Kata: between light and shadow

With its increased complexity and dynamism, the 21st century is demanding more distributed leadership and experimentation, which in turn may be triggering a shift in management. It's a shift toward managers who understand and view their primary task as growing their team members' scientific-thinking skills, to be applied to the organization’s goals and problems. But how can a manager (a) teach scientific thinking skills, and (b) learn how to coach those thinking skills? With the Starter Kata practice routines of the Improvement Kata and Coaching Kata! However, with time and practice, less emphasis can be put on artifacts (i.e. the explicit, visible component) and more on the desired thinking and acting; more on developing your own way. At this stage, Toyota Kata may become like background music, not too loud, but always present. The way you practice Toyota Kata changes over time, but the underlying fundamental scientific patterns of thought embedded in the Starter Kata should stay; whatever they end up looking like at your place.