Develop focus and ownership
Sorting is the first step to implementing the 5S methodology, and developing focus and ownership is the first micro-change to start sorting efficiently. An essential part of 5S is to help team members focus and build ownership. The organization needs everybody to be involved in what’s going on, engaged, and ready to report improvements everywhere, anytime. If you “own” your place, you are in the best position to decide what to keep, what to remove, and how to do it.
Delays and procrastination in decision-making are usually due to the lack of empowerment and common rules that help team members decide by themselves. Sometimes people don’t feel psychologically safe to decide or are not trained to do so.
Ownership also enhances focus. A Beacon College research shows that when you are asked to perform dual tasks versus being able to devote your attention to just one task reduces brain activation. Multitasking decreases concentration by as much as 20% to 40%. By focusing on one area, employees will advance much faster in implementing 5S.
A starting point to promote ownership building is to assign areas to the team members, just like restaurants assign tables to waiters. Take a map or diagram, including all the departments, facilities, or rooms in the organization (also virtual folders or drives) and divide it into sections or shares that team members can “own”.
The section includes EVERYTHING you can see: the floors, the walls, the windows, desks, tools, anything within that space. You want team members to know what they need in the area. They will be the ones to define the rules of that area as they are the most knowledgeable.
Some suggestions:
- Develop a floor plan with clear owners
- Make sure there are NO grey areas (areas without owners)
- Make sure everyone knows what area they manage
