The Improvement Kata: Deliberate Practice to Develop Scientific Minds

1. THE IMPROVEMENT KATA Deliberate Practice to Develop Scientific Minds Presented by Mike Rother at KataCon 2015

2. THE IMPROVEMENT KATA Deliberate Practice to Develop Scientific Minds The Improvement Kata is a process of deliberate practice to develop more scientific thinking in groups of people who work together

3. Scientific Thinking for Everyone By Mike Rother

4. (1) SCIENTIFIC THINKING AS A LIFE SKILL By Mike Rother

5. ASSUMPTIONS WE NATURALLY MAKE • Our perception is a clear lens. • Reasoning is mostly under our conscious control. WHAT REALLY HAPPENS: BRAIN ILLUSIONS When the brain receives sensory inputs the unconscious mind interprets them and builds an explanation; quickly filling in gaps without us realizing it. We wouldn't survive without this unconscious mechanism (too much information & too slow). But... it also causes us to make errors. Our predispositions, natural mental shortcuts and narratives influence how we see, think and react. By Mike Rother

6. Please read aloud what you see Ca y u rea t is? By Mike Rother

7. Ca y u rea t is? Helpful! Our brain fills in the blanks. By Mike Rother

8. Please read aloud what you see IUMRINGTQGQNGIUSIQNS By Mike Rother

9. IUMRINGTQGQNGIUSIQNS Our brain fills in blanks here too, but it's a brain error. We feel pretty sure, but we're wrong. By Mike Rother

10. Please read aloud what you see IUMRINGTQGQNGIUSIQNS By Mike Rother

11. A COUNTERMEASURE TO EVERYONE'S NATURAL BIAS SCIENTIFIC THINKING "Let's try it and see" Scientific thinking is a routine of intentional coordination between what we think will happen (theory), what actually happens (evidence), and learning from the difference. What we expect to happen What actually happened Learning By Mike Rother

12. A PREMISE OF THE KATA SUMMIT It's a skill for every day, at work & at home Scientific Thinking is not just for professional scientists, but an essential & widely-applicable skill for everyone. It's a "Meta Skill" – a universal way of thinking that can be used to avoid cognitive bias anytime we try to solve problems and achieve goals. By Mike Rother

13. A PREMISE OF THE KATA SUMMIT It's a skill for every day, at work & at home What we expect to happen What actually happened Learning By Mike Rother

14. A PREMISE OF THE KATA SUMMIT It's a skill for every day, at work & at home Scientific Thinking is not just for professional scientists, but an essential & widely-applicable skill for everyone. It's a "Meta Skill" – a universal way of thinking that can be used to avoid cognitive bias anytime we try to solve problems and achieve goals. By Mike Rother

15. (2) WE HAVEN'T BEEN TEACHING IT IN A WAY THAT MAKES IT A SKILL FOR EVERY DAY By Mike Rother

16. WE GET INTRODUCED TO THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD IN SCHOOL A systematic process to investigate and shed light on something that exists This is the scientific approach used by professional scientists By Mike Rother

17. EXAMPLE Steps of the Scientific Method By Mike Rother

18. Science Fair Examples By Mike Rother

19. BUT THERE'S SOME MISMATCH This classic way of teaching scientific thinking is a good start, but it doesn't transfer so well into everyday life Why? Rather than investigating and trying to understand – like professional scientists do – our work and personal lives involve pursuing complicated goals. By Mike Rother

20. THE IMPROVEMENT KATA PATTERN Teaches scientific thinking for daily life The Classic Scientific Method – A good start A systematic process to investigate and shed light on something that exists The Improvement Kata Pattern – Widely applicable A systematic process for trying to achieve something By Mike Rother

21. THE IMPROVEMENT KATA PATTERN Experiment your way forward, instead of trying to decide your way forward Challenge Next Target Condition (date) Threshold of Knowledge Experiments Toward the TC At the current Knowledge Threshold Current Condition By Mike Rother

22. (3) SCIENTIFIC THINKING IS LEARNED SKILL Scientific Thinking Born Learned It's not our default mode. We have those natural, unconscious mental mechanisms, especially as adults. OK... HOW? By Mike Rother

23. ACQUIRING NEW SKILL, MINDSET & HABITS TAKES SOME PRACTICING Knowing is not enough Sorry No Sorry No COACHING Corrective feedback PRACTICE Frequent / Daily This is how you do it KATA Structured routines for beginners MASTERY Sense of progress By Mike Rother

24. THIS HAS SIGNIFICANT IMPLICATIONS It means that we can't just drop the Improvement Kata pattern (or any new pattern of thinking) by itself into an organization and expect people to now use it to solve problems. There's a process of developing the necessary scientific mindset in individuals via coached practice, while Learners work on real goals & problems. This defines the manager's job "It takes conditioning to make behavioral routines become second nature, and consequently a lot of Toyota’s managerial activities involve having people practice the Improvement Kata with their guidance." - Toyota Kata, page 186 By Mike Rother

25. SO WHAT'S NEW HERE??

26. Scientific Thinking is not new. Deliberate Practice is not new. However, combining them is unique! You have an opportunity... to maybe change the world a bit! By Mike Rother

27. Kata Summit 2015!