Leadership – The Difference Between Cleaning and 5S
Many managers still see 5S as cleaning. The workplace looks neater after a clean-up, so they assume improvement has taken place. But cleaning is only activity. 5S is a management system. Cleaning makes things look better for a short time. 5S creates order, standards, and discipline that last.
The number one reason Lean initiatives fail is not lack of tools or training. It is lack of leadership. Employees may tidy up for a day, but if leaders do not treat 5S as part of how the business runs, nothing sticks. Taiichi Ohno, the father of the Toyota Production System, was clear about this: without standards, there can be no improvement. Standards do not appear on their own. They are created, reinforced, and sustained by leadership.
Cleaning or 5S?
Cleaning removes dirt and clutter. The workplace looks good for a moment, but within weeks the same problems return. Nothing has changed about how the work is organized, so people fall back into the old habits.
5S is different. Shine, the third S, is not about polishing for appearance but about inspecting and spotting problems early. Sort and Set in Order are not about tidying, they are about removing waste and making work easier. Standardize and Sustain are where leadership plays its role. Without leaders holding the line, 5S drops back into cleaning.
A simple way to check the difference is to measure how long improvements last. Track the number of days your workplace follows the agreed standards, then divide that by the total days observed:
Sustainability Rate = (Days standards are followed ÷ Days observed) × 100%
In our professional opinion at 5S Now, if your score drops below 70 percent or if standards collapse within 30 days, what you have is not 5S. It is cleaning.
The Leadership Role in 5S
Most Lean and 5S efforts fail because leaders do not change their own behavior. Employees will not take 5S seriously if managers only bring it up during clean-up days. For 5S to stick, leaders must show it is part of daily management.
Here is what that looks like in practice:
Be visible. Spend time in the workplace, not just during audits. When leaders check standards and ask questions on a regular basis, people see that 5S matters.
Ask better questions. Skip “is this clean” and ask “can anyone use this area effectively” or “does this setup make the work easier.” That shifts the focus from appearance to function.
Link 5S to performance. Make it clear that 5S saves time, prevents mistakes, and improves safety. Employees buy in when they see results, not slogans.
Recognize consistency. Point out when teams keep standards in place. A simple comment from a manager goes a long way in showing that discipline is valued.
Build it into routines. Include 5S checks in daily meetings or weekly reviews. If leaders track it as seriously as production numbers, employees will too.
Lead by example. Apply 5S principles to your own office, desk, or digital files. Nothing destroys credibility faster than leaders preaching order while working in chaos.
When leaders do these things consistently, employees stop seeing 5S as housekeeping. It becomes part of how the company operates.
What Ohno Taught About Leadership
Ohno often warned against empty slogans. He saw that without leadership discipline, Lean collapses into appearances. Posters and speeches do not change a business. Leadership that enforces standards does.
Cleaning is temporary because it sets no standard. 5S lasts because leadership builds standards and checks that they are followed. This was the foundation of Toyota’s success, and it remains true today.
From Cleaning to 5S
Once again, I know I am repeating myself: The shift from cleaning to 5S is not about employees working harder. It is about leaders being clear, consistent, and disciplined. Leaders who treat 5S as an event get short-term results. Leaders who treat it as a system create lasting improvements in productivity, safety, and reliability.
Cleaning improves appearance. 5S improves performance. The difference is leadership.
Let’s get the middle on board
And one more time for good measure, to really emphasize on the importance of this subject. The difference between cleaning and 5S is simple to see but hard to practice. Cleaning improves how a workplace looks for a short time. 5S improves how a workplace performs for the long term. The deciding factor is leadership.
Without leadership, standards fade and employees slip back into old habits. With leadership, 5S becomes part of daily work, problems are easier to spot, and improvements last. Taiichi Ohno’s warning still applies today: without standards there can be no improvement. Leaders are the ones who set those standards, follow up on them, and make sure they stick.
At 5S Now we help companies move beyond one-off clean-ups to build real 5S systems. If you want your 5S program to last longer than the next clean-up day, schedule a free site visit with us. We will show you how to make leadership the driver of standards, not just appearance.
