Management Kamishibai (Management K-cards) as a tool for Leader Standard Work

Sustaining Lean Improvements: The Missing Piece is Accountability

When businesses begin their lean journey, they often see encouraging early results—thanks to tools like 5S, Setup Reduction, Visual Management, Kanban, and TPM. These techniques are powerful drivers of improvement, both in the short and long term. Yet many organizations struggle to sustain these gains.

A common approach to sustainability is implementing audits. Leadership typically establishes a system where supervisors audit operators against standardized job instructions. While this can be effective if done well, it often creates a one-way accountability loop—operators are audited, but supervisors and managers are not. The result? A critical gap in the system: who is holding the auditors accountable?

Who checks on the supervisors, area managers, plant leaders, and executives to ensure they’re doing their part in the lean transformation?

This is where Management Kamishibai Cards, or "K-Cards," come into play.

Kamishibai Cards: A Quick Overview

Many are already familiar with Kamishibai cards in the context of 5S, Quality, or TPM. The term "Kamishibai" means “telling a story with visual picture cards.” In fact, not long ago, a Google search for "kamishibai cards" would mostly show educational tools for Japanese children—not factory systems.

Kamishibai cards, once a closely held Toyota secret, have become a practical tool for managing factory systems. Let’s use 5S as an example.

To implement a 5S Kamishibai system, you would:

1. Sort: Hold a Kaizen event with operators to identify and remove unnecessary items.

2. Set in Order: Determine home positions for remaining items using tape and labels, then paint them once finalized.

3. Shine: Deep clean the area, possibly repainting surfaces.

4. Standardize: Create visual instructions (Kamishibai Cards and Job Instruction Sheets) that define what good looks like.

5. Sustain: Set up a whiteboard system with area layouts, card holders, instructions, and sign-off sections to maintain 5S daily.

Supervisors audit these systems regularly, but again, this only covers part of the picture.

Beyond 5S: Introducing Management Kamishibai Cards

While 5S cards help maintain shop floor standards, Management Kamishibai Cards are designed to standardize and track leadership behaviors.

A Management K-Card is a simple 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper, folded vertically. On the front:

• Top Left Section: Metrics

  • Supervisors track machine- or line-level metrics that support departmental goals.

  • Managers track department-wide metrics aligned with plant-level KPIs.

• Bottom Left Section: Priorities

  • This section is flexible. Use it to track tasks like writing Job Instruction Sheets, following up on safety issues, checking in on employees with repetitive strain symptoms, or documenting action items from tier meetings.

• Right Side: Process Checks

  • List routine system checks, like auditing a 5S board or reviewing Visual Management Boards.

Each item is numbered, and the back of the card contains notes corresponding to each number. This includes audit findings, conversations with employees, root causes, and follow-up actions.

Example:

Line 7 on the front lists: "Machine OEE throughput: Target = 15,000" Back of card note: "7) Throughput = 7,000 due to cylinder failure. Maintenance replaced. Supervisor John investigating preventative inspection."

Daily Use and Record Keeping

Each day, leaders print a new card, update it with relevant tasks, and carry it with them. At the end of the shift, they:

1. Add handwritten notes from audits and conversations.

2. Punch the card and store it in a secure binder.

3. Review unresolved items to transfer to the next day’s card.

This daily practice helps create a visible trail of leadership engagement and decision-making.

Auditing the Auditors: Closing the Accountability Loop

Managers are expected to audit supervisor K-Cards. For example:

1. The manager asks a supervisor to show their K-Card.

2. They review completed tasks and select one to audit.

3. Together, they visit the area, review the findings, and calibrate expectations.

This is not just a performance check—it’s a coaching opportunity. It also builds much-needed dialogue between leaders and team members, helping unlock new ideas and solve problems collaboratively.

Just as managers audit supervisors, plant managers audit their managers, directors audit plant managers, and so on. Ideally, this continues all the way to the CEO, whose card may include strategic Hoshin Kanri (policy deployment) items.

Flexibility and Escalation

K-Cards are dynamic. Supervisors and managers should update them based on changing conditions. If an issue arises in a specific area, leaders should:

• Add the item to their K-Card (in italics if requested by a superior).

• Investigate root causes using tools like 5 Whys.

• Implement and monitor permanent countermeasures.

• Request removal of the item only after demonstrating sustained control.

If leaders repeatedly fail to complete their tasks or don’t carry their cards, this becomes a performance issue. The escalation process should follow a respectful, coaching-first approach, but ultimately involve HR if behaviors don’t improve.

The Role of the Lean Coordinator

The lean coordinator plays a unique role. Their K-Card is auditable like anyone else's, but they also have the authority to audit others’ cards—sometimes even coaching plant managers or directors.

These conversations must be approached with humility and respect, but they are critical. Lean coordinators often receive more in-depth lean training, and it's their responsibility to help the organization stay true to lean principles.

Why Use Management Kamishibai Cards?

There are several powerful reasons to implement K-Cards at all leadership levels:

• Standardize leader behaviors and focus.

• Create structured accountability.

• Foster meaningful dialogue with team members.

• Strengthen the sustainability of lean systems.

They’re not hard to implement—but they do require daily self-discipline and a strong commitment from leadership.

Your Turn

What tools does your organization use to manage leader standard work and ensure accountability?

Have you tried Management Kamishibai Cards in your lean implementation?

Let’s keep the conversation going—share your experiences or questions in the comments below!