They created a culture through “brainwashing”, not with starting 5S.

When having the challenge to put JIT flow at the Koromo plant in 1938, T. Eiji, faced the difficulty to bring in a radically new system. The first thing that had to be done was to train the workers, or at least the supervisors/ management team. How to get the people to accept it? T.Eiji, states;

” we had to rid them entirely of their notions of the old ways of doing things. It was, in a sense, a brainwashing operation”.

This change in method marked the beginning of their Production System.

Preconceptions.

We humans are naturally affected by preconceptions. These are assumptions or beliefs that have been formed prior to having full knowledge of the situation. These can be derived from experiences, norms(ethics), social life and cultural factors. Preconceptions can help us sometimes to make fast decisions or to understand information better, but they also have the potential to make it difficult for us to understand new information.  Preconceptions are also a base on how we are interacting with each other or how we view the world. They might also lead to misjudgments, for example a preconceived notion about a person’s cultural background or profession.

Many organizations face a lot of preconceptions in daily life. This can be found when working with problem solving for example, where preconceptions hinder innovation, or new thinking because it moves people to stick to familiar approaches rather to new opportunities. Individually, to overcome preconceptions requires a self-awareness, to be open minded and a will to change. But this is not always the case.

Leadership and the change of preconceptions.

“Brainwashing” might come out strange but there is a model behind it which helps you through the journey. Here the Leadership/management team plays a crucial gameplayer in both a facilitating and ethical role model. It is crucial for the leadership to be first aligned and understand the organizational core values. To have a good knowledge of what the goal is and to believe in the system! Only by being aligned on the same direction you can succeed through the entire organization. The second step is to train/educate people in the new system and at the same time working with preconceptions continuously through daily Gemba, in problem solving, Kaizen activities, meetings or projects.

All of this can be done through promoting self-awareness and reflection by regular training sessions and observing how personal beliefs impact decision-making. Leadership teams need to challenge stereotypes and norms through diverse representation in positions for example. Being a role model is very important as a leader that is why they should model behavior that challenges preconceptions by treating everyone equally, questioning assumptions and making data(fact) driven decision. Another focus must be on fostering continuous learning and growth by challenging employees to step outside their comfort zone or confront their preconceptions. Encouraging feedback and open dialogue, open for feedback from employees on all level, ensuring the voice of everyone.

Starting with 5S?

For any Lean starter, it is crucial to understand preconceptions in the organization and start working with that parallel together with different methods. What we often see is that many think that Lean starts with 5S, but... In many cases this is because through 5S you can achieve a significant result very fast but is the result sustainable?

Never wondering why 5S is not working all the way?

It is because preconceptions are circulating around, both from employee and the leadership. It is fine for everyone to start with 5S, but do not forget the major factors that are slowing down the lean achievements.

The key to success here is to change preconceptions through "brainwashing" on a everyday basis.