Toyota Kata
In Lean, there’s a lot of talk about continuous improvement and changing for the better. But in order for a strategy to be successful, these changes need to have a lasting impact.
The reality is, many changes don’t stick. Old habits creep back in, and improvement cycles lose momentum before stopping completely.
Toyota Kata is a methodology designed to confront Lean’s biggest challenge by changing the way we think, learn, and solve problems. This process enforces a structured, sustainable system for developing new habits that enable continuous improvement.
Gemba Academy’s Toyota Kata training course begins with the fundamentals of Toyota Kata, then introduces more advanced tools and tactics for implementing this practice into daily operations.
What You’ll Learn in this Toyota Kata Video Series
The term “Toyota Kata” was coined by Lean expert Mike Rother in his book of the same name. The idea behind Toyota Kata is that by practicing improvement routines regularly, the process becomes second nature. Over time, you’ll begin to develop a scientific approach to thinking critically, solving problems, and making quick decisions about what comes next. “Kata” itself is a Japanese martial arts term for practice routines that develop strong, virtuous habits over time.
In this Kata training course, you will learn the concept of Toyota Kata, its origins, and how to implement both Improvement Kata and Coaching Kata into daily activities. Additionally:
- Where to begin making improvements to your organization’s processes. We’ll show you how to implement Improvement Kata using the scientific problem-solving cycle of PDCA (plan, do, check, act).
- How people learn and develop new skills, and how to change old habits by establishing new routines. This series will help you identify recognizable behaviors and problems, and show you how to use them as the basis for continuous improvement.
- How to use tools like current and target conditions worksheets, experiment records, and timing worksheets to understand the current condition, identify challenges, and run experiments against obstacles.
- How to develop a routine for coaching the Improvement Kata. We’ll introduce the “five questions of coaching Kata” and teach practitioners how to use Kata coaching cards.
Toyota Kata Essentials
- 6 Videos
- 23m
Toyota Kata is a practice that enables organizations to improve processes and develop problem solvers. Learn about its origins, how kata helps people learn, the different roles within the practice of kata, and tips on getting started.View Course
Improvement Kata Essentials
- 19 Videos
- 1h 15m
The Improvement Kata is a pattern of activities that helps us move from our current condition to a target condition in a deliberate way. The Improvement Kata is designed to help people strive toward challenges or solve complex problems with solutions that are not obvious. Learn the four steps of this pattern and how learners work with a coach to develop scientific thinking skills while solving problems.View Course
Coaching Kata Essentials
- 18 Videos
- 1h 28m
The coaching kata is a set of practice routines for teaching scientific thinking to the improvement kata learner. Learn the main objectives and activities, characteristics of the coach-learner relationship, the deliberate way questions are used, and how this contributes to establishing a continuous improvement culture.View Course
Toyota Kata — Practice Makes Progress
- 42 Videos
- 4h 23m
Do you know where and how to start making improvements to your organization? Our Kata course will show you where and how to begin solving problems you may be facing.View Course
Kata in the Classroom
- 2 Videos
- 1h 40m
Kata in the Classroom (KiC) makes scientific thinking a teachable skill anyone can learn. In these modules you’ll see Mike Rother, the author of Toyota Kata, run this workshop with a live audience. You’ll also have the ability to run the workshop on your own. All of the materials for this workshop are available, free of charge, at katatogrow.com which is a website that was created and is maintained by Mike Rother.View Course
Coaching Kata Insights
- 5 Videos
- 53m
Kata coaches face a variety of questions and challenges as they practice their routine for developing learners. Learn from the stories and experience-based lessons of various kata coaches.View Course
Non-Verbal Communication in the Coaching Kata
- 5 Videos
- 24m
Scott Laundry and Mike Rother discuss the importance of non-verbal cues and how coaches leverage them to facilitate learning, engagement, and excitement during their practice of the improvement kata.View Course
Kata Applications and Case Studies
- 7 Videos
- 1h 45m
The improvement kata is a practice pattern for problem-solving and for developing scientific thinking. As organizations apply kata, they are finding broader benefits such as engagement, improved communication, leadership development, and better ways to tackle complex problems. Learn from case studies in healthcare, construction, pharmaceuticals, and more.View Course
Top 10 Lessons Learned from Practicing the Toyota Kata Approach in Healthcare
- 12 Videos
- 47m
Michael Lombard, a seasoned leader in healthcare performance improvement, shares his top 10 lessons from his first six months of practicing the Toyota Kata approach. He conducted more than three hundred kata coaching cycles with clinical leaders from across his hospital. He made every mistake in the book and learned from each one. Listen to him share his stories and learn from his experiences.View Course
Using Kata to Address Wicked Problems in Safety
- 5 Videos
- 34m
Construction remains a deadly industry — over 700 workers are injured on a jobsite every day, and 3 are killed. Despite improved safety technology, outcomes have been stagnant. Now, companies are beginning to apply lean thinking to improve construction safety. Having seen dramatic improvements as a result of instituting a Continuous Safety improvement program, The Boldt Company has begun using the routine of a“kata” to develop a new discipline for improving construction safety.View Course
How to Run Virtual Kata in the Classroom
- 4 Videos
- 16m
Experiential learning is an effective way to learn continuous improvement concepts, but what happens when participants can only connect virtually? There are effective ways to virtually practice continuous improvement concepts, including the Kata in the Classroom workshop. Originally designed for middle school teachers, Kata in the Classroom has now found its way into K‑12, college, and corporate educational settings around the world. This course uses a cloud-based spreadsheet instead of a jigsaw puzzle and teaches tips and tricks to successfully run the workshop virtually.View Course
Benefits of this Gemba Academy Toyota Kata Training Course
Toyota Kata strengthens any Lean management program and its related methodologies and tools like value stream mapping, kanban, and standard work.
At the end of this Lean Kata training module, you’ll learn how to move from your current state to a more desirable future state by applying Toyota Kata’s four-step learning and discovery process.
- Built with retention in mind. All Gemba Academy online training courses break lessons into a series of manageable, short segments — no longer than 15-minutes each. This approach gives learners lessons that they can immediately apply to their day-to-day routines.
- Apply Lean tools and methodologies into existing workflows. Gemba Academy’s online training courses also include templates and tools that make it easy to put Lean lessons to work immediately after watching a video. For example, the Toyota Kata module includes supplemental material such as a Kata storyboard template, coaching Kata cards, experiment records, current conditions worksheet, and more.