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Toyota Kata Unified Field Theory
The document outlines a simplified macro model for understanding the Toyota Kata methodology, focusing on the concepts of current conditions, target conditions, and the role of leadership in driving continuous improvement. It emphasizes the importance of grasping the present state free from biases and setting achievable targets beyond current knowledge thresholds. The overall message stresses the necessity of rapid PDCA cycles to foster discovery and skill development in problem-solving.
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Toyota Kata Unified Field Theory
- 1. Toyota Kata UNIFIEDFIELD THEORY A simplified macro model for understanding Toyota Kata By Bill Costantino, W3 Group LLC With permission – Mike Rother, Author Nov 23, 2011
- 2. TK - UnifiedField Theory You Are Here!!
- 3. TK - UnifiedField Theory continued Problems, wastes, and opportunities for improvement
- 4. TK - UnifiedField Theory continued Current Knowledge Threshold
- 5. TK - UnifiedField Theory continued Target Opportunities identified from a Waste Walk
- 6. TK - UnifiedField Theory continued Possible Directions for Improvement
- 7. TK - UnifiedField Theory continued Most Likely Direction for Improvement
- 8. TK - UnifiedField Theory continued Most Likely Direction for Improvement
- 9. TK - UnifiedField Theory continued 1) Vision for the Customer Vague, very long term Vision
- 10. TK - UnifiedField Theory continued 1) Vision for the Customer 1a) Challenge with Metrics Vague, very long term Concrete, 1-3 year frame Vision Challenge
- 11. Common Approach toImprovement Your pre-existing bias for action
- 12. Common Approach toImprovement Your pre-existing bias for action Your preconceived ideas for improvement
- 13. Common Approach toImprovement Your pre-existing bias for action Your preconceived ideas for improvement
- 14. TK - UnifiedField Theory continued 2) Grasp Current Condition Free of biases and preconceived notions!! Challenge Vision
- 15. Grasp the CurrentCondition
- 16. TK - UnifiedField Theory continued Congratulations!! You’ve now grasped your Current Condition, hopefully free of biases and pre-conceptions. 2) Grasp Current Condition Vision Challenge
- 17. TK - UnifiedField Theory continued 3) Set Next Target Condition N TC Challenging because it is beyond our Current Knowledge Threshold Vision Challenge
- 18. TK - UnifiedField Theory continued Unclear Territory, The “Grey Zone” N TC ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Vision Challenge
- 19. TK - UnifiedField Theory continued Potential Obstacles Recognized Obstacles N TC Vision Challenge
- 20. TK - UnifiedField Theory continued 4) Rapid PDCA Cycles lead to Path of Discovery N TC Vision Challenge
- 21. TK - UnifiedField Theory continued New Current State = Improved Perf Closer to the Challenge / Vision Expanded Knowledge Threshold Increased Skill with Improvement Kata Vision Challenge
- 22. TK - UnifiedField Theory continued Successive Target Conditions toward the Challenge Vision Challenge TC TC TC TC
- 23. TK - UnifiedField Theory continued Role of Leadership to establish these Challenge Teaching this is management’s job… through practice. Vision TC TC TC TC
- 24. Thank You!! Comments,suggestions, and feedback are welcome at [email_address]
Editor's Notes
- #2 I’m Bill Costantino Been working, learning , experimenting with TK since April, 2009 I’d Like to share with you a simplified macro view of Toyota Kata and how it works to increase our knowledge So here goes with the Toyota Kata Unified Field Theory… PAUSE / SLIDE ADVANCE
- #3 Like many good unified filed theories… We begin with … An Individual… Surrounded by infinite space and unlimited possibilities… PAUSE / SLIDE ADVANCE
- #4 In a more practical way, each of us is surrounded by problems, waste, and opportunities for improvement. These might be in the work world, social life, private life, or personal enterprise. PAUSE / SLIDE ADVANCE
- #5 As we look around, each of us has a different perspective and base of experience . We each have a Current Threshold of Knowledge. Inside this threshold we are fairly certain of what we know. We are confident and familiar with things based on past experience. Outside the Knowledge Threshold, we may have little of no direct experience, we are less confident, less certain, or even completely unaware. Far enough beyond the Threshold of Knowledge and we don’t even know what we don’t know!! PAUSE / SLIDE ADVANCE
- #6 If we want to improve a situation, let’s say at work for example… We go take a look, observe what we can…. And identify some number of problems that need to be fixed or opportunities waiting to be energized This is a common intent behind the “Waste Walk” PAUSE / SLIDE ADVANCE
- #7 Up to this point, we’ve only been investigating… Seeing / observing what’s possible… Within our own personal Threshold of Knowledge. Thus far, we haven’t actually taken any action or made any changes. At this point in our story we are free to move in any possible direction. PAUSE / SLIDE ADVANCE
- #8 Just as the Threshold of Knowledge is an unseen limit or boundary to our perception… Our personal biases are another unseen element that typically shape or thinking, choices, and behavior patterns. The direction we are most likely to move is the direction with which we are most familiar, the direction we have practiced most in the past. We may have more than one Bias, The dominant Bias, however, is the one that we will most likely tend to follow because … It is most familiar We are well practiced with it, and Thus, have a high degree of confidence in what we are planning to do PAUSE / SLIDE ADVANCE
- #9 At this point in the story, many leaders or managers would prepare the classic Action Item List, with the Steps, Dates, and Owners for the each of the key activities that we’ve identified. Because we have a high degree of familiarity and confidence, it often seems that we simply need to Execute our plan in order to get to the intended result. PAUSE / SLIDE ADVANCE
- #10 In contrast, Toyota Kata would have us use a different approach. Before taking any action, we would first try to understand the long term Vision of where we headed… And specifically the Vision as it relates to our Customer. Usually, such a vision is very far off in the future and quite vague. .. An element of Toyota’s vision, for example, is1x1 flow at lowest possible cost. PAUSE / SLIDE ADVANCE
- #11 In order to provide a more tangible and concrete objective, we look for a specific Challenge that is well aligned with the longer term Vision. Typically the Challenge is in the 1-3 year timeframe. A Challenge can also be expressed in terms of clear metrics; i.e. Sales at xx dollars, Quality at less than 1,000 PPM level, On Time delivery of 99.5%, etc. As you can see in this example, while we may feel most confident and comfortable in the direction of our personal bias… It may not be well aligned to move us in the most direct path toward our Challenge / Vision. PAUSE / SLIDE ADVANCE
- #12 So, in a more traditional environment… We have our pre-existing bias for action – contained within our Current Threshold of Knowledge PAUSE / SLIDE ADVANCE
- #13 We have our ideas for improvement based on our Waste Walk. If we have a strong base of experience, we may have some strong pre-conceived notions about what needs to happen and how things need to be done. PAUSE / SLIDE ADVANCE
- #14 Traditionally, we would simply translate this to an Action Item List and get to work making things better. But wait… PAUSE / SLIDE ADVANCE
- #15 Toyota Kata would ask us to shift our Paradigm at this point. Rather than getting busy implementing our Action Item List Our next step would be to Grasp the Current Condition. Within a relatively short period of time, we would first explore the issue in greater detail using a methodical / systematic series of steps. The purpose of Grasping the Current Condition in this way is to see beyond our personal biases and preconceived notions. It allows us to conduct a more objective analysis that better prepares us to move in a direction more exactly aligned to the Challenge and Vision. You’ll notice when this is done well, our personal biases and pre-conceived notions have been (ideally) eliminated. PAUSE / SLIDE ADVANCE
- #16 Grasping The Current Condition is typically done following the steps of Process Analysis. Though these steps were initially framed for discreet manufacturing processes, they can also be effectively applied in the service industry, administrative work, health care, non-profits, etc… Anywhere where … Value is delivered… To a customer / user Within a certain timeframe. Consistently Using the steps of Process analysis provides a very practical way for us to “Free Our Minds” and thus escape the limitations and constraints of our biases and preconceptions. PAUSE / SLIDE ADVANCE
- #17 With the Process Analysis completed… We are now ready to move on to the next step… PAUSE / SLIDE ADVANCE
- #18 Of Setting the Next Target Condition. You’ll notice this NTC is *OUTSIDE* of our current Knowledge Threshold… And directly aligned with the Challenge / Vision. It is truly Challenging(!) because it is beyond our current our current knowledge. We don’t know how we are going to get there. We are about to enter… PAUSE / SLIDE ADVANCE
- #19 THE GREY ZONE !! Remember, Within our current knowledge threshold, we are in a Zone of Apparent Certainty. We have high familiarity and a greater sense of comfort. As we reach, and ultimately pass through our Knowledge Threshold we enter the Uncertainty Zone. We are less comfortable… We are confronted with many more questions. Things are less certain, more ambiguous The higher level of uncertainty and ambiguity in the Grey Zone often dissuades people from forging ahead. The likelihood of mistakes is higher in this Zone. However, as you can see, this is also the most direct path toward progressing toward our Challenge. Toyota Kata provides a methodical way, a consistent routine, for navigating through this Grey Zone, even in the face of ambiguity and uncertainty. PAUSE / SLIDE ADVANCE
- #20 As we set out in pursuit of our Next Target Condition, there will be many potential Obstacles… Some of which we will immediately recognize. A key principle of the TK methodology is that we do not need to resolve every imaginable obstacle. Instead, we are looking for the most direct path toward our Next Target Condition. We only need to solve these Obstacles that are preventing us from operating in a way consistent with that Next Target Condition. PAUSE / SLIDE ADVANCE
- #21 By using rapid PDCA cycles in a systematic way, we find our way through the field of Obstacles in the most direct path toward the Next Target Condition. Notice, this is not a straight line. Of necessity, we will be in a mode of learning and discovery as we move through the Grey Zone. The key is to conduct these PDCA cycles as rapid experiments. From each experiment, we gain new information, we learn… And so we are able to adjust our course based on facts and data gained through our experimenting. Thus we move forward toward our Next Target Condition… AND we gain knowledge!! We expand our Threshold of Knowledge. The key to moving forward quickly (i.e. learning quickly) is to conduct Quick PDCA cycles – Quick small experiments that give us useful facts and data about our chosen area of focus. Ideally, we are conducting small PDCA Experiments … every day!! Consistently using this approach, leads us along a Path of Discovery through the Grey Zone toward attainment of the Next Target Condition. PAUSE / SLIDE ADVANCE
- #22 Consistent / Successful application of this rapid PDCA approach , ultimately brings us to the Desired Target Condition. The benefits of this approach are considerable: We, in fact, achieve a new level of performance that was once beyond our capabilities This new level of performance is well aligned with our ultimate direction toward achieving our larger Challenge. We have effectively expanded our Knowledge Threshold… converting the former Grey Zone of uncertainty and ambiguity to more of a comfort Zone with greater familiarity and direct experience. We have increased our personal skill with the Improvement Kata, this methodical series of steps that allows us to tackle a new challenging Target Condition that may be beyond our current knowledge Threshold. As we gain experience and confidence with this Toyota Kata approach… PAUSE / SLIDE ADVANCE
- #23 We are able to tackle successive new Target Conditions that move us toward the ultimate attainment of our longer term Challenge. PAUSE / SLIDE ADVANCE
- #24 Establishing the longer term Vision and Challenge is Role of Leadership in organizations. Teaching how to use the Improvement Kata to methodically move through the Grey Zone toward the Next Target Condition is the job of managers at all levels in the organization. Thus, consistent application of the Toyota Kata approach results in two powerful benefits It allows us to achieve challenging target conditions that are critical to our long term success, to achieve new / higher levels of performance. It develops the skills and capabilities of the people in our organization to face more of these challenges in the future. Ultimately, we believe these are the critical elements that provide any company or individual the strongest base of long term competitive advantage in today’s dynamic and volatile global environment.
- #25 Thanks for your time and attention. I’d appreciate any comments, feedback, or suggestions you’d like to offer. Over and Out!!