Lean Application: An Assessment of 5S on Employee Attitudes and Productivity

This study examines the effect of the implementation of 5S on employee attitudes and productivity in an Asian based facility of a global manufacturing company. Utilizing an assessment of the 5S implementation in various areas of the facility and organizational performance data for each of those areas, a non-experimental, causal comparative approach is used to analyze the impact. The study concluded that statistically significant improvements from the implementation of 5S were found both in quality and product cost for this facility; however, the study also found statistical significance where the implementation of 5S led to a decrease in performance and an increase in maintenance costs. Additionally, the study identified non-statistically significant relationships between 5S implementation and management attitudes. Conversely, the study identified statistically significant relationships between 5S implementation and employee attitudes. The data for the management respondents indicated higher scores than the employee respondents. The study provided insight by offering additional knowledge on the effects of the implementation of 5S on attitudes and productivity. It expanded on previous research by also considering the relationships between groups with the outcome showing several groups having statistical significance. This enhances and allows future researchers and practitioners to understand the underlying influences that may have greater impacts on both attitudes and productivity