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If you’re ready to take your understanding of organizational excellence and lean management to the next level, there’s no experience like immersing yourself in the Japanese kaizen mindset and culture on Katie Anderson’s executive Japan Study Trips.
You will get a curated, insider access to diverse companies and unique cultural experiences that will revitalize your energy and deepen your knowledge of what it takes to create a successful culture of continuous improvement, innovation, and customer focus.
Plus, spend the week with Katie Anderson, Isao Yoshino, and an amazing group of like-minded leaders from around the world.
Don’t miss out on the learning experience of a lifetime!
Dates and Details
Details including your investment, sample itinerary and other information can be found here.
Applications will open soon pending Japan’s borders open for tourism.
Submit an application & pay your deposit as soon we open the process to secure your spot (and early registration pricing)!
Click below to be notified when applications are being accepted for May 2023.
** Due to Japan’s restrictions for tourism remaining in March 2022, the tours scheduled for May & October 2022 have been cancelled.
Led by Katie Anderson, internationally recognized leadership consultant, speaker and bestselling author of Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn:Lessons from Toyota Leader Isao Yoshino on a Lifetime of Continuous Learning, this executive Japan Study Trip is a high-value opportunity to go see and learn from successful leaders and companies in the birthplace the Toyota Production System.
Talk with these leaders and see with your own eyes on the floors of their companies how they have developed cultures of respect, customer service, and continuous improvement, how they have applied process innovations and lean production principles, and how they develop people in order to develop excellent products and services.
The primary focus of this trip is PEOPLE and CULTURE, from frontline engagement to senior leaders setting a clear vision and modeling the way, creating a culture of continuous improvement is all about respect for people and humanity.
Every step of the week, you will discover how Japanese companies across diverse industries are delivering greater value to customers through service excellence and product delivery, while developing and engaging their people in continuous daily improvement.
Be prepared for an intense and fun week of learning, filled with site visits, facilitated discussions, and conversations with Japanese business leaders including Isao Yoshino, plus plenty of great Japanese food and cultural experiences along the way!
You will come away from this week with a deeper appreciation of the concepts of operational excellence, lean thinking, customer service, and continuous improvement, and tangible takeaways for how you can use them to deliver better value to your customers, engage your team, and improve your own leadership capabilities to create greater impact.
I am excited to share my deep knowledge of Japan, leadership, and learning cultures with you!
I had the incredible opportunity to live in Japan for 18 months in 2015 & 2016 and used this time with intention to learn more deeply about Japanese culture, language, and management system practices that Japanese leaders use to develop cultures of continuous improvement and customer service.
You will benefit from my insider knowledge of Japan and the relationships I’ve cultivated since 2015.
Since moving back to the United States in 2016, and prior to the pandemic, I continued to spend 4-5 weeks in Japan each year to lead Japan Study Trips and build relationships, discover new learning experiences, and enrich my own knowledge of Japanese culture, so that I can offer you the best learning tour possible.
I started writing a blog in 2015 way to share insights as a Lean practitioner living in Japan and from my conversations with Toyota leader Isao Yoshino, which sparked the idea that became the award-winning book Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn: Lessons from Toyota Leader Isao Yoshino on a Lifetime of Continuous Learning.
Check out my posts about Japan to learn about past Japan Study Trip experiences, company site visits, Japanese leadership, conversations with Isao Yoshino, and more!
I look forward to hosting you on this special program of learning, culture, and connection in 2023!
Embark on the learning journey of a lifetime!
We will visit at least 5 Japanese companies during the program, to walk through their organizations and talk with their leaders about their management philosophies and approaches to continuous improvement, strategy deployment, and people development. While each agenda varies slightly, your experience will likely include the following:
You will have unique access to Mr. Isao Yoshino, a retired 40-year Toyota executive who is the subject of Katie Anderson’s internationally bestselling book Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn: Lessons from Toyota Leader Isao Yoshino on a Lifetime of Continuous Learning.
Mr. Yoshino helped teach the Toyota Way principles to leaders at the NUMMI plant, was John Shook’s first manager at Toyota (and was Shook’s model for the manager character “Sanderson” in the book Managing to Learn), and held critical roles in developing Toyota’s people-centered learning culture. Mr. Yoshino will impart his vast knowledge of Toyota management, hoshin kanri, and people development with you through formal lectures and discussion throughout the the program.
You’ll be able to spend time with Mr. Yoshino in private conversation at meals, on the bus, and at the site visits. This level of access to Mr. Yoshino is not available on any other learning program in Japan!
Learn from Japanese CEOs and senior executives through lectures and discussions. During the program, you will have the opportunity to talk directly with Japanese leaders, and to “go to gemba” with them to see their company’s operations.
Examples of Japanese leaders included in our tours include:
Katie Anderson, Japan Lean Study Trip organizer, will be facilitate discussions throughout the program to deepen your learning experiences.
Katie will share her insights from living in Japan for 18 months and subsequent trips to Japan, as well as as a leadership coach and consultant who has worked with thousands of leaders around the world to develop learning cultures.
We will discuss the challenges that “typical Japanese” companies have in implementing Lean, and how and why Lean isn’t inherently Japanese but rather a management system that has drawn on the best of both Western and Japanese practices.
Mami Takeda, Japan Lean Study Trip coordinator and interpreter, will also provide additional commentary about Japanese culture, kaizen, and Lean thinking as practiced in Japan.
Enjoy authentic, excellent Japanese food and culture as we travel through Tokyo, Nagoya and Ashikaga.
Breakfast and lunch is included during the program, as well as a welcome dinner and celebration dinner!
During the program, we will include opportunities for other cultural and sightseeing experiences that might include:
Choose to enrich your week with other experiences not included in the formal program
Optional group dinners are a great opportunity to enjoy conversations with other passionate Lean practitioners from around the world, or choose to take the evenings off to explore on your own.
You will also have the opportunity to participate in optional experiences during the week that could include (depends on interest and availability):
Consider extending your visit to Japan
Extend your stay and witness the Grand Sumo tournament (held in May in Tokyo), visit famous temples and shrines, take part in a food tour, or experience Tokyo nightlife. We can provide suggestions for sightseeing and special experiences in Tokyo.
Add-on additional learning opportunities
We have developed the program to provide you with access to experiences that you could not get on your own. We highly recommend a visit to the Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology in Nagoya, but have intentionally not included it on the formal Japan Study Trip program in order to maximize your opportunity to visit Japanese organizations and talk directly with their leaders.
Testimonials
Read detailed quotes and watch video interviews from past trip participants.
Article by Elisabeth Swan highlighting her May 2019 Japan Study Trip experience: “Lean in Japan: Respect for People and Regret for Waste”
Past Trip Highlights
See photos & highlights from past study trips.
MANY OF THESE SIMILAR EXPERIENCES WILL BE INCLUDED IN FUTURE TRIPS!
In the videos below, Katie Anderson talks with Patrick Adams about her Japan Study Trip programs. Patrick was scheduled to attend the May 2020 program that was cancelled due to the global pandemic.
Next dates are May 2023 – applications will open soon. Register above to be the first to know when applications open.
Respect for People
Understand more deeply what respect for people (“hitozukuri” or the art of developing people) means in Japan and how “respect for people” became one of the two pillars of the Toyota Way codified in 2001. Respect for people is the uniting theme across all the organizations we will visit.
Craftsmanship
Observe how respect for craftsmanship (“monozukuri” or the art of making things) is pervasive in the Japanese culture. Learn how the teacher (sensei) and apprentice (deshi) relationship is essential to developing skills – and developing people.
Learning
Understand how respect for learning and reflection is fundamental to Toyota’s success. Discover how Japanese children learn through visiting a local elementary school.
Precision and Kata
Ride on the Shinkansen (bullet train) between Nagoya and Tokyo and be awed by the Japanese focus on precision. This deliberate focus on precision can be seen in the kata (routines) in everyday life, from tea ceremonies to how business cards are exchanged. Learn how precision is an important part of standard work and continuous improvement.
Regret of Waste
Appreciate how the concept of “mottainai” (regret for waste) is a deeply held Japanese cultural value, taught at an early age to children, and how elimination of waste is an essential component of the Toyota Production System and Lean thinking.
Continuous Improvement
Learn how continuous improvement (“kaizen”), the second pillar of the Toyota Way, is incorporated into the daily work of every employee, and the leader’s role in supporting daily improvement. Kaizen is not a “project”, but rather the small ideas that make the organization work a little bit better every day.
Creativity
See, through multiple site visits and observations of daily life, how Lean principles support and encourage people’s creativity for improvement – and how concepts of joy and fun can be brought into business and factory environments.
Community
Hear how organizations use Lean concepts to improve their business operations and how their mindsets are focused on doing good for their broader community. Learn how one town in Japan has used Lean practices as a strategy to revitalize their community.
Hospitality and Customer Service
Experience the Japanese concept of “omotenashi” (the Japanese term for hospitality and customer service) in everyday interactions. Understand how the concept of service is linked with kaizen to demonstrate respect for customers – and employees.
Organization and Cleanliness
Be amazed at the organization, tidiness, and cleanliness of Tokyo and other Japanese cities. Learn how respect for organization facilitates Lean practices such as 5S, but in no way ensures that 5S is easy!
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