Shuhari
Shuhari is a useful mental model to understand how people learn new skills. The idea is drawn from the Japanese martial art of Aikido, and it describes three stages people go through when learning a new skill: Shu, Ha, and Ri.
Shu is the beginner stage. As a beginner we usually require specific instructions. We may imitate a coach. The important concept that I like to remember about Shu stage is that the beginner’s goal is to follow a method and see how it feels. To advance in the skill the beginner needs to experience the skill and start thinking about how it feels and be able talk about why it feels that way.
Ha is the experimentation stage. After feeling the skill for a while, a coach will engage us in discussion about the skill, and together we might identify some different things to try. Again the goal is a feedback loop: experiment and evaluate. We can spend a lot of time in Ha stage. Depending on the complexity and difficulty of the skill, we could spend years or even decades in Ha stage. And that’s healthy.
Ri is the detachment stage. With enough experimentation and thoughtful evaluation, some people can detach from the methods. The skill becomes instinctive and the way they use it can appear both brilliant and effortless at the same time. Achieving Ri stage isn’t necessary for every skill, but it’s a great goal to strive for.
For tech leaders, some important things to remember are…
Everyone is a beginner at something. Even a VP Engineering may be a beginner (Shu) at presenting to the board of directors. For that skill they probably need a coach to provide detailed instructions the first time. Before you delegate or challenge someone to take on a new project, task, or role, think about what stage they are in and lead accordingly.
People and teams can get stuck in Shu stage. You’ll see it all the time with methods like Scrum. A team will learn the rituals of Scrum but never spend time talking about how it feels. Furthermore, some organizations have a culture of compliance and alignment that discourages teams from experimenting with methods. So a team will get stuck just going through the motions at Shu stage. Great teams move beyond Shu to Ha. They experiment and evaluate. In rare cases, some teams can even reach Ri stage. Your job as a leader is to help them get there.
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