[2][3] The Hoshin Kanri strategic planning system originated from post-war Japan, but has since spread to the U.S. and around the world.
[5] Hoshin Kanri is a top-down approach, with the goals being mandated by management and the implementation being performed by employees.
As a result, systems need to be in place to ensure that objectives from senior management are effectively communicated all the way down the chain of command.
A catchball system seeks to get opinions of both managers and employees through meetings and interactions in order to ensure the bidirectional flow of goals, feedback, and other information throughout the organization.
[5] This is because Deming played a role in the spreading of quality control principles that influenced the development of Hoshin Kanri.