CASE STUDY: Understanding the 5S System in your daily life

This is based on an article from http://www.whereincity.com/articles/business/6639.html

Everyone can understand 5S better if the basic concepts are related to daily home life, rather than just within the context of the work environment. The following conversation happened at a Problem Solving Workshop for a construction company. It clearly explains the concept of 5S.

A faculty member of the seminar is addressing approximately 12 superintendents and other personnel in the residential and commercial construction industry.

FACULTY

I would like a volunteer to come up front, sit in a chair, close his eyes, relax and answer some questions. When answering these questions, you can only reply ‘yes’ or ‘no.’

One of the superintendents raised his hand and came forward as a volunteer. He took a seat in the front of the class beside the faculty member. The faculty member handed him a pen.  After some embarrassed laughter, the superintendent closed his eyes and relaxed.

FACULTY	Thank you Mr. Harper. Now for the first question. Do you practice 5S in your personal life?
VOLUNTEER	Not really…  I never thought…
FACULTY	Just answer yes or no please. Do you practice 5S in your personal life?
VOLUNTEER	No.
FACULTY	Do you have a wallet?
VOLUNTEER	Yes.
FACULTY	Do you keep $10,000 in cash in it?
VOLUNTEER	No. (more laughter from the others)
FACULTY	Do you keep up to $5 in cash in your wallet?
VOLUNTEER	Yes.
FACULTY	Do you normally keep a pen on you?
VOLUNTEER	Yes.
FACULTY	Do you have a pen on you now?
VOLUNTEER	(Hesitating, he lifted a hand and patted his upper chest  before answering. The pen was slipped between the buttons of the placket below his collar.) Yes.
FACULTY	Based on your salary, could you afford to spend $20 on 10 ball point pens?
VOLUNTEER	Yes.
FACULTY	Even though your salary allows it, would you spend $20 on 10 ball point pens?
VOLUNTEER	No.
FACULTY	Do you wear a watch on your left wrist?
VOLUNTEER	Yes.
FACULTY	Do you ever wear your watch on your right wrist?
VOLUNTEER	No.
FACULTY	Based on your salary, can you afford to buy a new watch?
VOLUNTEER	Yes.
FACULTY	If you had another watch, would you wear one on each wrist?
VOLUNTEER	No. (more laughter from the others)
FACULTY	Do you have a calendar at home?
VOLUNTEER	Yes.
FACULTY	Do you carry your calendar with you?
VOLUNTEER	Well, I have a calendar in my…
FACULTY	Answer yes or no…. Yes or no, please.
VOLUNTEER	Yes.
FACULTY	Do you carry a printed wall calendar with you?
VOLUNTEER	No.
FACULTY	Would you carry 5 printed wall calendars with you, one for each of the last 5 years?
VOLUNTEER	No.
FACULTY	Do you have 20 pairs of shoes at home?
VOLUNTEER	No.
FACULTY	Do you have at least one pair?
VOLUNTEER	Yes.
FACULTY	Based on your salary, can you afford to stock ten pounds of salt in your kitchen?
VOLUNTEER	Yes.
FACULTY	If your best friend offered to give you an elephant, free of cost, would you accept it?
VOLUNTEER	No. (more laughter from the others)
FACULTY	Why? Are you concerned with storage and cost of maintenance?
VOLUNTEER	Yes.
FACULTY	Do  you subscribe to a morning newspaper delivery service?
VOLUNTEER	Yes.
FACULTY	Do you keep the newspapers from the last year in your garage?
VOLUNTEER	No.
FACULTY	Do you keep the newspapers from the last year in a storage closet?
VOLUNTEER	No.
FACULTY	Do you keep the newspapers from the last year at all?
VOLUNTEER	No.
FACULTY	Do you recycle the newspaper daily?
VOLUNTEER	Yes, for the most part.
FACULTY	Do you store broken toys or ripped socks?
VOLUNTEER	No.
FACULTY	Can you please give me your pen?

The superintendent  immediately reached toward his upper chest and slipped the pen from his shirt placket. He handed it to the faculty member.

FACULTY	You took the pen from your shirt with your eyes closed. How did you know the pen was there? Do you always keep it there?
VOLUNTEER	Yes.
FACULTY	But sometimes you keep the pen in the back pocket of your jeans?
VOLUNTEER	No.
FACULTY	Can you make coffee in the morning?
VOLUNTEER	Yes.
FACULTY	Do you have to search through all the kitchen cabinets for coffee grains ?
VOLUNTEER	No.
FACULTY	Do you keep the coffee grains in the same location in the kitchen?
VOLUNTEER	Yes.
FACULTY	Do you confuse the coffee container with the container for cool-aid mix?
VOLUNTEER	No.
FACULTY	Is the coffee container marked differently than the cool-aid mix?
VOLUNTEER	Yes.
FACULTY	Do you clean the house once a week?
VOLUNTEER	Yes.
FACULTY	Does your house cleaning include dusting the furniture and TV, mopping the tile and vacuuming the carpets?
VOLUNTEER	Yes.
FACULTY	Do you always do these things when you clean your home?
VOLUNTEER	Yes.
FACULTY	Do you wear washed clothes?
VOLUNTEER	Yes.
FACULTY	Do you have a car?
VOLUNTEER	Yes.
FACULTY	Do you change the oil every 3,000 miles?
VOLUNTEER	(chuckle) Yes.
FACULTY	If the engine light comes on, do you have the car serviced?
VOLUNTEER	Yes.
FACULTY	If you have a problem with your health, do you go to the doctor?
VOLUNTEER	Yes.
FACULTY	Do you always check your pay check to ensure that you were paid the correct amount?
VOLUNTEER	Yes.
FACULTY	Do you have a home budget?
VOLUNTEER	Yes.
FACULTY	Do you maintain accounts for savings and expenses, and try to control the expenses wherever required?
VOLUNTEER	Yes.
FACULTY	When you’re driving on the highway, you drive in the right-hand lane?
VOLUNTEER	Yes.
FACULTY	But sometimes you drive in the left-hand lane if you don’t feel like driving in the right-hand lane?
VOLUNTEER	No, never.
FACULTY	Do you smoke in areas designated as “No Smoking?”
VOLUNTEER	Well, I don’t….
FACULTY	Yes or no.
VOLUNTEER	No.
FACULTY	Would you give advice to a friend who is making a mistake that could hurt himself or others?
VOLUNTEER	Yes.
FACULTY	Do you turn-off the lights when you’re not at home?
VOLUNTEER	Yes.
FACULTY	Do you turn off the water when you’re finished using it?
VOLUNTEER	Yes.
FACULTY	Do you have to think about turning off the water or read instructions before turning the faucet?
VOLUNTEER	No.
FACULTY	Do you follow a morning routine that allows you to get to work on time?
VOLUNTEER	Yes.
FACULTY	When a co-worker says, “Good morning,” do say, “Good morning” back?
VOLUNTEER	Yes.
FACULTY	When you read a good book or an article do you recommend it to your best friend?
VOLUNTEER	Yes.
FACULTY	Thank you very much. You can take your seat now.

The superintendent opened his eyes and returned to his seat and the faculty member addressed the room.

FACULTY

Gentlemen, Mr. Harper answered all my questions and I am sure that all his answers were true – except for one. The only wrong answer was the first one:  Do you practice 5S in your personal life? All the answers that he gave proved beyond doubt that he is practicing the concepts of 5S daily, as a way of life and habit, probably without even knowing the technique and jargon. Mr. Harper sorts, straightens, sweeps, standardizes and sustains the discipline to all of this very well – as do we all.If we go through the questions and answers individually once again, with reference to the 5S concepts explained in the next chapter, we’ll see that he is almost the PERFECT 5S MAN.

Similarly, like the superintendent answering the questions, we’re all following the concepts of a 5S system in our personal lives. None of us would answer any of the questions very differently because almost all of them spoke to a common habit, or second nature. We all pretty much do the same things in the same way in our personal lives. We pretty much all follow the same pattern.  What we have to do is extend the same habits in our personal life to our workplace, whether it’s an office, a hospital, a manufacturing plant or a bank.

It is possible. It will take time and practice. It may be difficult to do at first. But once you commit to setting a 5S system in your work environment – and by committing that means taking the extra step to be disciplined to that system – it will happen.

© November 2009 Homebuilding Partners, Inc.   

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