Managing to pitch with PDCA (Pitch-Defend-Catch-Adjust)

Every now and then, I am asked why I chose the various books listed in the bibliography of the publication Managing to Learn. Basically, I used only two simple criteria: books that directly influenced the writing or the thinking incorporated in Managing to Learn, or books that added some of the key concepts of that publication.

One of the books whose mention some readers find curious, and fitting for the occasion, is The Mental ABC's of Pitching. In fact, there are two baseball books in the bibliography, the other being You Gotta Have Wa, by Robert Whiting.

The Mental ABCs of Pitching, by H. A. Dorfman, is a simple and wonderful book that explores the English alphabet, presenting a keyword for each letter. Dorfman writes about a wide range of practices and beliefs, ranging from Breathing, through Goals, Mantra and Umpires. The book is simple, but also unpredictable, in the sense that Dorfman may quote Chekhov—“Man is what he believes”—when emphasizing the need for pitchers to understand what they think of themselves; and, on the next page, offer advice on how to regroup after missing a big scoring opportunity.

There are several entries that relate directly and magnificently to specific lean concepts. Be sure to read all of them, but I will introduce only three here, starting with "A" - for "Adjustment".

Lean Thinking and Practice

As you know, much, if not most, or if not nearly all of the "lean" concept is essentially a matter of seeking, in everything we do, ways of putting the P-D-C-A cycle into practice. Deming’s elegant model is another of the many "deceptively simple" dynamics of lean thinking and practice. The "A" stands, of course, for "Act".

Later, many of us add the color of "adjust" to explain what happens in the "A" dimension of the cycle. The idea here is that, based on the trial (Do) you put into play, which is based on your hypothesis (Plan), you must have learned something (you should have, anyway) – after all, nothing happens exactly according to plan. That, in fact, is a premise of lean thinking, "no problem is a problem!" Therefore, based on your "Check" of the results of your trial, you will invariably need to make some adjustment. After that adjustment can come standardization. With the new standard now in place, you start the process all over again. And again.
Author Dorfman’s explanation of "A for Adjustment" is beautiful in its simplicity and powerful in its implications.

"To make an adjustment is to make a change, an adaptation. In the context of the baseball definition, it presumes a careful, rational assessment of A) what the pitcher was trying to do, B) what went wrong, and C) what he must do to correct it".
Here is another perfect fit for lean thinking taken from ABCs of Pitching: Habits.
"The more a pitcher can develop routines, the more confidence he can have in his preparation. He will feel a greater sense of control and focus. His routines are formed through choices and the consistent expression of the behaviors he understands will serve him well. These routines are the focus of his attention and help him 'stay in' good habits, so he does not have to worry about 'getting out of' bad habits. Habits are developed in relation to directed tasks".

And, finally, "Learning" ("Learning", in the English title), where he quotes none other than Henry Ford, a source of lean thinking:
"In a nutshell, the best pitchers are the best learners. While practically everyone in baseball gives and receives advice, the best learners are extremely interested listeners. They know how to evaluate what they hear, and then how to integrate the appropriate advice into behavior. The best learners know that failure, as Henry Ford put it, 'is the opportunity to begin again more intelligently'. The best learners instinctively recognize that experience by itself is useless. What one does with it gives it value".

For those of you whose teams are struggling with their pitching in the middle of the season, consider sending a copy of The Mental ABCs to your team’s manager: Dorfman, H.A., The Mental ABC's of Pitching; A Handbook for Performance Enhancement, Lanham: Diamond Communications, 2000.