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St. Luke's College of Medicine partners with the Medical Center in 5S Awareness Program
In line with its vision of becoming the best medical school in the country by 2010, St. Luke's College of Medicine took its initial step towards adopting a 5S standard working environment. To guide the College in this objective, the SLCM Human Resource & Administration Department set up a partnership with the SLMC Human Resource Division, in particular its Training Development & Education (TDED) and Organization Development Departments (ODD). Incidentally, the Medical Center is one of the few medical institutions recognized for its 5S standard procedures.
The HR & Admin. Officer, Mr. Jon Ortiz opened the activity with a message encouraging the employees to become leaders in their own right by instilling the value of discipline and becoming good role models to others. He also expressed gratitude to the Medical Center for their support in organizing such a program.
The activity which was entitled "5S...Deal or no Deal" oriented the College Employees on the origin and importance of 5S in relation to quality improvement in the workplace, particularly on how to organize it properly.
5S have been part of organizational practices in Japan and was later adopted in the Philippine setting. 5S is an acronym for Sort (seiri), Systematize (seiton), Sweep (seiso), Standardize (seiketsu), and Self-discipline (shitsuke). This strategy aims to imbibe a culture of effectiveness and efficiency not only in the workplace but in daily life as well. 5S has been seen as a significant step towards Total Quality Management within an organization.
The seminar was participated in by all SLCM employees from different departments. Various activities were conducted to orient participants with the 5S concepts and practices. In one group activity, the members were made to arrange a pile of items in a manner they best see it as organized. Later on, after discussing the 5S principles, the members were given another chance to re-arrange the items, this time applying the principles of 5S.
Another important activity was a group assessment on the different areas where 5S principles may be applied in the College, as an input for improvement.
As the title suggests, the success of any 5S program depends on the commitment of organization members. This was the challenge posed by the SLMC Training/OD group to the College and the enthusiastic reception of the employees on the seminar provided an indication of a good start.
