Knowing About the 5S Principles

The Kaizen or the 5S principles are one of the most successful business principles in use today. It is very versatile because it does not only help companies to enhance their performance within the workplace but in their personal lives as well. The unique aspect is that the principles can also be applied on a personal level. The Japanese word Kaizen can be translated to mean “good improvement”. Thus, if you are planning to implement these personally or in a business perspective what you can expect is great improvements related to money, time and effort.

The 5S Principles

There are a various principles being introduced in the business world these days but the 5S principles definitely a stand out. 5S has been in existence for quite some time now and a great number of businesses trust these principles due to the innate power of the methodology. However, it is required to implement it correctly in order to reap its wonderful benefits and appreciate how it is done.

Principle 1 – Seiri

Seiri means to clear or sort in English and this refers to the elimination of all tools as well as processes that are not needed for the company to perform its tasks. All of the “extra elements” which are somewhat unnecessary should be discarded as they do not and will not add value to the company and its processes.

This is very applicable since workers often find themselves lost because they cannot find what they are looking for. This can happen not only in businesses but in personal lives as well. In both cases, people are overloaded with plenty of random tasks making it hard to de-clutter. With this, “Seiri” can be most the helpful as it is an act where people let go of unnecessary things giving room for more important objects or circumstances.

Principle 2 – Seiton

Seiton simply refers to getting things in proper order. Being organized is badly needed within both personal and business life. This principle also means to straighten things out so the all the processes and tools should have a purpose and should be in their right location. This makes work more efficient because when the tools are located in the correct place employees will no longer have to spend lots of time to find them.

Principle 3 – Seiso

This principle signifies clean and shine as this is where you learn about your style and look. This will aid you in identifying activities or things that can help with the improvements and rule out those that are not. Applying this principle means that tools should be returned to correct places and stay clean at all times. This is because it is easier to spot flaws in a tidy environment.

Principle 4 – Sieketsu

This principle is utilized to standardize the norms for cleanliness making it very powerful since all involved will watch closely and make modifications in order to keep up with the performance benchmarks.

Principle 5 – Shitsuke

This deals on self discipline as it is the foundation of all things. If performed correctly, you can expect results with flying colors. This can be implemented by reviewing all workplace changes so that the old practices will not arise again. Maintaining positive changes is not an easy task as people tend to return to old habits. But discipline and constant monitoring leads to continuous improvement.

 

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