Over several meetings, we've reviewed the main features of the 5S work system. As we've seen, it's a simple method, but when applied properly, it has a profound impact on personal and organizational life.
Today we have to talk about the last of the "S" which we call “Discipline”, HABIT Or, according to the original Japanese term, SHITSUKE. Like the fourth S, SHITSUKE doesn't involve implementing new activities but rather maintaining previous ones, incorporating them into our daily routine to the point where they're now part of our way of working. That's why we translate it as habit. It involves having the habit of consistently and correctly implementing appropriate procedures.
Unlike other management systems such as ISO, where procedures are often written by people outside the area and then handed over for implementation, in the 5S program, what you learn is how to develop your own procedures in order to achieve the real and concrete commitment of the change actors. What we implement, we do not do so because we are told to, but because we discover the need and opportunity to do so. Discipline is thus understood not as something imposed from outside, but more in accordance with its etymological meaning: disciple. That is, we become followers (disciples) of a way of working that we discover to be healthier and better.
By developing the Fifth S, we can say that we are developing a new work discipline that consists of coherently and systematically applying the previous activities. We have gradually moved from the conscious effort of thinking and applying new work practices and unlearning old habits to acquire new ones to a new way of working that emerges naturally because we have been its co-creators.
We change not just for the sake of change, but because we discover that by doing so, our work is simplified, our time is better used, and the results we obtain are of higher quality. But above all, because by developing these new practices, we find that our "being-in-the-company" changes, becoming more enjoyable and less stressful, more effective and less boring.
With the Five S's, we achieve a way of working that seamlessly combines goal achievement with good humor because we create a more fun environment by recognizing that most of our lives are spent not among friends or family, but in the workplace.
All of this leads us to one of the most important conclusions of Organizational Development: that none of this can be "implanted" from the outside. It must be developed from within. It must spring from people's desire to participate in a space worth living in.
By developing Shitsuke or Habit, we achieve that people acquire a strong awareness in relation to the standards of organizational effectiveness that translate into a systematic improvement of the 6 key strategies of an effective factory:
- Productivity
- Quality
- Costs
- Delivery
- Safety and Environment
- Morale or Job Satisfaction
But to achieve improvements in these key indicators, we must be able to provide favorable conditions for their development. The most favorable environment for these new work habits to develop consists of:
Understand the objectives of each of the Five S's and how they contribute to the survival of the organization.
Provide dedicated time for program implementation. If you want to win the championship, you'll need to dedicate dedicated time to training.
Provide the structure for how and when activities are carried out. These are minimal but essential resources for proper functioning.
Support efforts to achieve results. If you hold a leadership position, support your people. If you don't have people under your leadership, find colleagues to join you in promoting this new way of working.
But above all, it's important to create a space for relaxation and good humor, as the key to this program is for it to be enjoyable and satisfying for you and your colleagues. After all, we're revolutionizing the way we work, and the goal is to make it worthwhile!
As a reminder, we could summarize the content of the fifth S in one sentence: Habit makes you or breaks you.
The Five S's transform people and the work environment to such an extent that the company is now a place we're proud to showcase because we've been able to create harmony between meeting objectives and the well-being of those who work there. Now the factory sells, too.
Eng. Raúl A. Perez Verzini
International Instructor TPM # 723
Japan Institute of Plant Maintenance.
