The Northeast Georgian: Business

Now this is a very local news source (available to the world, thanks to Google). This is a nice bit of recognition for a team of operators who were (are?) working on 5S initiatives in their factory. I hope they are continuing to work on it as an ongoing initiative (otherwise, it would be “3S” or “4S” without standardization and sustainment).

I hope they are not “done with lean” now that they have worked on 5S. I’ve always found that 5S, done properly, is a great first step in lean. Beyond the waste eliminated through cleanliness and organization, team members can be unleashed through 5S. You teach people that it’s “OK” to change things, to make suggestions, and take initiative. All of those habits, properly supported by management, are exactly what is needed to be a lean organization and to have a lean culture.

Yes, it’s nice that your cutters have a tape outline around them, but that isn’t 100% of the point.

About LeanBlog.org: Mark Graban is a consultant, author, and speaker in the “lean healthcare” methodology, focused on improving quality and patient safety, improving access, reducing costs, and fully engaging healthcare professionals. He is also the Chief Improvement Officer for KaiNexus.

Tagged as: 5S