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

Mike Rother is an engineer, a teacher,

and a guest researcher at the Technical

University Dortmund. Rother’s work has

bought him to numerous companies and

hundreds of factories around the world,

where he collaborates with people to test

ideas and shares lessons learned. He splits

his time between Ann Arbor, and Cologne, Germany.

Lead, Manage, and Develop Your People—the Toyota Way!

"Toyota Kata gets to the essence of how Toyota manages continuous improvement and human ingenuity, through its improvement kata and coaching kata. Mike Rother explains why typical companies fail to understand the core of lean and make limited progress—and what it takes to make it a real part of your culture."

—Jeffrey K. Liker, bestselling author of The Toyota Way

“By uncovering exactly what makes Toyota the standard bearer in a way that is accessible to every management level, in every industry, Rother has given the business world a true gem—Toyota Kata is a must read!”

Keith Allman, President, Delta Faucet Company

“Mike Rother's Toyota Kata is a rare and exciting event—a book that casts entirely new light on a much-heralded set of management practices, giving those practices new significance and power.”

from the Foreword by H. Thomas Johnson, author of Profit Beyond Measure

“In Toyota Kata, Rother has put his finger on the heart of the coaching process at Toyota. He has distilled the PDCA process to its simplest and most essential core. Much of Toyota's success is rooted in these subtle yet powerful behaviors Mike so clearly describes. Kata provides a level of clear insight into the key principles underlying Toyota culture in a way that can be easily understood and applied. Essential reading for any company committed to lasting culture change."

Bill Costantino, W3 Group, Former Group Leader TMMK

(Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky, Inc.)

Mike Rother is an engineer, a teacher,

and a guest researcher at the Technical

University Dortmund. Rother’s work has

bought him to numerous companies and

hundreds of factories around the world,

where he collaborates with people to test

ideas and shares lessons learned. He splits

his time between Ann Arbor, and Cologne, Germany.

Introduction - Transforming our Understanding of Leadership and Management

PART I: THE SITUATION

Chapter 1: What Defines a Company that Thrives Long Term?

PART II: KNOW YOURSELF

Chapter 2: How Are We Approaching Process Improvement?

Chapter 3: Philosophy and Direction

Chapter 4: Origin and Effects of Our Current Management Approach

PART III: THE IMPROVEMENT KATA: HOW TOYOTA CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVES

Chapter 5: Planning: Establishing a Target Condition

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

PART IV: THE COACHING KATA: HOW TOYOTA TEACHES THE IMPROVEMENT KATA

Chapter 7: Who Carries Out Process Improvement at Toyota?

Chapter 8: The Coaching Kata - Leaders as Teachers

PART V: REPLICATION: WHAT ABOUT OTHER COMPANIES?

Chapter 9: Developing Improvement Kata Behavior in Your Organization

Conclusion

Bibliography

Appendix 1: Where Do You Start With the Improvement Kata?

Appendix 2: How to Analyze a Production Process