Tips and Insights

For obvious reasons, we're proponents of Lean manufacturing concepts; standard work procedures based on best practice is our calling card. We're used to being part of 5S/6S* initiatives on the manufacturing floor, creating some pretty effective visual documents that help employees keep their areas tidy.

I know, though, that when 5S/6S moves to the office environment, things can get a bit sticky, especially if the employees think standard work (and Lean) only belongs in the shop. Without employee buy-in, the disgruntled will make themselves known. Take, for example, a recent article from BBC News which reports that black tape was stuck onto the desks of the National Insurance staff in Longbenton, North Tyneside (UK), presumably strategically mapping the areas where employees should store their pens, arrange their computers and lay out other items--the 5S system. The article doesn't make it clear whether the staff is upset, but the union is disgusted by the perceived humiliation.

That got me thinking about my own desk and those of my officemates. I'm pretty neat and orderly--a trait passed on from my parents and exacerbated by my husband. Several of my cubicle partners, however, have piles of papers, plastered bulletin boards and random scatterings of pens, pencils, markers and Post-Its. We all work efficiently and easily, however, ruling out any generalization.

On the other hand, David Freedman just coauthored a book with Eric Abrahamson called A Perfect Mess: The Hidden Benefits of Disorder. In it, he suggests that too much organization may stifle creativity. Based on our own little corner of the world, I'd have to say he may be right. All of our artists have more clutter than I do, and though I'd like to believe my writing is a bit creative, I know they come up with more ideas--more ridiculous and out-of-this-world ideas, true, but it's those ideas that often end up providing the spark for a new direction.

Maybe I need to think about letting my desk go . . .

Labels: 5S, Lean manufacturing, organization