What is Kata?
Kata is improvement. Kata practice routines are systematic. Kata develops scientific thinking on the frontlines.
Kata Training and Coaching
What is Kata?
Kata embeds structured thinking into day-by-day work and quickly establishes a culture of continuous improvement and employee engagement.
- Consists of Improvement Kata and Coaching Kata and is activated through the scientific PDCA — Plan, Do, Check, Act — method
- The Improvement Kata is a four-step thinking and solving pattern that becomes second nature for people in their in day-to-day work.
- The Coaching Kata is a structured and ongoing pattern of questions a trained coach asks of the people involved in the Improvement Kata.
- Develops frontline leaders and workers as the engine for sustainable results in the workplace, a proven method for workers to learn by doing and build a culture of determination and action to improve.
- Team members collaborate on target conditions and related metrics and maintain focus on progress towards them.
- Fosters higher levels of employee engagement and collaboration; accelerates adoption of change.
- Kata is foundational to initiatives for continuous improvement, lean, operational excellence and talent programs, but can be learned and applied by itself or in conjunction with other problem solving and improvement programs.
Why Kata Is Effective
People Focused
Your people become involved and feel appreciated; their performance and emotional commitment takes problems solving and improvement to new heights.
Becomes Second Nature
Practicing kata establishes a culture of continuous improvement and active employee engagement; it becomes the natural reflex when facing everyday problems. Instills an instinct to seek and pursue process improvements on a daily basis.
Develops Scientific Thinking
PDCA – Plan, Do, Check, Act – is a proven model for improvement. Enables testing potential solutions on a smaller and more controlled scale.
Aligned with Goals
Before any training begins, we work with you to understand what you need to accomplish and set target metrics accordingly. In itself, target and goal setting are elements of Kata.
Available Programs
There are three basic Kata training programs. All enable and empower your frontline leaders and workers with the skills to solve more problems and innovate improvements. We can advise you on staging and sequencing our programs depending on what you need to do or which problems you need to solve.
Introduction to Practicing Kata
Provides expert guidance in Improvement Kata by setting your goal, establishing current and target conditions, identifying obstacles, introducing PDCA-based experimentation, and practicing Coaching Kata while being mentored by TWI Institute Certified Trainers.
Foundations and Simulation
Melds Kata practice routines with a realistic, hands-on simulation, which creates an authentic foundation for teams in a variety of industries and organizational roles.
Driving and Coaching Improvement
Gives executives and managers everything they need to begin the Kata journey and put programs into practice at their organizations through a week-long, hands-on program.
Become a certified TWI Institute trainer
Remember how much you enjoyed your favorite teacher? The teacher who turned a learning process into an enriching experience? If you love the idea of inspiring people, helping them improve and watching them grow with a sense of accomplishment and self-satisfaction, then consider becoming a Kata Trainer, sanctioned and certified by TWI Institute.
Webinars and Interviews
Toyota Kata Pulls in Training and People Needs (TWI)
Kata is a powerful enabler of improvement and brilliant outcomes.
Flyers
Toyota Kata Programs - A Complete System for Putting Kata into Practice
The TWI Institute's Kata and TWI programs work together to help you establish and sustain the practice of Kata and a culture of continuous improvement and problem solving.
Article/Whitepaper
Creating an Adaptable Workforce: Using the Coaching Kata for Enhanced Environmental Performance
The Improvement Kata is not about immediate results. Instead, it’s about guiding the learner through the improvement corridor.