Kata in the Community

Using Toyota Kata Beyond Manufacturing

Webinar Description

Toyota Kata is often associated with manufacturing—but its real power lies in how it develops scientific thinking, problem-solving habits, and people in any environment.

In this on-demand KaiNexus webinar, Deondra Wardelle explores how the Improvement Kata and Coaching Kata can be applied far beyond the factory floor—into communities, nonprofits, leadership development, and everyday work.

This session reframes Kata not as a set of tools, but as a way of thinking and learning. Through stories from the global Kata community and practical examples, Deondra shows how small, disciplined experiments help individuals and groups navigate uncertainty, align around shared challenges, and make progress toward meaningful goals.

Rather than focusing on perfection or large-scale transformation, this webinar emphasizes starting where you are, learning by doing, and building capability over time—one experiment at a time.

View all previous KaiNexus Continuous Improvement Webinars

What You’ll Learn

• What Toyota Kata really is—and why it works in any context

• How scientific thinking supports learning in complex, human systems

• The role of coaching in developing people, not just processes

• How Kata supports continuous improvement in communities and nonprofits

• Why small experiments outperform big plans in uncertain environments

• How to begin or restart a Kata practice at any experience level

Who This Webinar Is For

This webinar is especially valuable for:

• Continuous improvement, Lean, and Kata practitioners

• Leaders developing problem-solving and coaching capability

• Educators, community leaders, and nonprofit professionals

• Organizations working outside traditional manufacturing settings

• Anyone interested in learning through experimentation and reflection

Key Insight: Kata Is a Practice, Not a Program

Toyota Kata works because it builds capability, not compliance.

When practiced consistently, Kata helps people:

• Think scientifically instead of jumping to solutions

• Learn faster in uncertain and changing conditions

• Build confidence through experimentation

• Develop others through coaching, not control

• Apply continuous improvement wherever people work together

As Deondra emphasizes, Kata isn’t about copying Toyota—it’s about developing a habit of learning that can be adapted anywhere.

About the Presenter:

Deondra R. Wardelle is a visionary leader, problem solver, organizer, motivational speaker, and owner of On To the Next One Consulting, LLC. Her specialty is empowering and developing individuals and groups toward achieving their personal and professional goals.  She also coaches individuals and organizations in achieving and sustaining transformative change.

Deondra has a diverse professional background.  Her former roles include Chief Strategy Officer at the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and Director of Performance Excellence for a global leader in the paper/packaging industry.  While working in the Performance Excellence space, she and her team led Continuous Improvement projects for more than 70 facilities in North America, Europe, and Asia. Deondra has also worked as a corporate trainer, project manager, and banking manager and has held various operations management roles.

A graduate of Western Kentucky University, Deondra possesses a Bachelor of Arts degree in Corporate and Organizational Communications.  She has also pursued Leadership Studies at the Louisville Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and earned her Health Coach certification from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition. 

Deondra’s purpose is to help organizations, groups, and individuals overcome obstacles and achieve their grandest visions and goals – one step at a time. Deondra’s current passion project is the #RootCauseRacism movement, a global initiative to end systemic racism and social injustice.