity to focus only on the Improvement Kata and Coaching Kata?

• What do we do about the momentum we have gained through Lean tools?

SOME PEOPLE IN THE LEAN COMMUNITYARE WONDERING WHERE KATA FITS IN


MANY OF US WERE FIRST EXPOSEDTO LEAN THROUGH THE TPS HOUSE

It's a great image that makes us wantto "Just Do It" right now!


HERE'S A MORE RECENT IMAGEOF THE TOYOTA WAY

It provides a vision for Toyota's cultureand makes us think about the culture we desire


BUT THESE VIEWS MISS SOMETHING

Scientific wayof thinking

Scientific wayof thinking

Underlying Toyota's approach/system isa scientific way of thinking, which Toyota strives to develop in its members


CULTURE DEVELOPMENT STARTSON DAY 1

Developing this foundational thinking is exactly what practicing the Improvement Kata and Coaching Kata is about.

Scientific thinking should get practiced in all your improvement efforts... whether trying to maintaina current standard or striving to reach a new one... and whether carried out by a beginner or an expert.


One misconception is that some people think of IK/CK as a process improvement tool, rather than a set of practice routines for learning how to approach problems, goals and challenges scientifically.

A second misconception involves distinguishing too sharply between a reactive mode of identifying deviations from standard versus a proactive mode of striving for a goal. We found that the mindset pattern at Toyota (modeled by the Improvement Kata) is essentially the same whether an existing standard or a new level of performance are being pursued. Of course, the application of that mindset pattern takes on different shadings in different situations.

A third misconception is that IK/CK is only for mature sites that already have established systems for maintaining standards (i.e., stable processes) and initiatives like problem-solving and shop floor management. Actually, at Toyota you begin practicing and applying the scientific mindset modeled by the Improvement Kata the day you arrive. In fact, it's unlikely that you can become a mature site without practicing scientific thinking.

THINKING CORRECTLY ABOUTTHE IMPROVEMENT KATA


KATA COME INTO PLAY EARLY ONKata are structured routines you practice deliberately, especially at the beginning, so their pattern becomes

a habit and leaves you with new abilities

KATA:

• Are typically for learning fundamentals, to build on.

• Are a way of transferring skills and developing shared abilities and mindset in a team or organization.

“Let’s begin by practicing it this way for a while.”


DAILY MANAGEMENT GENERATES IDEAS

We are finally engaging team

members in daily huddles.

Team members are making great suggestions!

We have standards and deviations are

noticed!

Unfortunately, these actions alone often lead to the unscientific 'action-item-list' approach


COUNTERMEASURE: PUT SOME KATA IN ITIt's fine to begin with systems for trying to maintain standards by reacting to abnormalities. However, these activities should be undertaken in a way that incorporates a scientific thinking pattern. It's a good idea to think of any standard as a goal, and to pursue it scientifically with the routines of the Improvement Kata and Coaching Kata.

Unscientific responsesto abnormalities

Scientific responsesto abnormalities

Illustration from Toyota Kata, page 115 Rother & Liker - November 2014 11

Practice the structured routines of the

Improvement Kata pattern...

SCIENTIFIC THINKING ISA FOUNDATIONAL SKILL

And get better at...

• Handling deviations from a standard

•Using the A3

• Heijunka

• Respect for people

• And so on


Rother & Liker - November 2014

EXAMPLE: THE A3

A lesson learned in the Toyota Kata research is that A3 is a Toyota tool that's used there in the context of corrective coaching by an experienced mentor.

When A3 gets used in other organizations without this underlying component, the probability of A3 developing systematic, scientific thinking & acting is low.

The thinking pattern that Toyota wants is taught bytheir seasoned coaches, not by the A3 format itself

The A3 Tool

The desired pattern of thinking & actingis here

Experienced Mentor

At Toyota

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RESEARCHERS WHO BENCHMARK VISIBLE TOYOTA TECHNIQUES MISS A KEY INGREDIENT

The A3 document and associated coaching is a Toyota technique that helps managers teach a scientific patternof thinking. What's important from a tech-transfer pointof view is the pattern of thinking (modeled by the Improvement Kata), which is held in the coaches at Toyota.

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HOW DO YOU DEVELOPFOUNDATIONAL SKILLS?

Both the A3 as it is used at Toyota and the Improvement Kata / Coaching Kata (IK/CK) are aimed at the same purpose: Developing scientific thinking skills (clarity of objective, conducting experiments, striving based on facts and data).

But the A3 alone is more of a summary of a problem-solving process. If used correctly, the Learner is going through it with coaching, and hence practice, at every step. The A3 requires a high level of coaching skill. (Read Managing to Learn by John Shook.)

The practice routines of the Improvement Kata & Coaching Kata make this Coach/Learner process more explicit and transferrable. The purpose of the IK & CK is to simplify and systematize the kind of practice that’s more implicit in Toyota's already-strong culture of scientific thinking.

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BEGINNERS NEED PRACTICE ROUTINESAbstract knowledge doesn't produce change when it's not tied to specific behaviors that can be practiced. Change involves creating small tweaks to behavior that build on one another.

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Quote from a businessperson: "The biggest challenge I have is to get people to DO. They read books, articles, SlideShares, watch YouTube videos and "talk a good game," but they don't practice. They have difficulty making the connection between thinking and doing."

A VIDEO ABOUT PRACTICE Next page - 4 minutes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfAQ8oJIGoAAlso available on the IK/CK YouTube Channel


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfAQ8oJIGoA

The Improvement Kata and Coaching Kata are structured teaching routines to shift underlying thought patterns.

The idea is that as the scientific way of thinking becomes more habitual, an organization can move in the direction of a “This is just how we think and do things" culture. Getting practice of the Improvement Kata pattern established inside various activities is an early target condition for culture change.

The Improvement Kata and Coaching Kata routines are for organizations that don't think and act scientifically by default, but want to learn to do so.

Best wishes for your practice!

how kata fits in

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