A Small Step for Man: Zero to Infinity with Six Sigma

Achieving global competitiveness, reducing health care costs, and fostering interfaith understanding, racial harmony, & global peace in the midst of violence arising from intolerance are some of the most serious challenges facing contemporary societies. It appears these seemingly disparate topics are in fact connected. This book presents the author's perspectives on these topics. Chapter 1 presents a perspective on how these topics might be related. Prof. G. P. Rao's Riemann sphere and the four yoga paths from the Bhagvad Geeta are used in the exercise to link the topics. Chapter 2, titled Six Sigma Enlightenment, provides a synopsis of an approach to meet the first challenge. We show how certain natural laws adapted from the law of Karma, the notion of Gaussian probability distribution, and the concept of statistical quality control make six sigma possible in the fundamental sense. With these fundamental insights, it becomes possible to assert six sigma may be used to improve the performance of virtually all human activities. Hopefully, Chapter 2 makes a convincing case that developed nations desirous of maintaining globally competitive positions, and emerging nations aspiring to join the ranks of developed nations, really have no choice but to embrace six sigma in large measure. This, in turn, means that organizations large and small, manufacturing companies and service providers, companies in the public or private sector, and all others too must embrace six sigma. In fact, six sigma is for life and so we must all think, work, and live the six sigma way. Chapter 3 is on improving health and reducing health care costs from Pranayam with six sigma. It is a fortunate circumstance that I came to know about the Pranayam breathing exercises some years ago, courtesy of Swami Ramdev's programs in India. Digging deeper and pursuant to a case study presented in Chapter 3 I became convinced Pranayam holds tremendous potential for improving health and reducing healthcare costs provided the exercises are pursued with six sigma principles. It is imperative that readers secure their physician's approval prior to embarking on Pranayam exercises and to learn them from a qualified professional. Chapter 4 presents a personal perspective on Discerning the Mind of the Creator. Not only does this chapter show why we must rid ourselves of the feelings of racial and religious superiority but it also addresses a number of issues societies are struggling with. It attempts to show why, and which societies are apt to embrace transformational movements such as six sigma and democracy. On the basis of the natural laws adapted from the Bhagvad Geeta, the author presents a thesis that there is a theoretical upper limit on the performance of societies in the various stages of rise and decline at any given time. In spite of this knowledge, the age old counsel to do as much good as possible and to cause no harm continues to remain valid. Chapters 2-4 are taken from the author's forthcoming work, "Six Sigma for Karma Capitalism" from Six Sigma and Advanced Controls, Inc., estimated to be released in the first quarter of 2008. The book is meant to serve as a text for a one-semester course in engineering and business school programs and for use by practitioners in the pursuit of six sigma training and project executions. It presents a unique approach to six sigma training and contains several highly unusual applications.

Pradeep B. Deshpande is Professor Emeritus in and a former Chair of the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Louisville, a Visiting Professor of Management, Gatton College of Business & Economics, University of Kentucky and founder President and Chief Executive Officer of Louisville-based Six Sigma and Advanced Controls, Inc. (SAC). Pradeep has carried out extensive investigations of the theory of rise and decline of cultures for over four decades. In the early nineties, he was among the first to predict the imminent rise of China and India in that order. This book reflects four thousand years of Indian wisdom and four decades of contemplation on the part of the author. Dr. Deshpande was among the first to introduce six sigma training in corporate India and in engineering and MBA programs here, in Greece, and in India. He is an author or coauthor of six textbooks and over 100 refereed technical papers and presentations. During his thirty years on the faculty at the University of Louisville, Pradeep supervised twenty Ph. D. graduates and over forty Master s graduates. He is a fellow of ISA and a recipient of numerous awards for research and teaching. Dr. Deshpande is listed in the Who s Who in the World, and has taught at the Indian Institutes of Technology in Kanpur and Madras, University of Bombay Department of Chemical Technology, and has spent a year on sabbatical at India s National Chemical Laboratory in Pune.