Introduction to the Improvement Kata

Introduction to the Improvement Kata Mike Rother January 2011 Copyright © 2011 Mike Rother, all rights reserved 1217 Baldwin Avenue / Ann Arbor, MI 48104 USA Tel: (734) 665-5411 / mrother@umich.edu© Mike Rother TOYOTA KATA 1

MANAGING FOR IMPROVEMENT, ADAPTIVENESS AND SUPERIOR RESULTS Practicing the improvement kata gives you an advantage over organizations who aren!t practicing it© Mike Rother TOYOTA KATA 2

Old HOW DO WE TEND TO TRY TO IMPROVE?Way We hunt for wastes or react to problems, and try to eliminate them . . . . ... . . . . . . Problems, wastes and opportunities . . . . .. . . . for improvement . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . ... Current Condition . . .. . . . . . . . . . . This scattershot approach may not achieve meaningful improvement that moves the organization forward. It misspends our limited capacity for making improvements. We don!t learn much, because we!re not experimenting.© Mike Rother TOYOTA KATA 3

HOW DO WE TEND TO TRY TO REACH Old AN OBJECTIVE? Way We try to make the best plan, and then implement it Current Target Condition Condition We think we know how we will get there, but both your knowledge and the situation change as you move forward! With this approach we!re not doing enough experimenting, learning and adapting.© Mike Rother TOYOTA KATA 4

THE IMPROVEMENT KATA IS A DIFFERENT APPROACH With the improvement kata you work iteratively toward a target condition, on the way to a vision, learning along the way. You work on those things that you discover you need to work on to reach the next target condition. .. . ... . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . Current . . . . . . . . . . .. . Target Condition .. . . . . . Condition . . .. . . . . . . . . . .Diagram by Mr. Jeff Uitenbroek© Mike Rother TOYOTA KATA 5

Mike Rother Thriving in uncertain and competitive circumstances involves striving for something, not just reacting to problems and trying to counteract entropy. However, just communicating a vision and challenge to reach for may not be enough. It takes more than a goal and some positive attitude for an organization to succeed. It helps to have a systematic way of meeting challenges that can be taught to everyone in the organization. That!s what the improvement kata is!© Mike Rother TOYOTA KATA 6

THE IMPROVEMENT KATA The improvement kata is a routine used to make striving and scientific working a daily habit, based on a four-part routine: 1 In consideration of a vision or direction... 2 Grasp the current condition. 3 Define the next target condition. 4 Move toward that target condition iteratively with PDCA, which uncovers obstacles that need to be worked on. 2 4 3 1 Current Next Vision Condition Obstacles Target for Condition Customer The improvement kata is a way of achieving things that you don!t know how you are going to achieve© Mike Rother TOYOTA KATA 7

WHAT IS A KATA? A kata is a routine you practice so it becomes a habit Through practicing, the pattern of a kata becomes second nature. Examples are riding a bicycle, driving a car, typing. Once you!ve learned to drive you don!t think much about using the car!s controls and can focus on the situational aspects of navigating the road.© Mike Rother TOYOTA KATA 8

New THE IMPROVEMENT KATA IS FOCUSED Way Current Target Obstacles Vision Condition Condition The target condition focuses people!s attention and provides guidance. Setting a target condition is not about choosing between existing options or best practices. It!s about new performance. By setting a target condition and trying to achieve it, you learn why you cannot. That!s what you work on.© Mike Rother TOYOTA KATA 9

New THE IMPROVEMENT KATA IS ITERATIVE Way Current Target Obstacles Vision Condition Condition Rather than needing to wholly predict the path, the improvement kata spurs discovery and adaptation along the way. Teams using the improvement kata learn as they strive to reach an objective, and adapt based on what they are learning.© Mike Rother TOYOTA KATA 10

THE IMPROVEMENT KATA IS OPERATIONALIZABLE The improvement kata is a teachable, transferrable behavior pattern. Operationalizability is important, because new habits come from physical experiences. Range of Operationalizability Low Medium High Lists of Improvement Principles Kata Behaviors that can be practiced With sufficient repetition and positive experiences, you can make the improvement kata part of your everyday thinking© Mike Rother TOYOTA KATA 11

THE IMPROVEMENT KATA CAN BE USED THROUGHOUT AN ORGANIZATIONFractal depiction by Mr. Emiel van Est © Mike Rother TOYOTA KATA 12

HOW DO YOU LEARN THE IMPROVEMENT KATA? It takes physical, bodily repetition - with the following ingredients - to develop new skills / habits PRACTICE METHOD Learner repeatedly The pattern or applies a pattern, routine to befollowing guidelines practiced for deliberate (Must be specified) practice Learner receives COACHING periodic guidance in practicing the pattern © Mike Rother TOYOTA KATA 13

HOW FREQUENT SHOULD THE PRACTICING BE? The practice needs to become part of every day!s work If you periodically conduct a training event or periodically work on an improvement but the rest of the time it!s business as usual, then what you are actually teaching is business as usual.© Mike Rother TOYOTA KATA 14

ASK THESE FIVE QUESTIONS EVERY DAY (Click on the card to download a copy. Also available on the Toyota Kata website.) The Five Questions 1) What is the target condition? Back of card - Reflection Section 2) What is the actual condition now? 3) What obstacles do you think are preventing you from reaching the target condition? Reflect on the Last Step Taken --------(Turn Card Over)---------------------> Because you don!t actually know what the result of a step will be! What obstacle are you addressing now? 4) What is your next step? (next PDCA / 1) What obstacle were you addressing? experiment) What do you expect? 2) What was your last step? 5) When can we go and see what we have learned from taking that step? 3) What actually happened? 4) What did you learn?Card is turned over to ------------------------------>reflect on the last step Return © Mike Rother TOYOTA KATA 15

IMPROVING, ADAPTING AND INNOVATING How will you make your kanban system work? How will you achieve 1x1 flow? How will you achieve shorter value-stream lead time? How will you achieve your objective? The way forward is iterative & experimenting, aimed at a desired condition that we don!t yet know how we will achieve. Predictable Zone Uncertainty / Learning Zone tacl e s ? Ob s ? Next Target r nclea ry Condition ? U ito Terr Current We want Knowledge to be here Threshold next© Mike Rother TOYOTA KATA 16

COMFORT COMES WITH PRACTICE The trick is to develop strong mental circuits not for solutions, but for a means by which we navigate uncertain conditions and develop solutions. ---> Make a habit out of a kata for dealing with uncertainty This is like training in sports: To prepare for contests with unpredictable solutions, the focus of the training is not solutions, but how to play. We can work iteratively, adjust and adapt... ...if we know what!s going on; if we have practiced and learned a way of doing that.© Mike Rother TOYOTA KATA 17

A CHAIN REACTION Add to the adaptive toolkit of the people in your organization by practicing the improvement kata Increased Self Openness to Skill ! Efficacy ! Challenges As a result, they growWhen teams practice more comfortable withthe improvement unpredictable pathskata they becomemore skillful and Which allows themcompetent at to be more openmeeting challenges... to new challenges!... because they learnto work iterativelyand scientifically. Self-Efficacy: The belief that you can master a situation Self-Efficacy is learned!© Mike Rother TOYOTA KATA 18

EPILOGUE What!s different here? With the Improvement Kata we have a method to bridge the gap between concepts like Systems Thinking or Learning Organization and the day-to-day running of an organization. We finally have a way to help operationalize such concepts. There is tremendous brainpower in every organization, and we should do a better job of utilizing it to meet challenges. But the hollow empowerment concepts of the late 20th century didnt work, and brain science is telling us why: We naturally stick with our existing ways of doing things unless we consciously practice a different problem-solving behavior. Just issuing challenges is not enough. Challenge is part of the recipe, but the other, missing piece is that managers should be teaching their people - through coached practice in everyday work - a systematic and scientific way of meeting challenges. The Improvement Kata is exactly that.© Mike Rother TOYOTA KATA 19

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Introduction to the Improvement Kata

by Mike Rother on Jan 16, 2011

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Introduction to the Improvement Kata — Presentation Transcript