Vortrag von Mike Rother am 7. KATA-Praktikertag am 24.11.2017 in Stuttgart. Auch in diesem Jahr war Mike Rother dabei und teilt seine neuesten Erfahrungen mit Ihnen und stellt seine neuen Bücher vor.

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Daily Practice for
Scientific-Thinking Skill, Mindset & Culture
By
Mike Rother

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I’VE BEEN BUSY
New!
2009
2017 2017

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• TK Topic Overview
• Some Lessons Learned

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Visible
Stuff
Less
Visible
Stuff
• Toyota’s results
• Lean tools & practices
• A systematic, scientific
way of thinking & acting
• Managers as teachers
of that way
Scientific thinking as a foundation for improvment,
adaptiveness, and superior results.
WE STUDIED TOYOTA MANAGEMENT
Due to Toyota’s enduring success

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Toyota is able to generate a sort of
entrepreneurial mindset and behavior in its
people, and use it to achieve challenging goals
For example:
• Not assuming the current condition is permanent. Able to
welcome a challenge, even though the answers are unknown.
• Being OK with some uncertainty. Able to move forward in the
face of uncertain and ambiguous circumstances.
• Viewing barriers more as obstacles.

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WE FOUND A PATTERN AT TOYOTA
The four-step Improvement Kata model
A practical, scientific way
of thinking & working

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HOW DO YOU ACQUIRE SUCH A
WAY OF THINKING?
Challenge
Current
Condition
Next
Target
Condition
(date)
Experiment
Toward the TC
A model alone is not enough

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AN ANSWER:

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Scientific
Powers
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CARD – SIDE 1
• Hold the card in front of you, dot on the left.
• Close your left eye. Stare at the dot with your right eye.
• Move the card in and out slowly while staring at the dot.
 What happens?

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CARD – SIDE 2
• Again: card in front of you, dot on the left.
• Close your left eye. Stare at the dot with your right eye.
• Move the card in and out until the cross disappears.
 What happens this time?

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THE BRAIN MAKES ASSUMPTIONS
Our brain creates feelings of certainty
based on the bits of information it receives
We often don't notice a
knowledge threshold.
That’s where trouble starts!
to
Current
Knowledge
Threshold

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THIS ASSUMPTION MECHANISM
HELPS US GET THROUGH THE DAY
Our survival depends on it
The child's brain is exploring, but it’s helpless.
The adult brain has many learned neural paths = performing.

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BUT IT ALSO CAUSES PROBLEMS
We feel certain and then we make faulty decisions

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"Let'stryitandsee"
A COUNTERMEASURE:
SCIENTIFIC THINKING
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A routine of intentional coordination between
what we predict will happen next, seeing what
actually happens, and adjusting based on what
we learn from the difference.

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"Let'stryitandsee"
A COUNTERMEASURE:
SCIENTIFIC THINKING
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A routine of intentional coordination between
what we predict will happen next, seeing what
actually happens, and adjusting based on what
we learn from the difference.
You make a prediction, reality happens,
if there’s a difference you learn from it

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NAVIGATING WITH A COMPASS, NOT A MAP
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Scientific thinking may be the best
means we currently have for:
• Navigating through unpredictable
territory toward challenging goals
• Moving knowledge thresholds
forward as quickly as possible
It’s a process for acquiring
knowledge, sometimes
called "Plan-Do-Check-Act”

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THE IMPROVEMENT KATA PATTERN
Current
Condition
Next
Target
Condition
(date)
Direction
or
Challenge
Threshold of
Knowledge
Experiments
At the Current
Knowledge Threshold

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Born?
Scientific
Thinking
Adults are bad at scientific
thinking, due to all our
learned neural paths
Learned
HOW?
is Learned
Scientific thinking is not
our default mode as adults

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WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO LEARN NEW SKILLS
AND CHANGE OUR THINKING?
Take a moment... please cross your arms

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LET'S TRY JUST A SMALL CHANGE
Now re-cross them the other way

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HOW DID IT FEEL THE SECOND TIME
COMPARED TO THE FIRST?

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SECOND TIME
Awkward
Slow
Unnatural
Stiff
Uncomfortable
Difficult
It feels wrong
Had to think about it
What's
going on
here?

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OUR THINKING PATTERNS ARE IN A LOOP
We've practiced folding our arms one way for decades
Every time you think or do something,
you are more likely to do it again
Building
highways
in our brain

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The brain strongly favors our
practiced neural pathways, to
conserve energy and for safety
WHY THE 2nd TIME
FEELS DIFFERENT
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2 %
Brain
Size
20 %
Brain's
Energy
Needs
Fast & Efficient
Neural Pathways
Our Habits
The highways in our brain
take little attention & energy
Takesmuchmoreattention
and energy (at first)
Slow and Inefficient
Neural Pathways
New Ways

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DON'T TRY TO FIGHT EXISTING NEURAL
HIGHWAYS. BUILD NEW ONES.
What can work: Deliberately practicing
a new routine.
Focus on developing new neural
pathways, i.e. building new habits.
Grow new thinking, that eventually
replaces the old
Trying to fight existing neural highways
usually doesn't work.
The learner will almost always stick
with or revert back to their established
habits. It's physiological.
Do what
Toyota
does

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THIS IS WHERE STARTER KATA COME IN
Starter Kata help
you break out of
mindset loops

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STARTER KATA
Starter Kata
to begin to
operationalize
the IK pattern
Way of Doing
There are simple practice routines for each step of the IK model,
to learn fundamental skills. They're a starting point for any
individual, team or organization who would like to develop a
scientific-thinking mindset and approach.
The IK Model
Practice Routines

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They're building-block practice routines
that help you learn fundamentals and
adopt new ways of acting and thinking
STARTER KATA = AIDS FOR FIRST PRACTICE
• Not a problem-solving method. They're practice
routines to make you a better problem solver.
• Doesn't replace improvement methods you have.
• Can't implement Kata, you can only practice them.

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Run Charts
Learner's Storyboard
Obstacles
Parking Lot
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Current
Condition
Analysis
Target
Condition
Definition
Block
Diagram
LEARNER
Challenge
StarterKata
Learner
Experimenting
Record
It's not just simple repetition:
- Correct errors (need a coach)
- Requires some positive emotions

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= The headings for
a coaching cycle
StarterKata
Coach
COACH
Daily Coaching Cycle
≤ 20 Minutes a Day

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THEN … GO BEYOND THE STARTER KATA
Develop your own way by building on the fundamentals
Additional clarifying questions
this coach is adding
Starter-Kata Coaching Questions Coach notes & clarifying questions
Starter Kata

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TWO COMMON ERRORS
WITH STARTER KATA
1. The Permanent Beginner
Doesn’t want to practice Starter Kata,
or wants to change them right away.
2. The Implementer
Wants to permanently stick with the
structured routine of the Starter Kata,
rather than seeing them as an initial step
in the process of developing new skills.

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Actual Skill Level
Perceived Skill Level
TYPICAL PATTERN OF SKILL DEVELOPMENT
Time Spent Practicing

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Actual Skill Level
Perceived Skill Level
TYPICAL PATTERN OF SKILL DEVELOPMENT
Time Spent Practicing

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Stage 3: DETACH
Now you break away from the Starter Kata,
while sticking to the underlying principles,
because you have internalized them. You use
the knowledge you’ve acquired to create your
own approaches and develop your own style.
Stage 2: FLUENCY
In this stage the pattern of the Starter Kata
starts getting faster, smoother, and easier.
You also come to understand the purpose
behind the Starter Kata’s pattern and start to
add your own maneuvers.
Stage 1: FOLLOW
Practice seems awkward and forced at this
point, but don’t deviate from the Starter Kata!
The uncomfortable feeling is actually what you
should be feeling at this stage. It’s a sign that
you are building new neural pathways.
TYPICAL STAGES OF SKILL DEVELOPMENT
Theoretical landmarks, but good to realize it’s a progression

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SKILL DEVELOPMENT

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ACQUIRING NEW SKILLS & MINDSET
Example: Coaching Kata / Mark Rosenthal
(8 minutes)

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Goal
Achieveme
nt
Developing
skills for
achieving
goals
PURPOSE OF TOYOTA KATA
Managers
Create the creators

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PURPOSE OF TOYOTA KATA
The Starter Kata are not the point
We achieved
this, and
here’s how
we worked
A manager - thinking about
how their people work

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LARGE OR SMALL GOALS
IT DOESN’T MATTER
It’s the same basic pattern of working (a Meta Skill)
• A goal you have not yet
reached
• Obstacles to that goal
• Solutions that don’t yet
exist (or you would have
already implemented them)
• A need to test your ideas
No matter what kind of problem
solving you’re doing, you’ll have
these conditions:

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CREATING A DELIBERATE CULTURE
“Culture modification comes from practicing new
behaviors and adjusting the environment.” The culture
may evolve if enough people in the organization do the
organization's work in the new ways.
Starter Kata are especially useful when you want to
create a shared way of thinking and acting in a group of
people, because everyone starts with the same basics.

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EVENTUALLY A COMPANY CAN DEVELOP
ITS OWN STARTER KATA
When enough (?) leaders and
managers in the organization
have developed competency with
the patterns of the Starter Kata

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SUMMARY
 Knowing isn't the same as doing. Benchmarking
is not enough to make change happen.
 Scientific thinking is a good way to navigate, but
it is not our default mode.
 Skills, habits and mindset are wired in our brain.
 You can practice Starter Kata (with some coaching)
to help wire your brain for scientific thinking.
 You can also modify an organization's culture this
way, with managers as the coaches.
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