Business improvement strategy or useful tool? Analysis of the application of the 5S concept in Japan, the UK and the US

Abstract

This research investigates how a Japanese philosophy for life, the 5S concept, has been applied to achieve business improvement in Japan, the UK and the US. An exploratory study into an under-researched area, the research utilises frameworks provided by Osada (1989 Osada, T. 1989. 5S – Tezukuri no manajiment shuho (5S - Handmade management technique), Tokyo: Japan Plant Maintenance. [Google Scholar], 1991 Osada, T. 1991. The 5S's: Five keys to a Total Quality Environment, Tokyo: Asian Productivity Organisation. [Google Scholar]) and Hirano (1995 Hirano, H. 1995. 5 Pillars of the visual workplace: The sourcebook for 5S implementation, New York: Productivity Press. [Crossref] , [Google Scholar], 1996 Hirano, H. 1996. 5S for operators: 5 Pillars of the visual workplace (5S shido manual), New York: Productivity Press. [Google Scholar]). A quantitative content analysis approach of the websites of 217 businesses is used. Lexical analysis of the manifest content of World Wide Web business domains facilitates understanding of the ways in which 5S has been adopted and implemented. The research finds that Japan emphasises 5S as a strategy for business excellence, requiring participation both at work and in the home. In the UK and US, 5S is viewed as a system or tool for the workplace only. The findings suggest that a balanced understanding of both ‘5S as a philosophy or way’ and ‘5S as a technique or tool’ could define the ultimate goal of 5S as a management approach to solve problems in the workplaces and processes of organisations.