In the course of the gemba visits, you might come to wonder why some problem solving seems inspired and leading to new insights, whilst other attempts are pedestrian and never seem to offer any promise.

The key largely lies in the quality of the collaboration both within the team and across organizational boundaries. For people to perform well, they must also understand what their colleagues are trying to achieve and which obstacles stand in their way. 

The challenge is to use A3s not so much as a structured way to solve problems (clearly the structure does help) but as a communication tool to share reasoning and to present the limits of the chosen solutions. A3s are key tools to intensify collaboration and sustain insights (discovering new thought patterns from careful listening of others and learning new perspectives).

Your challenge is to organize a regular presentation of A3s to share problems, thinking and parameters of solutions across the whole organisation, to sustain the dynamic of the business and continuously improve performance and innovation.

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• How do we sustain A3 thinking in our organization? 
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• What exactly is - or isn't - a lean system?