Kata Coaching and Organizational Factors for Engagement and Performance: A Literature Review

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.34190/ecmlg.21.1.4226

Keywords:

Kata Coaching, Leadership Development, Organizational Change, Employee Engagement, PRISMA

Abstract

Organizational environments undergoing cultural transformation require not only the support of managers and leaders, but also the active involvement of various stakeholders, such as employees, customers, and suppliers. In this context, kata coaching emerges as an effective approach for developing an organizational culture focused on learning and continuous improvement, reinforcing the role of leadership as a facilitator of transformation and strategic decisions. However, there is a gap in research on how specific kata coaching approaches interact with organizational factors to promote greater team engagement and performance. This study seeks to answer the research question: Which kata coaching leadership competencies influence the environmental factors that promote employee engagement and performance? To fill this gap, a systematic literature review was conducted, following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) methodology. The review was conducted by screening five large academic databases. From an initial total of six hundred and eight articles, thirty-five were selected based on the defined inclusion criteria and four additional studies were incorporated to enrich the analysis. The results indicate that performance and engagement are influenced by both leadership competencies and environmental factors. Leadership competencies from kata coaching are often associated with improved engagement, and performance supervision includes analytical ability, coaching, active listening, interpersonal relationship, communication, appreciation of employees' physical and mental well-being. Key organizational factors include transparent information sharing, psychological safety, recognition, and encouraging open communication. This study contributes to the literature by specifically addressing how leadership competencies from kata coaching and specific workplace dynamics jointly shape employee outcomes. Furthermore, it highlights the reciprocal nature of the influence of leadership and environmental context on team success. The results of this study can inform leadership development programs and strategic initiatives aimed at creating adaptive and high-performance organizational cultures—especially in the context of the accelerated transformation brought about by Industry 4.0.

Author Biographies

Jéssica da Silva Soares Cunha, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto

Jéssica da Silva Soares Cunha is a Master’s student in Production Engineering at the Federal University of Ouro Preto (Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto – UFOP, Brazil). She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Production Engineering from the same university. Her research focuses on continuous improvement methodologies, Lean, and Toyota Kata applied to organizational contexts. Her main research interests include Lean practices, Toyota Kata, innovation management, and operations improvement.

June Marques Fernandes, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto

June Marques Fernandes is Assistant Professor at the Federal University of
Ouro Preto (Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto UFOP, Brazil). He holds PhD
in Business Administration at the School of Business Administration, Fundação
Getúlio Vargas (FGV, Brazil), and a postdoctoral in HEC Montreal in 2019–2020
and 2023–2024. His studies focused on the study of lean healthcare, lean leadership,
Obeya and Toyota Kata in the hospital context. His main research interests are lean
healthcare, Toyota Kata, lean system, supply chain management, Industry 4.0,
Digital Transformation and innovation management.

Luciana Paula Reis, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto

Luciana Paula Reis is Assistant Professor at the Federal University of Ouro Preto
(Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto UFOP, Brazil). She holds PhD in Business
Administration at the Federal University of Minas Gerais (Universidade Federal de
Minas Gerais, UFMG, Brazil) and a postdoctoral in HEC Montreal (2019). She
develops studies in the research group "Globalisation and Management of Technology" (GMT) research lab Polytechnique Montreal
(2023) as an invited professor. Her studies focused on the analysis of technological
startups and the ecosystem of A.I. Her main research interests are product development, technological startups, blockchain, innovation management, lean healthcare, and Industry 4.0.

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Published

2025-11-04

Issue

Vol. 21 No. 1 (2025): The Proceedings of the 21st European Conference on Management Leadership and Governance, ECMLG 2025

Section

Masters Papers