A KATA School gives all those who are interested in practice of Improvement Kata / Coaching Kata a home, so we can achieve greater things by working together. The Improvement Kata is a process of deliberate practice to develop scientific thinking.
The KATA School Manifesto
We Can’t See into the Future, and that’s OK
Although we can’t predict exactly what the path to our goals will be, we can practice an effective way of working toward them.
Scientific Thinking as a Life Skill
Scientific thinking may be the most effective means currently known for navigating through unpredictable and complex territory toward our goals, because it makes us more adaptive and creative in the face of uncertainty. Scientific thinking helps us to avoid being fooled by our perceptions.
Scientific thinking involves continuous curiosity about a complex world we can’t control or predict, and drives us to want to take the next step to understand a little better. In short, scientific thinking is a comparison between what we predict will happen next, seeing what actually happens, and adjusting based on what we learn from the difference.
Anyone can Learn Scientific Thinking, Through Practice
We believe that anyone who wants to learn, and is willing to practice, has the capability to develop scientific thinking skill. We can all acquire scientific thinking skill by combining a pattern of scientific thinking with routines of deliberate practice. We change habits by practicing a new way, which replaces the old way.
The Improvement Kata is a practical, four-step pattern of scientific thinking. Each step has structured practice routines, called Starter Kata, to help individuals, teams, and organizations internalize and operationalize the pattern. The Coaching Kata is a set of Starter Kata for teaching the Improvement Kata pattern.
Practicing Starter Kata helps us begin developing new habits of thinking and acting. They are a starting point, and practicing them should not mean becoming rigid, but rather set you on a new path.
A KATA School as a Center for Resources
A KATA School is a center and source of information, resources, networking, and support for people who are practicing the Improvement Kata and Coaching Kata or are interested in them. You can bring resources into a KATA School, and you can take resources out of a KATA School. The goal is to help humans everywhere practice more scientific ways of thinking and acting, thereby developing ourselves and the community toward the best we can imagine and beyond.
Anyone can be part of a KATA School.
Anyone can organize a KATA School, as long as they are willing to take on the responsibility. The only formal requirement is to adopt and publish this manifesto.
The KATA School Commitment
A KATA school brings together a diverse community of associates from various entities.
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Share with others the lessons and experiences you are gaining. Try to give back when you take, to help build up your KATA school. And support other KATA schools too.
Content presented and shared through a KATA school should follow the spirit of The Kata Code:
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Conditions are unpredictable.
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Enjoy the learning zone.
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Understand the direction, grasp the current condition, establish a target condition, experiment toward the target condition.
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Beginners practice Starter Kata exactly.
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Have a coach, be a coach