Team performance management: enhancement through Japanese 5‐S principles

Explains 5‐S, the acronym for five Japanese words: seiri, seiton, seiso, seiketsu and shitsuke which, when translated, mean organisation, neatness, cleanliness, standardisation and discipline respectively. They have been referred to as the five keys to a total quality environment. This article introduces the 5‐S principles and shows how they can be applied to enhance team performance by drawing management and staff to a common set of organisational objectives. Proposes the implementation of a formal 5‐S system in organisations to facilitate employee participation for the generation of ideas. This system helps an organisation to produce consistently good quality products and services.