Both regular readers of this blog know that I like 5S.  I think I've mentioned that it does a good job of getting participation and energy started among operators.

I saw a good example of this yesterday as I was helping with a half-day 5S workshop at a client's plant.  During the classroom part of the workshop (we always go on to the shop floor to get some hands on learning but I start out in the classroom), one of the participants mentioned that this was the fourth 5S effort he had participated in during the past few years.  The plant manager was a bit worried that this was indicative of skepticism on the operator's part.

I said, "Well....let's see how it goes."

Twenty minutes later, after I had gone over some of the basics and we were going to the shop floor to define the area we were going to 5S, the same participant said, "You know...I mispoke.  I can see how this is different from what we've done in the past."

He spent the rest of the morning fully engaged in the 5s activities.

The point here isn't that I'm such a persuasive instructor.  It's that 5S, done correctly, engages workers and operators naturally.