Are the Japanese teaching us what we already know?

5S is a philosophy and a methodology for organizing the workplace and managing it in a way that minimizes any type of waste, thus improving the overall efficiency. 5S refers to the five structured programs using the Japanese principles of seiri, seiton, seison, seiketsu, and shitsuke—or commonly referred to as sort, set, shine, standardize and sustain, respectively. The Japanese words are shorthand expressions for principles of maintaining an efficient and effective workplace and office. Many Indian companies are now adopting these principles.

Now do we need the Japanese to teach this to us?

In my opinion they are teaching us what we already know. We Indians knew this concept and in fact have been practising it but we just did not identify our own capabilities and the possibility of using it in our companies. The Japanese are reminding us of our own capabilities and are showing us the common sensical way of doing things.

You may now question me as to where did we Indians follow 5S? Let me give you an example here. Consider an Indian kitchen. What best example for the 5S principles than an Indian kitchen?

1. Seiri - Sort

You separate the things you need from the ones you don't need.

This is the first and foremost thing that is done in a kitchen. You separate those that are needed and frequently used from those that are not needed. Those that are not needed are always kept away from the kitchen. I still remember my grandmother telling me not to bring anything into kitchen that is not used in the kitchen.

2. Seiton - Set
A place for everything and everything in its place.

A simple but an effective example for this is the traditional spices box we use in our houses. In Tamil Nadu this box is called as Anjarai Petti (Box with 5 compartments. Traditionally this used to be a box with 5 compartments). The frequently used spices are neatly arranged in the compartments so that they can be easily retrieved whenever required. Typically a place for everything and everything in its place.

Anjarai Petti

3. Seison - Shine

“Cleaning is Inspecting". So true! Each time you clean, you may find leaking hoses/valves, broken switches, etc. It improves overall plant safety for obvious reasons.

Now coming to our kitchen...

Cleanliness is next to Godliness.

This has been the principle that formed the backbone of an Indian kitchen for ages now. Everytime after cooking I have seen my mother and my grandmother clean the kitchen and all the vessels and equipments used. In fact I was taught to do the same thing when I made something as simple as a tea or a coffee in the kitchen. The kitchen would be kept clean and dry and always ready for next use. This is typically Seison.

4. Seiketsu - Standardize

It means that you need to have some standards in place to make sure that everything is kept where it's supposed to.

Traditionally the kitchen used to be located in the South eastern corner of the house in South India. The reason behind this is that this end of the house is usually well lit due to good exposure to sunlight. Further this is in the direction of the winds and hence the kitchen would be airy. All these help in maintaining the kitchen well lit and hygienic. Nowadays these standards have undergone changes since there are mechanised means to achieve all the mentioned objectives. However I am citing this example to support the point that a typical Indian kitchen had some standards in place. The dishes used to be cooked in a specific order (standard operating procedure) which ensured that the cooking was done in the least time possible and still with no compromise on quality. This in my opinion is a typical example for Seiketsu.

5. Shitsuke - Sustain

Now should I even justify this point? The Indian kitchen has been existing for ages now with all the attributes I have mentioned above and hence is a clear example of a well sustained model.

Having said all this I would like to make it clear that I dont have anything personal against the Japanese or their philosophies. In fact I respect their skills and capabilities. I just wish to say that we Indians knew all these philosophies already so why do we have to wait until the Japanese show us the way?