Golden Rules for TPM #03: Creating a Vibrant Workplace with Overlapping Small Group Activities

TPM Golden Rules 

The workplace is the place where we live. Through overlapping small group activities, we desire to be a group in which each layer of the organization is able to function and act autonomously.

Proceeding with overlapping small group activities with all member participation.

Small group activities generally refer to workplace Kaizen activities based on small groups of front-line members in the workplace with all member participation and autonomous management.  In TPM, however, an overlapping-small-group organization is formed to conduct small group activities in each layer with the participation of everyone from the top to the front line (see figure below).

First, a company-wide TPM Implementation (Promotion) Committee is organized at the top level. This is one small group organization with the top management as the leader and department heads as members. Next, other small groups are organized with the department head as a leader and the section managers below him as members, followed by small groups with the section head as a leader and the managers below him as members, then small groups with the manager as a leader and front-line employees as members, and so on.

In this way, a member in a group also plays a role of a leader in a lower group and this manner is succeeded in levels from top to bottom, so we call this an overlapping small group organization. The leader serves as a bridge between the upper and lower groups, and the policies and goals of the top management are deployed into the policies and goals of the lower groups and permeate down to the front line. This is the very essence of participative management with all members participating, where information on issues and problem solving is quickly conveyed, and communication between upper and lower levels is well understood.

Achieving zero loss through overlapping small group activities

TPM activities are the work itself, and as a job-based activity, small group activities are conducted at each level of the organization to ensure that each level performs its respective function. We will implement Kaizen in workplaces and operations through the PDCA cycle in the activities, solving workplace problems while realizing a bright and vibrant workplace. When the organization is revitalized in this way, the original goal of "zero loss" is achieved.