Photo by Ján Jakub Naništa

Obeya (Japanese for "Large Room"):

• Originated from the Toyota Production System and Agile practices.
• Traditionally a physical space displaying charts, progress, and key metrics for visibility and accountability.

Virtual Obeya:

• A digital adaptation of the physical Obeya, designed for remote/hybrid teams.
• Acts as a central radiator of organizational information, supporting multiple perspectives (strategy, data, work, culture).
• Dynamically updates to reflect real-time business performance, cultural metrics, and strategic alignment.

Key Signals for Implementation:

• Decentralized or absent visualization of:
  • Strategy decomposition.
  • Cross-team work portfolios.
  • Progress, flow efficiency, and performance metrics.
  • Team health and social connections.

Value Proposition:

• Centralizes critical information (lead/lag indicators, cultural heuristics) for leaders and teams.
• Enables expedient, data-driven decisions and interventions.
• Promotes autonomy through directional alignment and transparency.
• Supports onboarding and continuous organizational learning.

The goal is to facilitate timely, fact-based decision-making, strategic alignment, and transparency in remote/hybrid work environments by visualizing strategy, work, performance, and cultural health.

Preparation

1. Pre-Session Communication:

   • Share background materials asynchronously (e.g., "What is an Obeya?").
   • Set clear expectations for synchronous/asynchronous contributions.

2. Board Setup:

   • Prepare digital boards for each "MADO" (Strategy, Data, Work, Culture).
   • Include facilitation notes, frameworks, and access instructions.

Execution Framework

1. Synchronous Sessions (120 mins max):

   • Divide into four sections: Strategy MADO, Data MADO, Work MADO, Culture MADO.
   • Timebox each section and prioritize high-value activities.

2. Activity Flow for Each MADO:

   • Capture Information Types: Participants brainstorm required metrics (e.g., OKRs, risk dashboards).
   • Group & Vote: Democratically prioritize top 5 needs through voting.
   • Validate & Assign Ownership: Confirm data frequency, ownership, and tooling gaps.
   • Mitigate Risks: Address confidentiality, integrity, and availability risks.

3. Async Facilitation:

   • Pre-load data via surveys or existing tools to reduce session time.
   • Document constraints and outcomes explicitly for team reference.

Post-Session Actions

• Track Actions: Prioritize and complete decisions surfaced during sessions.
• Update Group Memory: Translate workshop outputs into the Virtual Obeya tool.
• Schedule Reviews: Regularly revisit the Obeya to adapt to organizational changes.
• Onboard New Members: Include a Virtual Obeya tour in onboarding processes.

Key Considerations

• Respect Fear: Acknowledge potential intimidation and establish boundaries.
• Tooling Gaps: Identify and address missing tools during the "Tooling Gaps" activity.
• Balance Sync/Async: Tailor facilitation to team collaboration habits.