How the Improvement Kata changes the way we learn, problem solve and improve.

1. The Improvement Kata
Learning how to learn
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2. How do you define learning?
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3. We used to think…
George
Washington
was our first
president.
When’s recess?
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4. Things are less certain now…
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5. The focus of learning is shifting…
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6. Many managers haven’t
caught up yet either…
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7. Instead, you can teach how to learn
Have you searched
the error message?
That’s a great way
to learn about and
solve problems.
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8. And effective managers operate
that way too
Use the pattern of the
Improvement Kata.
That’s a great way to
learn about, and solve
problems.
I’ll coach you.
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9. Knowing how to learn…
is about more
than asking
questions.
I wonder what
this came from.
Let’s find out!
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10. You can use a kata to practice and
teach scientific inquiry
Practicing the
Improvement Kata
develops inquiry skills
If Toyota
can make it
work, I can
too.
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11. Kata takes our discussions out of
the clouds of abstraction…
“
“Ideally”
“
LEARNING
ORGANIZATION
“ “
SYSTEMS LEAN
THINKING THINKING
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12. …into concrete, practical reality
Let’s change
your grip and
see what
happens.
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13. Practice makes inquiry a habit
Forget the sledge
hammer. We’ve
got a kata.
 What’s our target
condition?
 What’s our current
reality?
 What obstacle are
we addressing now?
 What is our next
step? What do we
expect?
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14. Kata leads to a sense of self-efficacy,
or what I call high Kata Quotient (KQ)
You want me to
what? I’ve never
done that before
but I can learn.
I don’t know the
answer, but I
know how to find
I don’t have the answer.
those skills yet,
but I can develop
them.
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15. Knowing
how to learn
makes us
more
comfortable
stretching
our abilities
daily
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16. That also empowers us to guide others
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17. Your Kata Quotient (inquiry ability)
matters more than how much you know
I’m So THAT'S
feeling what Rother
smarter was saying.
already.
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18. Kata Questing is an excellent habit
We inquired
our way into
success!
Great kata!
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