When opinions and feelings in particular are recognised as being part of the current condition, understanding of the current condition increases. This in turn leads to more effective target conditions being set, striving to improve becomes more genuine and the ‘new conditions’ (with better results) are more likely to be sustained.

There is a direct link between improvement in results (performance measures) in the workplace and target conditions. As target conditions are achieved, the associated performance measure (outcome metric of the target condition) will improve.

Following on, target conditions are achieved through people striving to remove obstacles when the coach is not around. In other words, it is between the coaching sessions when the striving needs to be happening. Real striving will occur only when there is a sound relationship between the coach and learner and when the learner is comfortable and engaged in their work environment. The skill of Job Relations is valuable in building both.

• The Improvement Kata and Coaching Kata are quite simply people patterns no more, no less, and they are PDCA (PlanDo-Check-Act) based.
• TWI Job Relations is ‘PDCA for people’

Given there is an association through PDCA, and both are about people, logically they will be complimentary.

• Job Relations is ‘results through people’.
• The Improvement Kata and Coaching Kata are ‘improving results through people’.
• There is a ‘Job Relations line’ between the coach, the learner and those affected by the striving for a new state.
• The stronger, straighter and more correct the JR line is, the quicker target conditions will be reached.

What we will do

For those Toyota Kata coaches who have not had Job Relations training:

• Undertake Job Relations Training 10-Hour class, then practice applications of the four foundations and 4 step method in their daily work for two months.
• Participate in Job Relations for Toyota Kata Coaches two day hands on workshop on site within their organisation.

For those Toyota Kata Coaches who have already undertaken the JRT10-Hour class:

• Participate in Job Relations for Toyota Kata Coaches two day hands on workshop on site within their organisation.

We anticipated this workshop might help us set better target conditions, resulting in more effective Improvement Kata. It went well beyond this, helping us courageously face and address the essence of our struggles to get improved results through people, as it got right to the heart of Toyota Kata – the relationship between coach and learner. As we progressed through the two days of customised learning, I could sense the skills of our Toyota Kata coaches building as they applied both sides of the Job Relations card to their coaching. Their confidence grew and their coaching skills became stronger as they learned to apply the Foundations of Good Relations and establish target conditions that would inspire their learners to achieve value for the business. The workshop inspired us as coaches to achieve better results through deeper relationships with our learners.

Sam Wagner, Fast Global Solutions MN