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Technology Information:

Managing to Learn: Using the A3 Management Process

Description

Managing to Learn by Toyota veteran John Shook, reveals the thinking underlying the vital A3 management process at the heart of lean management and lean leadership. Constructed as a dialogue between a manager and his boss, the book explains how A3 thinking helps managers and executives identify, frame, and then act on problems and challenges. Shook calls this approach, which is captured in the simple structure of an A3 report, the key to Toyota's entire system of developing talent and continually deepening its knowledge and capabilities. The A3 Report is a Toyota-pioneered practice of getting the problem, the analysis, the corrective actions, and the action plan down on a single sheet of large (A3) paper, often with the use of graphics. A3 paper is the international term for a large sheet of paper, roughly equivalent to the 11-by-17-inch U.S. sheet. The widespread adoption of the A3 process standardizes a methodology for innovating, planning, problem-solving, and building foundational structures for sharing a broader and deeper form of thinking that produces organizational learning deeply rooted in the work itself, says Shook. Management expert James Womack predicts Managing to Learn will have a deep impact on the way lean companies manage people. He believes readers will learn an underlying way of thinking that reframes all activities as learning activities at every level of the organization, whether it's standardized work and kaizen at the individual level, system kaizen at the managerial level, or fundamental strategic decisions at the corporate level. A unique layout puts the thoughts of a lean manager struggling to apply the A3 process to a key project on one side of the page and the probing questions of the boss who is coaching him through the process on the other side. As a result, readers learn how to write a powerful A3 - while learning why the technique is at the core of lean management and lean leadership.

Reviews

Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2010-03-24
Summary: "Excellent Read -- Highly Recommended"

Provides great lessons and is a quick, engaging read. Definitely recommended for managers who want to learn how to develop their people and teach them to effectively frame and solve problems on their own.

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Rating: 4 / 5
Date: 2010-03-15
Summary: "Good but expensive book"

Good book that really makes you think about how to break down and solve problems. Written in a 2 parallel stories from 2 perspectives per page that is interesting but sometime a bit distracting to try to follow.

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Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2009-10-23
Summary: "should be on every lean practitioners shelf"

I think the title of my review already says it; this is a great book that should be read and owned by everyone that is interested in Lean, problem solving, or leadership.

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Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2009-09-26
Summary: "Easy Read - Great Methodology"

I became familiar with Shook's book at a forum at the Ohio State's Fisher College of Business - Center of Operational Excellence. We went through a five-week learning experience which included this book and methodology. I learned a lot from this experience that I can apply any time I have a problem at home or at work.

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Rating: 4 / 5
Date: 2009-05-11
Summary: "Excellent Coaching Book"

"Managing to Learn" is an excellent book for managers and coaches of A3 authors/advocates. John Shook is a true sensei with 11 years of Toyota history and real world experience in helping organizations with Lean transformations. I have been learning a lot from his incredible blog posts recently as well.

My organization is about 5 months into our A3 launch so I have been researching a lot for best practices and ideas. I initially thought this book was going to be a "how to" guide for the author of the A3. You can probably understand how to write an A3 from this book but it is not as explicit as Sobek/Smalley's book. I believe managers and coaches should read both books.

Where this book truly shines is getting into the head of the A3 mentor. A lot of Lean books are written from an academic standpoint but this book feels more like a day in the life of someone actually doing the work. The pressure the manager feels organizationally to get things completed in contrast to allowing the A3 author time to learn is a true struggle I have seen in Lean transformations. The book has a part where the manager is dealing with multiple A3 authors all at different stages in their learning. I know these are true mental challenges for coaches so it is nice to relate to a character going through the same things.

Coaches can learn a lot from this book to help the A3 author's growth and deep understanding.

Some great things I learned from the book is how to encourage more than one counter-measure, using respect through conflict, helping the author make valid decisions and transition from author to advocate, pull-based authority, using 5 whys after implementing in the check/act cycle, and how to help the A3 writer become a coach themselves.

I think this book would be interesting to Project Managers as well. The last few chapters offer some great insight on how to deal with iterative changes and dealing with cultural resistance.