When 5S housekeeping becomes a pyramid scheme

More than a pyramid scheme, having 6S or more is a “consultancy snake oil,” according to Nigel Thurlow, Agile expert and flow specialist who commented on my post on LinkedIn. It’s like a product marketed with the confidence of a lottery winner but the substance of a ghost. In the world of efficiency, this expensive delusion lives on through the wrong understanding of 5S.

I’m referring to some consultants recommending to their naive clients that the traditional 5S isn’t enough. Suddenly, we’re being sold 6S (Safety), 7S (Security), 8S (Synergy), 9S (Spirituality) and 10S, which I suppose means Suffering.

Having more than 5S is a complex solution for a simple philosophy. This is heightened when some companies treat 5S like a high school prom. They hang a few posters, slap labels on everything that doesn’t move and declare victory. It’s “management by stationery.”

Meanwhile, Toyota treats 5S as a tool to change actual human behavior.

You don’t need a 10th “S” to tell you that a labeled stapler won’t save a broken culture; that’s just paying a consultant to reorganize your junk while the house is on fire. Limit 5S to Sort, Set in Order, Shine, Standardize and Sustain, in that order.

In his book The Toyota Way (second edition, 2021), Jeffrey Liker claims “Toyota only uses 4S. The company jokes that it is a little backward and has not caught up to 5S. Actually, Toyota drops the fifth S, sustain, because it says that it is assumed. Without sustaining, why bother?”

In my communication with Prof. Liker two weeks ago, he said 4S is from Toyota Motor Manufacturing UK. “They had the usual 4 but not sustain as sustain was assumed. When I was back in January, they added sustain as the fifth because they were not happy with the level of 4S.”

Whether 4S or 5S, for the Japanese, having a clean and orderly factory is “simply a matter of pride. Why would you want to live in a pigpen?” The key, of course is sustaining 5S. So, how do we sustain it?

Prof. Liker, Professor Emeritus at the University of Michigan says sustaining 5S “is a team-oriented continuous improvement process that is the responsibility of managers, group leaders, team leaders and team members – in other words, clean up your own mess.”

It’s the same thing with CLAYGO (clean as you go) being done in dynamic offices and factories.

To ensure compliance, teams do that “through rotating audits” If you’re from department X, you should check with department Y and Z using an objective standard form.

Cash incentive?

Prof. Liker cites cases where the best teams were awarded with a “golden broom and rotated the award when another team scored better” in the next round. Toyota doesn’t pay cash incentives for doing 5S or you’ll create a 5S-induced inflation that puts pressure on the organization.

Besides, some workers would do frantic cleaning activities minutes before the auditor arrives. The moment the ‘A’ grade is awarded, the clutter returns. It is management by stagecraft, where “Sustain” actually means keeping the mess hidden in a locker or drawer until the coast is clear.

Another caution is turning auditors into “cops” rather than coaches. Instead of a collaborative improvement session, it becomes a high-stakes debate on why a stray paperclip cost the team the audit.

Instead, give trophies, 5S banners or the team photos on a department “Wall of Fame.” Then spice it up with team pizza parties or coffee vouchers at Starbucks. Another option is to incentivize people with a small budget to buy coffee mugs or a coffee maker for the winning department.

The best reward for 5S is a safer, less frustrating workday. If you can find a tool in five seconds instead of wasting 15 minutes searching for it, your stress goes down and your productivity goes up – which is the ultimate path to job security and promotion.

Still, if you want to use cash, reward improvement ideas using Kaizen and Lean Thinking that resulted in better 5S. Rewarding the effort to solve a problem is always more sustainable than rewarding a “shiny” floor on a Tuesday morning.

Rey Elbo is a quality and productivity activist. Send your comment, question, or story to [email protected]. If not DM him on Facebook, LinkedIn, X or via https://reyelbo.com