As I continue to explore the concepts in David Marquet’s Turn the Ship Around, I am finding increasing resonance with the concept of intent. I’d like to explore some of that in relationship to lean, “Toyota Kata” and organizational alignment.
For a quick review, take a look at the sketchcast video, below, and focus on the part where he talks about “we replaced it with intent.”
I think the critical words are “You give intent to them, and they give intent to you.”
Think about that phrase, then think about how we normally talk about “intent.”
OK, are you back?
In my experience, “intent” has traditionally been a one-way communication. “This is what we need to get done.”
A few months ago I was in a plant, discussing this principle. One of the managers expressed frustration saying “I think I was very clear about what I expected…” (And he was) “but then when I checked he had done something totally different. How does this work for that situation?”
What was left out of that conversation?
…and they give intent to you.
Let’s put this in Toyota Kata terms.
What is the relationship between the “Challenge” and the “Target Condition?”
Think about how the target condition is developed.
Start with the challenge – this is the level of performance we are trying to achieve – the “mission” in military terms, the overall intent of what we are trying to get done.
Once the direction and challenge (the intent) are understood, the improver / learner’s next task is to get a thorough understanding of the current condition. How does the process operate today? What is the normal pattern? Why does it perform the way it does? This should be focused in context of the direction / challenge / intent.
Then the learner (NOT the coach!) proposes the next target condition.
Depending on the level of skill in the learner, the coach may well be assisting in developing all of this, but it is the learner’s responsibility to do it.
Imagine this conversation: as the learner / improver is discussing the target condition, he relates it back to the challenge as a verification for context.
“The overall challenge we have is to _______. As my first (next) target condition, I intend to _____ (as the learner relates his next level of performance, and what the process will have to look like to get there).
Adding the words “I intend to…” to that exchange has (for me) proven to be a powerful tool when learners are struggling to embrace / own their target conditions. Those words establish psychological ownership vs. seeking permission.
The same structure can be applied to the next step or experiment.
“What is your next step or experiment?”
“I intend to (fill in your experiment here).”
Going back to the sketchcast video, remember the part where he says:
“Captain, I intend to submerge the ship.”
“What do you think I’m thinking right now?”
“Uh…. hard to tell… I’m guessing you want to know if it’s safe.”
“BINGO! Convince me it’s safe.”
“Captain, I intend to submerge the ship. All men are below. All hatches are shut. The ship’s rigged for diving. We’ve checked the bottom depth. We’re in the water that’s assigned to us.”
In not only stating intent, but going through the checklist, the “learner” demonstrates that the intent will be carried out competently, or not.
We are asking the same questions when we ask about the next experiment, what outcome is expected. Logical follow-on questions could include seeking assurance that the experiment actually addresses the stated “one obstacle” being addressed (this is the right thing to do) and that learner has a plan to carry out the experiment that makes sense, knows what information he intends to collect, what observations he needs to make, and how he intends to do these things (that it is being done competently).
At an advanced level, a good answer to “What is your next step or experiment?” could (should!) include all of these elements – enough information to convince the coach that it is a good experiment, seeking the right information, in the right way.
It becomes “to address that obstacle, I next I intend to (take these steps, in this way, with these people) so that (fill in expected outcome). I intend to measure here and here, and verify my results by…”
Of course as a coach, if you have a learner who is unsure how to proceed, or looking to be told what to do (which is quite common in organizations that have to overcome a command structure where the boss is the problem solver), how do you need to phrase your coaching questions to get the next level of responsible language out of your learner’s mouth?
If they are waiting to be told what to do, how do you get them to offer an opinion?
If they are offering an opinion, how do you get them to offer a recommendation? Is it well thought out? “What result do you expect?” “How do you expect to achieve that result?”
If they are offering a well thought out recommendation, how do you get them to express an intent? What do you have to hear to be convinced that intent is well though out?
I want to be clear: This is advanced stuff, but it goes hand-in-glove with the coaching kata.
And, to give credit where credit is due, it is all the work of David Marquet. I am just adapting it to the kata here.