Kata are structured routines practiced deliberately to develop skills and habits. They originate from martial arts forms but can be applied more broadly. The Improvement Kata and Coaching Kata are routines used at Toyota to train managers. Practicing a kata exactly at first allows it to become automatic, then over time it can be adapted while keeping core principles. Kata are a way to develop skills and a management approach through trial and practice rather than copying others' systems. The book describes starter kata from Toyota that can then be built upon over time.

1. © Mike Rother / Improvement Kata Handbook
TOYOTA KATA
Lecture 1a:
What is Kata?
C. Brandon Brown, P.E.
Rev. 1.0
04/14/2016

2. Acknowledgements
2
http://www-personal.umich.edu/~mrother/Homepage.html

3. Kata are structured routines that you practice
deliberately, especially at the beginning, so
their pattern becomes a habit and leaves you
with new abilities. Kata are a way of learning
fundamental skills that you can build on. The
word comes from the martial arts, where Kata
are used to train combatants in fundamental
moves. But the idea of a Kata can be applied in
a much broader sense. The Improvement Kata
and Coaching Kata are for training managers
and leaders in a new way of doing their jobs.
At first you should try to practice each Kata
exactly as described, until its pattern becomes
somewhat automatic and habitual for you. That
can take several months of practice. When you
reach that point and have learned through
practice to understand the "why" behind that
Kata's routine, then you can start to deviate
from it by evolving your own version or style
of the pattern... as long as its core principles
remain intact.
Practice Kata to Find Your Way. My goal with
this Handbook is not to show you precisely
how your management system should look
and function. That would be impossible since
each organization has unique characteristics
and exists in unique conditions. Developing an
organization's managerial system is not about
copying the tools and techniques that another
organization has come up with, which would
be jumping to solutions. You can and should
start with some already-existing basics, like in
sports and music, but then it's an unavoidable
iterative process of trial and adjustment. The
goal of this Handbook is to show you how to
start developing and building your own 21st
Century management approach by practicing
a set of fundamental Kata.
This Handbook utilizes a well-proven set of
basic Kata to practice every day. You could call
them ”Starter Kata.“ They come from the
Toyota Kata research and have been used for
practice at thousands of organizations around
the world. Begin with the starter Kata and then,
as you gain skill and understanding, add to or
adjust them to fit your situation as needed.
Then you’ll be developing your own way.
Best wishes for your practicing!
Mike Rother
© Mike Rother / Improvement Kata Handbook Preface
From Mike Rother’s online Handbook

4. WHAT IS A KATA?
A kata is a pattern you practice to learn a skill
The research that led to the book Toyota Kata looked into
Toyota's management methods. The word 'kata' perfectly
describes the routines we found being practiced there: the
Improvement Kata and the Coaching Kata.
The suffix kata means a structured routine or way of doing. It refers
to a form or pattern that can be practiced to develop particular skills
and mindset.
© Mike Rother / Improvement Kata Handbook
4
カタ

5. 4
A Lean Conclusion
If we only periodically conduct training events or only episodically work on
improvement – and the rest of the time it’s business as usual – then according
to neuroscience what we’re actually practicing is business as usual
If we want a Lean revolution, then we need to
shift emphasis from CI staff-led, episodic
improvement efforts, to daily efforts led by
middle managers.
To make this shift, we must take a slice of each
day and focus on practicing coached,
improvement routines

6. PDCACycles Toward a Target Condition
Going after problems / wastes / opportunities at Gemba
TROUBLESHOOTING
INDUSTRIAL WHACK-A-MOLE
STRIVING WITH PURPOSE
DRIVEN ACTIVITY
NOTICE THE DIFFERENCE
© Mike Rother / Improvement Kata Handbook 6
What can
we
improve?
What
should we
improve?

7. WHAT ARE KATA?
They're practice routines. Kata are structured routines to
practice deliberately, especially at the beginning, so their
pattern becomes a Meta-habit and leaves you with new
abilities
KATA:
• Are for learning fundamentals to
build on.
• Are a way of transferring skills and
developing shared abilities and
mindset in a team or organization.
By Mike Rother
7

8. 8
Ca y u rea t is?
WE NEED THIS META-COGNITIVE MECHANISM
TO GET THROUGH THE DAY
But it also causes some problems

9. 9
IUMRING TQ GQNGIUSIQNS
READ WHAT YOU SEE

10. 10
IUMRING TQ GQNGIUSIQNS
We don't notice the Knowledge
Threshold because our brain
automatically fills in the blanks

11. METACOGNITION
How are your skills?
11
1000
40
1000
30
1000
20
1000
+ 10
4100

12. 12
Current
Knowledge
Threshold
OUR BRAIN FILLS
IN THE BLANKS
(automatically)
WHY WE GO THROUGH
KNOWLEDGE THRESHOLDS?

13. VIDEO
What We Know About How People Learn
(2 minutes)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELpfYCZa87g
Also available on the IK/CK YouTube Channel
13

14. DEVELOPING A META HABIT * THROUGH
SPACED PRACTICE
The pattern of the improvement kata
is what you're teaching
. . . . . .
.
. . . . . .Current
Condition
Target
Condition
Unclear
Territory
Obstacles
Coaching cycles
with the
5 questions
5Q
5Q 5Q 5Q 5Q
5Q 5Q
5Q 5Q 5Q
5Q 5Q
5Q
The content
and obstacles
that the learner
works on are
situational and
will vary.
The pattern of
thinking and
acting (the
kata) stays
the same and
repeats.
* (A way of thinking)
The Improvement Kata provides the form,
the gemba provides the content
Coaching Kata
14