5 Key Behaviorial Tips to improve your Coaching technique when using the Toyota Kata 5-Question Coaching Dialog. These techniques are extremely easy to apply and have proven to show significant benefits for both Coaches and Learners.
5. Benefits of Proper Practice
Links Target Condition to Challenge
Flows smoothly
Develops scientific thinking
Fact and data based
Learner is prepared
Minimal time (10-15 min) and
quality work.
6. 1. Align to the Challenge
“What
is the larger Challenge we
are striving to achieve here?”
Connects to the Bigger Picture
How does my process fit in?
8. KATA
2. Stick to the Script
The Five Questions
1)
What is the Target Condition?
2)
What is the Actual Condition now?
COACH I NG
----------------- Turn Card Over ------------------>
3)
What Obstacles do you think are preventing
you from reaching the target condition?
Which *ONE* are you addressing now?
4)
What is your Next Step (next
PDCA/experiment)
What do you Expect?
5)
When can we go and see what we
Have Learned from taking that step?
Simple Clarifying Questions Only
Where’s the Threshold of Knowledge?
9. 2. Stick to the Script
5 Question Card downloadable at the Toyota Kata Website
10. Simple Clarifying Questions
Basic Question
Clarifying Questions
1
What is the Target Condition?
Is this (particular element) measurable?
What do you expect to be happening?
What is the pattern you’re trying to achieve?
2
What is the Actual Condition now?
Do you have data? Can you please show me?
> What was your last step?
Exactly what did you do? Can you show me?
> What did you expect?
> What actually happened?
Did you collect any data?
What specifically did you observe?
> What did you learn?
Why is this important? How will this help you?
3
Which Obstacles are preventing
you from reaching the Target
Condition?
Were there any new obstacles that you identified
in your last experiment?
Have you overcome any obstacles?
4
What is your Next Step?
Exactly what data will you collect?
Who / how will you collect it?
Can you show me?
5
When can we go and see what
we’ve learned from taking that
step?
Specific date and time.
11. 3. Use the Storyboard
Learner Owns It
Simple and
Well-organized
Capture the Details
Update Real-Time
Hi, I’m Bill Costantino Based on our experience over the last 5 years, I’d like to share some simple Behavioral tips that will help to sharpen your Kata Coaching practice and develop good fundamental techniques as a Kata Coach. PAUSE… for slide advance
In this SlideCast, we will focus on the Execute Phase of the Improvement Kata; The point where the Learner is iterating toward the Target Condition and the Coach is facilitating the 5 Question Dialog. Ideally these coaching cycles take place on a once-a-day basis, or even more frequently if possible.PAUSE… for slide advance
Getting right to the punch line… here are the 5 Behavioral tips in a nutshell: ( Read verbatim: “ 1. Align to the Challenge” “2. Stick to the Script” “3. Use the Storyboard” “4. Point” “5. Read it. Zip it”.Well… There you Have it!! I trust you will dramatically improve your coaching performance as you use these techniques. Please let me know how it goes…Well… maybe we should take a little deeper look.PAUSE… for slide advance
We have watched hundreds of Coaching Dialog sessions with both novice and experienced Kata practitioners.We notice that Coaches and Learners tend to make the same common mistakes, especially starting out as they first try to use the 5 Question Coaching Dialog.These 5 Behavioral tips will help you improve your practice by developing strong fundamental techniques.PAUSE… for slide advance
As you practice coaching using these techniques, you will find: > You reinforce the linkage of the Target Condition to the Larger company Challenge and Business Objectives > The whole coaching dialog flows more smoothly > As a coach, you are better able to develop a thought process of scientific thinking in the mind of your Learner > The information exchange between coach and learner becomes progressively more fact and data based > The Learner will become better prepared for the coaching dialog before it even begins > and… the whole dialog takes the minimal amount of time necessary while still doing quality work.Let’s take a closer look at ease of these 5 tips… PAUSE… for slide advance
Before you even begin the 5 Question coaching dialog, we suggest you ask the Learner an orienting question such as, “Can you tell me, what is the larger CHALLENGE we are striving to achieve here?”This connects the individual Target Condition for this particular process to the larger Challenge or Business Objective for the department, the plant, or the enterprise. It helps to the Learner to better understand who his/her efforts fit in and connect with the bigger picturePAUSE…
The challenge should be easily understandable and actually written somewhere on the Learner’s storyboard.Examples of challenges might be something like: > Increase our facility output by 20% with no added cost > Reduce our order to ship time from 10 days to 3 days > Improve our field service response from 23 days to 7 days > Reduce our overall product cost from $xxxx / unit to $yyyy / unitOften, The Challenge may be a longer term strategic initiative of the company, or reflected in the Annual Plan Objectives.PAUSE… for slide advance
#2 - STICK TO THE SCRIPT: Simple as it sounds, it’s a very common mistake for Coaches to vary from the script; especially at the beginning stages of their practice.When you vary, it diminishes the strength of the pattern you are trying to develop both in your own mind and behavior as well as the learner.The greater the deviation from script, the more you undermine the pattern.This often leads to subtle confusion in the learner as they hear different language being used with each coaching cycle. As they see you vary from the basic pattern, they will tend to vary from it as well.It can be awkward at first following a structured dialog when you’re not used to it. Many people want to make the coaching dialog more of a conversation. Really… It is not. It is a structured dialog with the intent of effective information exchange and development of a scientific mindset in the Learner.PAUSE… for slide advance
Even after practicing this coaching dialog for more than 4 years, personally… I still keep the 5Q card in hand and use the exact language as written when asking the core questions.The reason I do it… is so that Every Learner I work with is always getting a consistent and reliable version of the Coaching dialog.For those of you just beginning to coach, and even if you’re more experienced, I encourage you to Just Stick to the Script for about 6 months to a year.Let it sink in and become a well established habit for yourself.THEN… once you have a consistent and well developed routine, then consider modifying it if necessary once you have a strong base of experience.PAUSE… for slide advance
Beyond the basic Questions in the Structured Dialog, we encourage you to ask clarifying questions to probe the learners thought process or gain more information. These clarifying questions help you understand what’s really going on in your Learner’s thought process.They also help you to develop a more scientific mindset in your learner.Notice these clarifying questions do not lead or persuade the learner. They are designed to cultivate a more detailed and methodic mindset when experimenting. One of my favorite clarifying questions is “Can you please show me?” Going directly to the work process and observing what your Learner has just done or plans to do gives you a wealth of information that the storyboard simply cannot. It allows you to see for yourself both how your learner is thinking as well as the reality of the current situation.Practicing with these clarifying questions can greatly expand your ability to cultivate fact and data-based thinking in your learners. Please try ‘em.PAUSE… for slide advance
#3 – Use the Storyboard:The Storyboard is a very simple but powerful tool. {READ VERBATIM} > The Learner Owns it. > It should be simple and well organized. > It should capture all the key details. > And finally, it should be Updated in Real-Time as the process changes and insights are gained.Often, the coach and learner fail to use it as effectively as they could.The Learner OWNS the storyboard. This means only he/she should update the storyboard, never the coach. Often details will need to be updated during the 5Q Dialog.This personal updating and ownership of the storyboard is key to cultivating a real sense of ownership of the Target Condition, experimenting, and progress in the mind of the Learner.Encourage the Learner to keep the Storyboard neat and well organized. Once you have practiced the coaching dialog a few times, the layout and information on the storyboard should flow along naturally with the flow of the 5 Questions. PAUSE… for slide advance
#4 – Point. The simple act of having the Learner point, connects the question you are asking with a clear answer from the learner.It also encourages the Learner to capture the key information in written form on the storyboard BEFORE the coaching dialog begins. This is extremely helpful.A useful tactic is to ask your Learner, when answering one of the 5 questions, to read only what he/she has written on the storyboard in response to the question, and then be silent. This practice will train the learner to be well-prepared for the Coaching dialog, with all the key information written on the storyboard and PDCA Cycle record – Before the session begins.This helps to prevent the Learner from just shooting from the hip or making up an answer on the fly.This pattern of the Coach Asking the Question and the Learner pointing to a written answer on the storyboard strongly reinforces the Coaching Routine.Many Coaches and Learners we have asked about this practice, say that it greatly simplifies their understanding of the overall coaching pattern and improves the flow of the dialog.PAUSE… for slide advance
#5 Read It. Zip It. Ideally, before the coaching dialog begins, the learner should have updated the storyboard based on results and learning from the last experiment.The Learner already knows the 5 Questions that will be asked.Remember this is not a free wheeling conversation, but a structured dialog designed for efficient information exchange and coaching of the Learner.Encourage your Learner to simply read the response he/she has written on the PDCA cycle record and then just wait.This allows you as a Coach to digest the information fully and then ask any clarifying questions if needed. If no clarification is needed, you can proceed to the next question in the dialog.This practice may seem a bit mechanical at first. As you get used to it though, you see that it avoids long-winded explanations and gets right to the heart of the matter.This technique is a very useful to keep your coaching dialogs short yet focused on the critical information.PAUSE… for slide advance
Our experience has shown that these 5 changes in your coaching behavior can significantly improve the speed and quality of your Kata Coaching Dialogs. Both Learners and Coaches appreciate the benefits, though it does take a bit of practice to get comfortable using the techniques.Hopefully, you will test the techniques for yourself and see what effect it has. If you do adopt these changes, you might want to let you Learner know that you will be modifying your Coaching Pattern, and avoid any possible confusion.PAUSE… for slide advance
Thanks for watching and listening. At W3 Group, we are committed to excellence with Toyota Kata and would appreciate any comments or feedback you would like to offer.Please send any feedback directly to me, Bill Costantino, at the e-mail address listed.Thanks much. Best wishes for your continued success with the Improvement Kata and Coaching Kata.Pause before turn Off.