Toyota Kata: Managing People for Improvement, Adaptiveness and Superior Results

Chapter 6Problem Solving and Adapting: Moving Toward a Target Condition

Setting a target condition is only one portion of the improvement kata. Working through obstacles that you then encounter as you try to move toward that target condition is the other, and where a lot of learning takes place (Figure 6-1). It is easier to set a target condition than it is to achieve it.

Figure 6-1. It takes work and learning to achieve a target condition

Number One:Assume the Path Is Unclear

To begin with we may need to calibrate our expectation of how the effort to achieve a target condition will proceed. We often make a plan and then intend to execute that ...