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An Empirical Investigation of Six Sigma
Practices in Indian Manufacturing Industry
Submitted in partial fulfillment
of the requirements for the degree of
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
Ravi
Prof. Sanjay D. Pohekar
BIRLA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY & SCIENCE
PILANI –
An Empirical Investigation of Six Sigma
Practices in Indian Manufacturing Industry
THESIS
Submitted in partial fulfillment
of the requirements for the degree of
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
by
Ravi Shrikrishna Reosekar
Under the supervision of
Prof. Sanjay D. Pohekar
BIRLA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY & SCIENCE
– 333 031 (RAJASTHAN) INDIA
2015
An Empirical Investigation of Six Sigma
Practices in Indian Manufacturing Industry
BIRLA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY & SCIENCE
An Empirical Investigation of Six Sigma
Practices in Indian Manufacturing Industry
Submitted in
of the re
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
Ravi Shrikrishna Re
Prof.
BIRLA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY & SCIENCE
PILANI –
An Empirical Investigation of Six Sigma
Practices in Indian Manufacturing Industry
THESIS
Submitted in partial fulfillment
requirements for the degree of
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
by
Ravi Shrikrishna Reosekar (ID.No. 2003PHXF407P)
Under the supervision of
Prof. Sanjay D. Pohekar
BIRLA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY & SCIENCE
– 333 031 (RAJASTHAN) INDIA
2015
An Empirical Investigation of Six Sigma
Practices in Indian Manufacturing Industry
BIRLA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY & SCIENCE
BIRLA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY &
PILANI
This is to certify that the thesis entitled
Six Sigma Practices in Indian Manufacturing Industry
by Ravi Shrikrishna Reosekar
Ph.D. degree of the Institute embodies
my supervision.
Signature of the supervisor
Name of the supervisor
Designation
Date
BIRLA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY &
PILANI – 333 031 (RAJASTHAN) INDIA
CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that the thesis entitled "An Empirical Investigation of
Sigma Practices in Indian Manufacturing Industry" and submitted
Ravi Shrikrishna Reosekar, ID.No. 2003PHXF407P for the award of
degree of the Institute embodies the original work done by
Signature of the supervisor : ___________________
: Prof. Sanjay D. Pohekar
: Professor
Presidency University, Bangalore
: _________________
BIRLA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY & SCIENCE
333 031 (RAJASTHAN) INDIA
Empirical Investigation of
and submitted
for the award of
original work done by him under
i
Acknowledgements
My deepest appreciation and heartfelt gratitude goes to my revered supervisor
Prof. Sanjay D. Pohekar for his unmitigated support and constant encouragement. His
meticulous reviews, in-depth inquiry and advice on the work have added immense value
to the thesis.
I sincerely express my profound gratitude to Prof. V.S. Rao, Vice-Chancellor, BITS,
Pilani, for providing me the opportunity to carry out my Doctoral studies at BITS. I
express my special thanks to Prof. L.K. Maheshwari, Ex-Vice Chancellor, BITS,
Pilani and Professor Emeritus-cum-Advisor for all his encouragement. I also take this
opportunity to thank Prof. G. Sundar, Director, Off-Campus Programmes and
Industry Engagement and Prof. A.K. Sarkar, Director, BITS-Pilani, Pilani Campus
for providing me the necessary facilities, resources and infrastructure required for
carrying out the research work.
I am indebted to my controlling officer and Dean, Practice School Division
Prof. Niranjan Swain for his advice, constant support and encouragement during my
research work. I also take this opportunity to thank Prof. S. Gurunarayanan, Dean, Work
Integrated Learning Programme Division for his continuous support. I also express my
gratitude to Prof. Sanjay Kumar Verma, Dean, Academic Research (Ph.D. Programme)
Division and the office staff of ARD, whose secretarial assistance helped me in
submitting the various evaluation documents in time and give pre-submission seminar
smoothly. I thank Dr. Sudeep Pradhan, Dr. Naga Vamsi Krishna Jasti, Dr. Hemanth
Jadav, Dr. B.V. Prasad, Mr. Santosh Khandgave, Ms. Vijayalakshmi and
Mr. Dinesh Wagh, my division colleagues & nucleus members of ARD, BITS, Pilani, for
their cooperation and constant guidance during each of the past few semesters.
I also thank to my Doctoral Advisory Committee members Dr. B.K. Rout, and
Dr. K.S. Sangwan, and DRC Convener Dr. Srikanta Routray, Professor Mechanical
Engineering Department, BITS-Pilani who spared their valuable time for reviewing my
draft thesis and giving their constructive criticisms and valuable suggestions which have
immensely helped in improving the quality of my Ph.D. thesis report.
Acknowledgements
ii
I am also grateful to Prof. D.D. Mundhra, Professor, Tolani Maritime Institute for all his
help. I express my deep sense of gratitude to the top management of the companies who
participated in the two surveys conducted for the study.
During these five years of long hours of work and ups & downs, my family and friends
stood by me. My wife Monali and Mother Smita deserves special mention for putting up
with my crazy working hours and preoccupations.
Ravi Shrikrishna Reosekar
iii
Abstract
To sustain in today’s global completion, organizations key to long-term success is being
able to do certain things better than your competitors can do. Hence many companies are
in the process of trying to ‘do it right the first time’ in every process of the business like
new product development, supply chain management, marketing and manufacturing
processes also. Traditional manufacturing approaches are no longer sufficiently
competitive weapons by themselves. Organizations must consequently develop new
methods and perspectives to meet these market needs in a timely and cost effective
manner. In response to this, many organizations have started to adopt different
philosophies like Total Quality Management, Total Preventive Maintenance, Six Sigma,
Lean Enterprise etc., in their business processes to stay in the competitive world market.
In the pursuit of improved operational performance and higher customer satisfaction, six
sigma has been recognized as a systematic and structured methodology that attempts to
improve process capability through focusing on customer needs. Although many Indian
industries have started embraced the six sigma business improvement strategy, the
adoption of said strategy in Indian industries is not as encouraging as it should be.
There is no clear consensus among the manufacturers about six sigma implementation
and also the absence of a practical and detailed framework to follow is an issue of
concern to those organizations interested to implement six sigma principles especially for
Indian organizations. Hence, there is a need for an empirical investigation of six sigma in
the Indian industry.
To fulfill this requirement this study was undertaken. In the first phase literature review of
six sigma is undertaken and the existing frameworks for six sigma were identified. Their
validity and reliability in the present Indian industrial scenario was analyzed.
It was found that none of the existing frameworks were fulfilling the requirements of the
present manufacturing scenario. Hence, a framework for six sigma was proposed. The
proposed framework was developed by performing a comparative analysis of the existing
frameworks and empirical data collected from validation of existing six sigma
frameworks. The proposed framework is represented in the form of a house having nine
Abstract
iv
pillars supporting the roof of six sigma. The foundation was made up of key element top
management commitment and leadership.
To validate the same the systematic approach for empirical investigation was used. A survey
instrument was developed to do empirical study across five important sectors of Indian
manufacturing industry viz. – automobile, electrical and electronics , machines and
equipments, process industries and textile. Further, the data obtained from the survey is
subjected to statistical analysis using statistical computing package SPSS® 18.0v. Various
data analysis methods such as descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, reliability and
validity analysis, factor analysis and inter item analysis were used and the analysis indicated
that the developed framework is valid in the Indian scenario. Apart from the ISM model and
structural equation modeling were also used. Finally, the applicability of the proposed
framework for six sigma was checked by providing empirical survey and ISM model also.
Thus, it is believed that the proposed framework can help the managers to understand the
various initiatives they have to take, to move towards implementation of six sigma and being
the best or excellent organizational activities.
v
Table of contents
CONTENTS Page
No.
Acknowledgement i - ii
Abstract iii - iv
Contents v - viii
List of tables ix - x
List of figures xi
Chapter 1 Introduction 1-8
1.1 Introduction 1
1.2 Need for empirical investigation of six sigma practices in Indian
industry
2
1.3 Objectives of the research 4
1.4 Methodology 5
1.5 Scope and limitations 6
1.6 Arrangement of thesis 7
References 7
Chapter 2 Literature review 9-36
2.1 Introduction 9
2.2 Literature review 11
2.3 Methodology 13
2.3.1 Selection of articles 13
2.3.2 Time distribution of publication of articles 15
2.3.3 Research methodology 18
2.3.4 Authorship patterns 20
2.3.5 Articles: Sector wise focus 22
2.3.6 Integration with other manufacturing philosophies 24
2.3.7 Framework/Model of six sigma 25
2.4 Research gaps 26
2.4.1 Significant observations 29
2.5 Research plan 30
2.6 Conclusion 31
References 33
vi
CONTENTS Page
No.
Chapter 3 Research methodology 37-50
3.1 Introduction 37
3.2 Empirical research 37
3.3 Methodology of the proposed empirical research 39
3.3.1 Theory verification 39
3.3.2 Selecting a research design 40
3.3.3 Selecting a data collection method 40
3.3.4 Selection of industry 41
3.3.4.1 Automobile sector 43
3.3.4.2 Machines and equipments sector 44
3.3.4.3 Electricals and electronics sector 45
3.3.4.4 Process industries sector 46
3.3.4.5 Textile sector 47
3.3.5 Data collection & analysis 48
3.4 Conclusion 48
References 49
Chapter 4 Empirical investigation of validity and reliability of
existing six sigma frameworks in Indian industry
51-76
4.1 Introduction 51
4.2 Identification of existing six sigma frameworks 52
4.3 Research methodology for conducting the empirical investigation 61
4.3.1 Theory verification 61
4.3.2 Selecting a research design 61
4.3.3 Selecting a data collection method 61
4.3.4 Implementation 61
4.3.4.1 Validity and reliability analysis 63
4.3.4.2 Reliability analysis 64
4.3.4.3 Validity analysis 64
4.4 Results and discussion of empirical study 65
4.5 Conclusion 73
References 74
vii
CONTENTS Page
No.
Chapter 5 Development of six sigma framework: Proposed
framework
77-95
5.1 Introduction 77
5.2 Need of a framework for Indian scenario 77
5.3 Comparison of various six sigma frameworks 79
5.4 Development of a framework for six sigma 81
5.4.1 Pillars of framework for six sigma 81
5.4.2 Pillars and elements of six sigma 88
5.5 Proposed framework for six sigma 90
5.6 Conclusion 92
References 93
Chapter 6 An empirical investigation of proposed six sigma
framework in Indian Industry 96-127
6.1 Introduction 96
6.2 Methodology for empirical investigation 96
6.2.1 Theory verification 96
6.2.2 Selecting a research design 96
6.2.3 Selecting a data collection method 97
6.2.4 Implementation 97
6.2.5 Overview of data analysis techniques used 98
6.3 Reliability analysis 100
6.4 Validity analysis 101
6.5 Path analysis for six sigma framework 105
6.6 Research methodology applied for path analysis 105
6.6.1 Interpretive structural modelling (ISM) method 105
6.6.2 Development of interpretive structural modelling (ISM) for
proposed cases
106
viii
CONTENTS Page
No.
6.6.3 Analysis of ISM models 114
6.6.4 SEM Development for statistical testing 115
6.6.5 MICMAC analysis 116
6.7 Discussion 121
6.8 Conclusion 123
References 125
Chapter 7 Conclusions 128-133
7.1 Summary of contributions of the research 131
7.2 Recommendations for future work 133
Appendix-A A1-A16
Appendix-B B1-B22
Appendix-C C1-C24
Appendix-D D1-D8
Appendix-E E1-E6
Appendix-F F1-F19
List of publications
Brief biography of candidate
Brief biography of supervisor
ix
List of tables
Table
No. Title
Page
No.
2.1 List of selected journals considered for six sigma review 14
2.2 Year-wise frequency distribution of articles by journals 16
2.3 Research methodology with various sub-categories 19
2.4 Authorship pattern 21
2.5 Background of authors 22
2.6 Frequency distribution of type of sectors covered by researchers 23
2.7 Summary of integration with other manufacturing philosophies 25
2.8 The distribution of model/framework proposed vs. proposed and
implemented
26
3.1 Typical products that are manufactured in the sample sectors 41
4.1 The complete list of six sigma frameworks considered in the present
study
53
4.2 Statistics of sector wise responses 63
4.3 Factors extracted from each framework 66
4.4 A component matrix for the framework of Rodney Mcadam and
Alison Evans
69
4.5 Mean and reliability analysis results for the selected frameworks 70
4.6 Reliability analysis for the framework of Rodney Mcadam and
Alison Evans
72
4.7 The sample frequency distribution analysis performed on the
framework of Rodney Mcadam and Alison Evans
73
5.1 Pillars of six sigma 80
5.2 Identified pillar of six sigma and respective elements 88
6.1 Statistics of sector wise responses 98
List of tables
x
Table
No. Title
Page
No.
6.2 Reliability analysis for six sigma pillars 101
6.3 Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) measure of sampling adequacy for six
sigma pillars
102
6.4 Bivariate correlation matrices 104
6.5 Structure self-interaction matrix (SSIM) of SMSAI 108
6.6 SSIM of LSAI 108
6.7 Final reachability matrix of SMSAI organization 109
6.8 Final reachability matrix of LSAI organization 110
6.9 Levels of partition of the pillars for SMSAI organization 110
6.10 Levels of partition of the pillars for LSAI organization 111
6.11 Model fit parameter values of SEM for SMSAI ISM and LSAI ISM 116
xi
List of figures
Figure
No. Title
Page
No.
2.1 A schematic tree of classification of articles by research methodology 18
2.2 Classification of articles according to research methodology 20
2.3 Authorship pattern showing number of authors 21
2.4 Authorship pattern showing country details 21
2.5 Background of authors 22
2.6 Research plan 31
3.1 A systematic approach for empirical research 38
5.1 A framework for six sigma 91
6.1 ISM of SMSAI 112
6.2 ISM of LSAI 113
6.3 Driver dependence matrix for SMSAI 117
6.4 Driver dependence matrix for LSAI 118
1
Chapter 1
Introduction
1.1 Introduction
Current manufacturing environment have become extremely competitive due to global
competition, rapidly changing technologies and shorter product life cycles. Organizations
face significant uncertainties and continuous changes. Traditional quality improvement
approaches used by the companies are no longer sufficiently competitive weapons by
themselves. Customers always demands of high quality, low cost products and services.
Organizations must consequently look for new methods and perspectives to meet these
customer demands in a timely and cost effective manner. Embracing practices like
six sigma will create world class organizations, produce high quality products and can deal
with these challenges. A organization, which is following quality practices like six sigma,
possesses a set of strategic options and can deal effectively to ever changing and volatile
environments.
Six sigma is one of the fastest evolving areas of interest to industries and practitioners
because it is a powerful business improvement strategy that enables companies to use
simple but powerful statistical methods for achieving and sustaining operational excellence
and many companies have reported significant benefits of implementation of six sigma.
Variety of definitions are available for the said concept. Prominent ones are discussed
below.
“Six sigma is a systematic, highly disciplined, customer-centric and profit-driven
organization-wide strategic business improvement initiative that is based on a rigorous
process focused and data-driven methodology” (Tang et al., 2007). It attempts to achieve
customer satisfaction by systematically reducing variation in processes and thereby
promotes a competitive advantage. “Six sigma is considered a strategic corporate
initiative to boost profitability, increase market share and improve customer satisfaction
through statistical tools and techniques that can lead to breakthrough quantum gains in
quality” (Harry, 1998; Park and Kim, 2000; Lucas, 2002). “Six sigma blends
management, financial and methodological elements to make improvement to processes
Introduction
2
and products concurrently” (Voelkel, 2002). “Six sigma provides business leaders and
executives with the strategy, methods, tools and techniques to change the culture of
organizations” (Antony et al., 2005). “Six sigma as a philosophy seeks to measure
current performance and determine how desired or optimum performance can be
achieved. Any deviation in the performance of any critical-to-quality characteristic may
be considered a defect” (Eckes, 2001).
1.2 Need for empirical investigation of six sigma practices in Indian
industry
After doing survey of Indian industries about application of six sigma, Antony and Desai
(2009), reported that Indian industries need overall operational and service excellence to
compete globally and are currently engaged in Quality Circles, Total Quality Management
(TQM) and ISO Certifications. The study also reported that, these methods have failed to
deliver required performance in Indian industries over the last decade or so (Antony and
Desai,2009). It seems that six sigma is yet not fully explored by Indian industries. During
industrial reforms, initially the focus has been on large-scale public and private sectors,
mainly in core infrastructural production organizations. After globalization and
liberalization, quality was viewed as one of the major areas to improve along with
productivity. In view of reduction in geographical barriers and pressure to compete in the
global market, improvement in overall operational and service excellence has surfaced as
important parameter for the Indian industries to remain globally competitive.
With the intense competition, customers started demanding higher quality products and
services from organizations. As a result organizations started looking for newer ways in
order to improve their operational efficiency to meet customer expectations. In order to
improve operational performance and customer satisfaction, six sigma has been
recognized as a systematic and structured methodology that attempts to improve process
capability through focusing on customer needs. (Dasgupta, 2003; Harry, 1998;
Linderman et al., 2003). Quinn (2003), described six sigma “as an approach for
organizational change, which incorporates elements of quality management and business
process re-engineering”. According to Hoerl (1998) General Electric’s operating margins
increased from 13.8% to 14.5%, an increase valued at about $600 Million, which
resulted from six sigma quality initiatives. In 2002, at least 25% of Fortune 200
companies claimed they have the six sigma programme (Hammer, 2002). By focusing on
Introduction
3
customer needs and defining quantifiable measures for achieving specific goals,
six sigma projects result in greater customer satisfaction, and enhance organisational
performance and profitability (Blakeslee, 1999; Goh et al., 2003; Harry, 1998;
Kondo, 2001). Antony and Desai (2009), during survey on Indian companies has
collected some interesting data on usage, awareness and status of six sigma and stated
that, “although many Indian industries have successfully embraced the six sigma
business improvement strategy, the adoption of said strategy in Indian industries is not as
encouraging as it should be.”
Initially companies like Motorola, Honeywell, GE, Sony, Caterpillar, and Johnson
Controls claimed substantial financial benefits from six sigma implementation and
hence there was increase in the adoption of six sigma in other companies also (Desai,
2006). However, despite the claimed benefits from TQM and six sigma
implementation, there are numerous reports of problems in the process of
implementing them (Ahire and Ravichandran,2001; Gijo and Rao, 2005; Sila, 2007;
Szeto and Tsang, 2005). In order to have better insight and understanding about
whether and how quality management approaches affect organizational performance, it
is necessary to study the organizational contexts in which these approaches have been
implemented (Sousa and Voss, 2002).
Companies such as General Electric and Motorola have reported considerable savings
from the six sigma initiatives (Pande et al., 2000). However critics of six sigma argue
that various quality-based initiatives will fail because of the intense business
competitiveness (Stebbins and Shani,2002). Hence there is a need to address the issue of
effective implementation of six sigma. We believe that developing a framework of six
sigma implementation will help researchers and practitioners to gain insight into its
effective implementation. It will also help organisations for effective utilization of their
resources and will be benefitted from this framework.
The purpose of this work is to develop a six sigma framework for effective implementation
with special reference to Indian industries. We will begin by defining the methodology and
identify key variables and crucial factors for its successful implementation. In order to
develop a framework that can suggest Indian industries as to what are the best practices in
six sigma, or in other words what practices constitute a six sigma implementation
Introduction
4
framework, an empirical investigation of six sigma practices in Indian industry has been
carried out.
Limited empirical research has been carried out in terms of application of six sigma in
Indian industry. The role of an empirical study is pivotal in presenting the facts. Thus
this empirical study intends to develop a framework for Indian industry and overcome
the shortcomings (found from literature review) generally present in empirical studies
such as:
• Emphasis on theory verification is less in comparison to theory building.
• Performance measurement indices are generally applied at firm level only.
• Empirical studies are generally focused on North America or Europe.
• Research designs like panel study and use of focus group are very rare and seldom
used by researchers in six sigma.
• Empirical studies suffer from small sample sizes.
• The potential of multi-variate data analysis techniques is not utilized to a larger extent.
• Involvement of practitioners and consultants is very limited in development of six
sigma frameworks.
• Majority of frameworks are novel and very few authors actually adapt and improve
on already existing frameworks
• Framework verification is not a standard practice of researchers.
Hence, the proposed research will focus on addressing all these shortcomings while
making efforts to present an empirical investigation of six sigma practices in Indian
industry.
We believe that the proposed framework can serve as a guideline for further research in
implementing the concept at the same time helping organizations to oversee their quality
programmes.
1.3 Objectives of the research
The overall objective of the present study is to do an empirical investigation of six sigma
implementation in Indian industry. The overall objective is achieved by focusing on
following sub objectives:
Introduction
5
i. To study existing frameworks/elements/constructs for six sigma implementation as
suggested by various authors through in-depth literature review.
ii. To evaluate reliability and validity of indentified frameworks
iii. To develop a new framework suitable for Indian Industries
iv. To evaluate reliability and validity of suggested framework in context to Indian
Industries
v. To explore the applicability of proposed six sigma implementation framework in
Indian industries
1.4 Methodology
Methodology used to achieve the objectives defined in the previous section is given
below:
i. A thorough review of literature related to six sigma elements/constructs/frameworks
ii. Development and testing of a survey instrument.
iii. Data collection from Indian automobile, electronics, engineering, process and
manufacturing industries.
iv. A comparative analysis of six sigma frameworks and frequency analysis of six sigma
constructs in these frameworks is carried out in order to identify the prominent
constructs (referred as pillars of six sigma), which will eventually lead to
development of a conceptual six sigma implementation framework
v. Evaluation of reliability and validity of six sigma implementation constructs in Indian
industry so as to establish a definitive set of pillars and constructs for six sigma
implementation framework. It is achieved by performing a survey in nine sectors of
Indian industry followed by principle component analysis, internal consistency
analysis and confirmatory factor analysis to find underlying pillars of six sigma
implementation framework
vi. Development of a six sigma framework for Indian industry
vii. Validity and reliability analysis on proposed six sigma framework in Indian
manufacturing industries with the help of empirical survey.
viii. Path analysis of six sigma framework in Indian manufacturing industry.
Introduction
6
It involves:
� Development of interpretive structural modelling (ISM) for six sigma framework in
Indian manufacturing industry.
� Development of structural equation modelling (SEM) for statistical testing and path
analysis.
1.5 Scope and limitations
The proposed study is based on the secondary data available through published research
papers. Primary data has been collected for the selected parameters through direct
consultation with practitioners. The work is purely empirical in nature.
This work is primarily applicable to manufacturing industry in India but can be extended
to any other industry.
1.6 Arrangement of the thesis
The thesis is organized into seven chapters; chapter one includes introduction,
background of the research work, objectives, scope and limitations of the study.
Chapter two discusses the in-depth literature review about important six sigma
constructs/frameworks. Chapter three presents research methodology, questionnaire
design and data collection process used for the study.
Chapter four discusses the validity and reliability of existing six sigma implementation
frameworks in Indian industries. It also carries out a critical review of six sigma
frameworks and frequency analysis of six sigma constructs in these frameworks is
carried out in order to identify the prominent constructs (referred as pillars of six sigma),
which will eventually lead to development of a conceptual six sigma framework. The
development of a framework for six sigma implementation is discussed in the
Chapter five.
The chapter six describes an empirical investigation of proposed six sigma
implementation in Indian industry and demonstrates the applicability of proposed
framework. The study also performed path analysis of proposed six sigma framework in
Indian manufacturing company.
The summary of the work done, contributions of the research, limitations of the study
and scope for future work is presented in Chapter seven.
Introduction
7
References:
1. Ahire, S.L., Ravichandran, T.,2001. An innovation diffusion model of TQM
implementation. IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management 48 (4),445-464.
2. Antony, J., Kumar, M. and Madu, C.N.,2005. Six sigma in small and medium
sized UK manufacturing enterprises - some empirical observations. International
Journal of Quality and Reliability Management, 22(8),860-74.
3. Antony, J., Desai, D.A.,2009. Assessing the status of six sigma implementation in
the Indian industry -Results from an exploratory empirical study. Management
Research News, 32(5),413-423.
4. Blakeslee, J.,1999. Implementing the Six sigma solution: How to achieve
quantum leaps in quality and competitiveness. Quality Progress, 32(7),77-85.
5. Dasgupta, T.,2003. Using the Six sigma metric to measure and improve the
performance of a supply chain. Total Quality Management, 14,355-366.
6. Desai, D.A.,2006. Improving customer delivery commitments the Six Sigma
way: case study of an Indian small scale industry. International Journal of Six
Sigma and Competitive Advantage 2(1),23-47
7. Eckes, G.,2001. The Six sigma Revolution, How General Electric and Others
Turned Process Into Profits, John Wiley & Sons, New York, NY.
8. Goh, T.N., Low, P.C., Tsui, K.L., and Xie, M.,2003. Impact of Six sigma
implementation on stock price performance. Total Quality Management &
Business Excellence, 14,753-763.
9. Gijo, E.V., Rao, T.S.,2005. Six sigma implementation-hurdles and more
hurdles. Total Quality Management16(6), 721-725.
10. Harry, M. 1998. Six sigma: A breakthrough strategy for profitability. Quality
Progress, 31(5), 60-64.
11. Hoerl, R.W., 1998. Six sigma and the future of the quality profession. Quality
Progress, 31(6), 35-42.
12. Hammer, M., 2002. Process management and the future of Six Sigma. MIT
Sloan Management Review, 43(2), 26-32.
Introduction
8
13. Kondo, Y.,2001. Customer satisfaction: How can I measure it?. Total Quality
Management,
14. Lucas, J.M. 2002, The essential Six Sigma. Quality Progress, January, 27-31.
15. Linderman, K., Schroeder, R., Zaheer, S., & Choo, A.,2003. Six Sigma: A goal
theoretic perspective. Journal of Operations Management, 21, 193-203.
16. Pande, P.S, Neuman, R.P., Cavanagh, R.R.,2000. The Six sigma Way: How
GE, Motorola, and Other Top Companies are Honing Their Performance.
McGraw-Hill, New York.
17. Park, S.H. and Kim, K.H. 2000. A study of six sigma for R&D part’’, Quality
Revolution. Korean Society for Quality Management, 1(1), 51-65.
18. Quinn, D.L.,2003. What is Six Sigma? In T. Bertels (Ed.), Rath & Strong’s Six
Sigma leadership handbook. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, 1-14
19. Sila, I.,2007. Examining the effects of contextual factors on TQM and
performance through the lens of organizational theories: an empirical study.
Journal of Operations Management 25, 83-109.
20. Szeto, A.Y., Tsang, A.H.,2005. Antecedents to successful implementation of
six sigma. International Journal of Six Sigma and Competitive Advantage 1(3),
307-322.
21. Sousa, R., Voss, C.A., 2002. Quality management re-visited: a reflective review
and agenda for future research. Journal of Operations Management 20, 91-109.
22. Stebbins, W.M., Shani, A.,2002. Eclectic design for change. In P. Docherty,
J. Forslin, & A.B. Shani (Eds.), Creating sustainable work systems: Emerging
perspectives and practice London: Routledge, 213-225.
23. Tang, L.C., Goh, T.N., Lam, S.W. and Zhang, C.W.,2007. Fortification of Six
Sigma: expanding the DMAIC toolset. Quality and Reliability Engineering
International, Vol. 23, 3-18.
24. Voelkel, J.G.,2002. Something’s missing - an education in statistical methods
will make employees more valuable to six sigma corporations. Quality Progress,
May, 98-101
9
Chapter 2
Literature review
2.1 Introduction
Six sigma is a breakthrough process improvement strategy that yields dramatic reduction
in defects or errors or mistakes in any process. Improved processes lead to improved
customer satisfaction, increased market share, business profitability and so on. “Six
sigma is a powerful strategy developed to accelerate improvement in product, process
and service quality by relentlessly focusing on variation reduction and elimination of
waste” by Antony and Banuelas, (2002). Mikel Harry is considered one of the primary
architects of six sigma. Harry Mikel and Schroeder R.(2000), provide insight to what six
sigma is all about; a change strategy that relentlessly drives defects out of products,
processes, and services to increase profitability and shows how it is working at
companies such as General Electric, Polaroid, and Allied Signal. It is a comprehensive
and flexible system for achieving, sustaining and maximizing business profitability. It is
uniquely driven by close understanding of customer needs of today and tomorrow,
disciplined and systematic use of data to support decisions and diligent attention to
managing and improving business processes. Although six sigma approach to quality and
process improvement have been predominantly used by manufacturing organizations,
today the popularity of six sigma in the other sectors is growing exponentially, especially
in banks, hospital sector, financial services, airline industry, utility services and so on
(Antony et al., 2007). Ronald Snee (1999) points out that “although some people believe
it is nothing new, six sigma is unique in its approach and deployment; it is a strategic
business improvement approach that seeks to increase both customer satisfaction and an
organization’s financial health”. Many authors have suggested different definition of
six sigma and few of them are listed below.
Following are some of the examples of six sigma definitions that reflect different
perspectives.
Andersson et al., (2006) have defined six sigma as “Improvement program for reducing
variation, which focuses on continuous and breakthrough improvements. Antony (2002)
Literature review
10
has stated that “six sigma is a business performance improvement strategy that aims to
reduce the number of mistakes/defects to as low as 3.4 occasions per million
opportunities”. According to Banuelas and Antony (2003), “six sigma is a philosophy
that employs a well-structured continuous improvement methodology to reduce process
variability and drive out waste within the business processes using statistical tools and
techniques. According to Bendell (2006), “six sigma is a strategic, company-wide
approach focusing on variation reduction and having the potential of simultaneously
reducing cost and increasing customer satisfaction”. Black and Revere (2006) defined
six sigma as “a quality movement, a methodology, and a measurement. As a quality
movement, six sigma is a major player in both manufacturing and service industries
throughout the world. As a methodology, it is used to evaluate the capability of a process
to perform defect-free, where a defect is defined as anything that results in customer
dissatisfaction”. Chakrabarty and Tan (2007) stated six sigma as “A quality improvement
program with a goal of reducing the number of defects to as low as 3.4 parts per million
opportunities or 0.0003 per cent”. Kwak and Anbari (2006) have defined six sigma as “A
business strategy used to improve business profitability, to improve the effectiveness and
efficiency of all operations to meet or exceed customer needs and expectations.”
Six sigma is one of the emerging philosophies. Many authors have contributed to the
literature of six sigma resulting in many articles published in various publication portals.
In contrast to the growth of publications, as per the knowledge of authors, there are only
four to five literature review articles in English language till date. Hence, the present
study has attempted to review the current status of six sigma and provide directions for
further improvement. The authors have reviewed 179 research articles published from
1995 to 2011 in 52 journals having focus towards six sigma.
The structure of the work done is given in subsequent sections: Section 2 presents
literature review related to six sigma. Section 3 deals with methodology and analysis,
which includes selection of articles and time distribution of published articles,
classification of articles on the basis of research methodology, authorship pattern studied
with respect to author’s background, classification of the article based on sector of
application, integration of six sigma philosophy with other eminent manufacturing
philosophies, identification of existing frameworks/models in present literature review
and the status of implementation of their proposed frameworks/ models. The subsequent
Literature review
11
Section 4 is devoted to result and analysis which describes significant findings of the
present study and directions for future research. Finally the article is concluded in
Section 5.
2.2 Literature review
The six sigma methodology was formalized in the mid-1980s at Motorola. New
theories and ideas were combined with basic principles and statistical methods that had
existed in quality engineering circles for decades. The building blocks were enhanced
with business and leadership principles to form the basis of a complete management
system. The result was a staggering increase in the levels of quality for several
Motorola products. As a result the inaugural Malcolm Baldrige National Quality
Award was bestowed on the company in 1988 (Gowen C R, et al., 2008). Everyone
wanted to know how Motorola had done it. The then-president Robert Galvin chose to
share Motorola’s six sigma secret openly, and by the mid-1990s, other corporations
like ABB, Texas Instruments, Allied Signal, and General Electric had begun to reap
similar rewards. By 2000, many of the world’s top corporations had a six sigma
initiative underway, and by 2003, over $100 Billion in combined savings had been
reported. Six sigma became the global standard of quality business practice. One of the
advantages of six sigma methodology over other improvement programs is that it
enables practitioners to accurately remove hindering issues and demonstrate the
improvements using statistical tools such as Pareto Chart and control charts
(Jin T. et al., 2011). Schroeder et al., (2008) have identified four core advantages of six
sigma over quality philosophies. These advantages involve the focus on financial and
business results, use of a structured method for process improvement or new product
introduction, use of specific metrics such as defects per million opportunities (DPMO),
critical-to-quality (CTQ),and use of a significant number of full-time improvement
specialists. According to Antony and Banuelas (2002), Ford found that six sigma is
more profit orientated, while TQM focuses on fixing the quality problem regardless of
the cost.
Now, six sigma is well established in almost every industry and many organizations
worldwide have modified the said methodology and tools to fit their own operations. In
this current era of global competitiveness, not only the manufacturing organizations are
facing enormous pressure from their customers (to reduce the costs) and competitors (so
Literature review
12
as to win the market share) but it is a challenge for other industries too. These factors
have contributed to integrate six sigma concepts with the complete production process
(starting from suppliers to delivery to customer). Focus of six sigma is on producing the
products without defects and lean focuses on elimination of waste. A defect is a kind of
waste as per lean. Hence integration of these two philosophies can help organization to
achieve manufacturing excellence. This has given rise to integration of six sigma with
other philosophies like lean. Six sigma has evolved into a powerful business
improvement methodology in many Indian industries and its importance is growing.
Very little research has been carried out relating to the status of six sigma
implementation in the Indian industry (Antony, J. and Desai, D.A., 2009).
Although the term six sigma was introduced two decades ago, limited number of
literature review papers are available. For example Venkateswarlu
Pulakanam et al., (2010) have emphasized only on review of empirical research articles
published on six sigma.
Mohamed Gamal Aboelmaged (2010) has classified the articles on the basis of year of
publication and journal, major theme and subject, research type and application sector.
Brady, J.E. and Allen, T.T. (2006) have reviewed articles till year 2003 but used
different classification scheme like definition of six sigma, society or area, journal
impact factor, industrial sector, success factors. Nonthaleerak, P. and Hendry, L.C.
(2006) have classified the articles according to their research content. B. Tjahjono and P.
Ball et.al (2010) have considered the articles from year 2004 to 2009 and classified the
articles according to definition of six sigma, its applications, main enablers and barriers
to its application etc.
It is clear from the above discussion that none of the literature reviews had focused on
research methodology, integration with other manufacturing philosophies,
implementation status and performance measurement of the six sigma model or
framework.
Hence authors have made an attempt to classify and review the six sigma articles by time
distribution of articles, research methodology (conceptual qualitative, conceptual
quantitative, empirical qualitative and empirical quantitative) with various subcategories,
authorship patterns, sector wise focus of articles, integration with other manufacturing
Literature review
13
philosophies, implementation status and performance measurement of the model or
framework.
2.3 Methodology
The methodology and analysis of literature is discussed in the following sections.
2.3.1 Selection of articles
The aim of the review was to search and analyze the diversity of research being conducted
in the six sigma field. Accordingly, six sigma articles were searched from publication
houses like Emerald, Elsevier, Taylor and Francis. An initial article search was made using
articles containing any of the terms of the phrase “six sigma” from the year 1995 to 2011.
This unique philosophy only became well known after GE’s Jack Welch made it a central
focus of his business strategy in 1995 (Gowen C R, et al., 2005). Six sigma started getting
popularity through research articles by 1995 and hence the author’s have chosen 1995 as
start year for searching articles. This search has resulted in a list of more than 750 articles.
The text of each article was reviewed in order to eliminate those articles, which were not
related to ‘six sigma’ improvement strategies. For example, articles focused on detailed
synthesis of chemicals and used the term six sigma in totally different context were
removed. This search resulted in list of 450 articles. To get control over quality articles,
search was further refined to peer-reviewed journals only. With this additional restriction,
the number of articles were reduced to 200.
The research targeted peer-reviewed journal papers having more than two pages, as
academics and practitioners alike most often use journals to obtain information and
disseminate the highest level of research findings, both in width and breadth.
Therefore editorial notes, book reviews, prefaces articles were excluded, leaving 179
relevant articles. Similar methodology is used by Mohamed Gamal Aboelmaged (2010)
to exclude book reviews, preface articles. This search had given comprehensive set of
good quality papers on six sigma in different fields. However, there is a possibility that
there may be an article that is not reviewed in this paper.
Full bibliographic details of the 179 articles considered for review are given in appendix
A in order to make the adopted research processes transparent, and allow independent
Literature review
14
assessment of our classification and analysis. Similar procedure was adopted by Kevin
Burgess et al., (2006) for structured review of supply chain management.
The list of selected journals considered for this review is shown in Table 2.1. It was found
that maximum articles on six sigma have been published in four journals only viz. Total
Quality Management, The TQM Journal (previously The TQM Magazine), Quality
Engineering and International Journal of Quality and Reliability. It can be seen from the
Table 2.1 that TQM constitutes around 20% of the total articles considered for this review.
Table 2.1: List of selected journals considered for six sigma review
Journal Title No. of
articles Acronym Percentage
Applied Soft Computing 1 ASC 0.56
Asian Case Research Journal 1 ACRJ 0.56
Benchmarking: An International Journal 2 BAIJ 1.12
Business Process Management 3 BPM 1.68
Construction Management and Economics 1 CME 0.56
Development and Learning in Organizations 1 DLO 0.56
Engineering Failure Analysis 1 EFA 0.56
Engineering Management Journal 1 EMJ 0.56
Expert Systems with Applications 2 ESA 1.12
Global Journal of Flexible Systems Management 1 GJFSM 0.56
Handbook of Business Strategy 2 HBS 1.12
Industrial Management & Data Systems 2 IMDS 1.12
Int. J. Six Sigma and Competitive Advantage 8 IJSSCA 4.47
Int. J. Production Economics 6 IJPE 3.35
International Journal of Logistics: Research and Applications
1 IJLRA 0.56
International Journal of Operations & Production Management
3 IJOPM 1.68
International Journal of Production Research 8 IJPR 4.47
International Journal of Productivity and performance management
4 IJPPM 2.23
International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management
10 IJQRM 5.59
International Review of Business Research Papers 1 IRBRP 0.56
International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance
1 IJHCQA 0.56
Journal of Air Transport Management 1 JATM 0.56
Journal of Applied Statistics 1 JAS 0.56
Literature review
15
Journal Title No. of
articles Acronym Percentage
Journal of Change Management 2 JCM 1.12
Journal of Computer Information Systems 1 JCIS 0.56
Journal of Corporate Real Estate 1 JCRE 0.56
Journal of High Technology Management Research 1 JHTMR 0.56
Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management 4 JMTM 2.23
Journal of materials processing technology 2 JMPT 1.12
Journal of Operations Management 4 JOM 2.23
Journal of Organizational Change Management 1 JOCM 0.56
Journal of Quality 1 JOQ 0.56
Journal of Quality in Maintenance Engineering 2 JQME 1.12
Management Research News 2 MRN 1.12
Managing Service Quality 3 MSQ 1.68
Measuring Business Excellence 3 MBE 1.68
Managerial Auditing Journal 1 MAJ 0.56
NCQM Journal 1 NCQM 0.56
Proceedings of the International Multi Conference of Engineers and Computer Scientists
1 PIMCECS 0.56
Production Planning & Control 3 PPC 1.68
Project Management Institute Research Conference, London, UK
1 PMIRC 0.56
Project Management Journal 1 PMJ 0.56
Quality and Reliability Engineering International 7 QREI 3.91
Quality Engineering 10 QE 5.59
Robotics and Computer-Integrated Manufacturing 1 RCIM 0.56
Six Sigma Forum Magazine 1 SSFM 0.56
International Journal of Lean Six Sigma 1 IJLSS 0.56
Strategic Planning for Energy and the Environment 1 SPFEE 0.56
Technovation 1 TECHV 0.56
The TQM Journal(Previously The TQM Magazine) 23 TQMJ 12.85
Total Quality Management 35 TQM 19.55
Work Study 2 WS 1.12
Total 179 100
2.3.2 Time distribution of publication of articles
In order to see the trend of research over the years, an analysis of the articles published year
wise was carried out. As explained earlier articles published from January 1995 to December
2011 were considered for review. The year-wise frequency distribution of articles by
journals is shown in Table 2.
Literature review
16
Table 2.2: Year-wise frequency distribution of articles by journals
Journal
Name 1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
No. of
Articles
ASC
1
1
ACRJ
1
1
CME
1
1
DLO
1
1
EFA
1
1
EMJ
1
1
GJFSM
1
1
IJLRA
1
1
IRBRP
1
1
IJHCQA
1
1
JATM
1
1
JAS
1
1
JCIS
1
1
JCRE
1
1
JHTMR
1
1
JOCM
1
1
JOQ
1
1
MAJ
1
1
NCQM
1
1
PIMCECS
1
1
PMIRC
1
1
PMJ
1
1
RCIM
1
1
SSFM
1
1
SSC
1
1
SPFEE
1
1
TECHV
1
1
Literature review
17
Journal
Name 1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
No. of
Articles
BAIJ
1
2
ESA
1 1
2
HBS
2
2
IMDS
1
1
2
JCM
1
1
2
JMPT
1
1
2
JQME
2
2
MRN
2
2
WS
2
2
BPM
1
1 1
3
IJOPM
1
1 1
3
MSQ
1
1
1
3
MBE
1 1
1
3
PPC
1
2
3
IJPPM
3 1
4
JMTM
1 1 1 1
4
JOM
1
1
2
4
IJPE
2 1 1 2 6
QREI
1
2 1 1
2
7
IJSSCA
2 5
1
8
IJPR
1 6 1
8
IJQRM 1
1 1 1 1 1 1 3
10
QE
3
2 2
1 1 1
10
TQMJ
1 1 2 6
2 5 3 2 1
23
TQM
1 1 3 6 5 3 4 9 3
35
TOTAL 1 0 0 0 0 4 4 9 7 17 18 25 19 34 31 8 2 179
As evident from Table 2.2, there was an exponential growth in the number of research
articles published from year 2000 to year 2009. The highest number of
in a year is 34 in the year 2008. Between the year 2004 and 2009, total 145 articles were
published which is 81 % of the total articles considered for this review, which clearly
shows the evolving shift towards six sigma. It can be easil
number of articles published in six sigma area is increasing at a faster pace since year
2000. Highest number of articles published by TQM journal in single year is 9
2009. The major thrust of articles in TQM journal
span of 6 years (2004-2009) the journal published 33 articles (or roughly 19%) out of a
total of 179 articles. The second highest number of a
(6 articles) in a single year i.e. in 2004.
2.3.3 Research methodology
According to Nakata and Huang (2005) and Guo (2008), the nature of the study can be
classified in four major categories. These are conceptual qualitative, conceptual
quantitative, empirical qualitative and empirical quantitative. Conceptual
consists of the literature reviews and arguments to develop new perspectives and to build
qualitatively explored theoretical framework. Conceptual quantitative uses mathematical
tools and secondary data to present cases an
tree of classification of articles is as shown in Figure 2.1.
Figure 2.1: A schematic tree of classification of articles by research methodology
Literature
, there was an exponential growth in the number of research
articles published from year 2000 to year 2009. The highest number of published articles
in a year is 34 in the year 2008. Between the year 2004 and 2009, total 145 articles were
published which is 81 % of the total articles considered for this review, which clearly
towards six sigma. It can be easily inferred from Table 2.2
number of articles published in six sigma area is increasing at a faster pace since year
2000. Highest number of articles published by TQM journal in single year is 9
2009. The major thrust of articles in TQM journal began in the year 2004 and within a
2009) the journal published 33 articles (or roughly 19%) out of a
total of 179 articles. The second highest number of articles is published in TQMJ
articles) in a single year i.e. in 2004.
ethodology
According to Nakata and Huang (2005) and Guo (2008), the nature of the study can be
classified in four major categories. These are conceptual qualitative, conceptual
quantitative, empirical qualitative and empirical quantitative. Conceptual
consists of the literature reviews and arguments to develop new perspectives and to build
qualitatively explored theoretical framework. Conceptual quantitative uses mathematical
tools and secondary data to present cases and proofs to develop new models.
tree of classification of articles is as shown in Figure 2.1.
Figure 2.1: A schematic tree of classification of articles by research methodology
Literature review
18
, there was an exponential growth in the number of research
published articles
in a year is 34 in the year 2008. Between the year 2004 and 2009, total 145 articles were
published which is 81 % of the total articles considered for this review, which clearly
Table 2.2 that
number of articles published in six sigma area is increasing at a faster pace since year
2000. Highest number of articles published by TQM journal in single year is 9 in year
began in the year 2004 and within a
2009) the journal published 33 articles (or roughly 19%) out of a
rticles is published in TQMJ
According to Nakata and Huang (2005) and Guo (2008), the nature of the study can be
classified in four major categories. These are conceptual qualitative, conceptual
quantitative, empirical qualitative and empirical quantitative. Conceptual qualitative
consists of the literature reviews and arguments to develop new perspectives and to build
qualitatively explored theoretical framework. Conceptual quantitative uses mathematical
w models. A schematic
Figure 2.1: A schematic tree of classification of articles by research methodology
Literature review
19
On the other hand, empirical qualitative studies employ qualitative approaches to collect
primary data, whereas empirical quantitative studies require data collection through
surveys or experiments and quantitatively analyze the records. The authors have grouped
all the articles into these four methodologies. These four methodologies were split up
into nine sub-categories.
Table 2.3: Research methodology with various sub-categories
Research Methodology No. of articles Percentage
Conceptual Qualitative 74 41.34 %
Perspectives and Arguments 63 35.19%
Literature Reviews 11 6.14%
Conceptual Quantitative 36 20.11%
Content Analysis 9 5.02%
Secondary Data 27 15.08%
Empirical Qualitative 43 24.02%
Case Study 39 21.78%
Interviews 4 2.23%
Empirical Quantitative 26 14.52%
Experiments 2 1.11%
Meta-Analysis 2 1.11%
Survey 22 12.29%
Total 179 100 %
Table 2.3 shows research methodology with various sub categories. As seen from
Table 2.3, out of total 179 articles, 110 were of conceptual approach. In other words, it is
clear that 61.45% articles were of conceptual approach, which certainly dominates the
empirical approach (38.54%). In this, specifically, conceptual qualitative type constituted
around 41.34 % of the total 179 articles. Among all the nine sub-methods, perspective
and arguments was the most used (35.19 %) research methodology. While the other sub-
methods like literature reviews, content analysis, interviews, experiments and meta-
analysis were used less as compared to perspective and arguments . Classification of
articles according to research methodology is shown in Figure 2.2.
Literature review
20
Figure 2.2: Classification of articles according to research methodology
It is clear from Table 2.3 that about 38 % of empirical articles were published till the
year 2011 clearly suggesting the positive change towards the empirical approach.
Overall, the study has found a rise in empirical approach (either quantitative or
qualitative) over the years but still it is in minority as compared to conceptual
approach.
2.3.4 Authorship patterns
To make any research field abundant, there is a need for researchers from versatile
backgrounds to come forward and work in greater collaboration, especially by
breaking barriers of regions, institutions, countries and continents (Guo, 2008). This
will have more impact on the quality of research and its advancement in various
regions. The authors of the present research have studied pattern of authorship, the
location (country or continent) of researchers and their background (academic or
professional) with this in mind.
The pattern of authorship is shown in Table 2.4. From the Table it is evident that the
multi-authored articles are predominant (138 out of 179), thus signifying the
collaboration among the authors. Table 2.4 also shows single and multi country
authorship pattern. It clearly depicts that single country authorship (87.7%) was
prevalent in comparison to multi-country authorships, i.e., 12.3% of authors were
affiliated to institutions in more than one country.
Conceptual qualitative
41.34%
Conceptual quantitative
20.11%
Empirical qualitative
24.02%
Empirical quantitative
14.53%
Literature review
21
Table 2.4: Authorship pattern
Number of authors No. of articles Percentage
1 (Single Author) 41 22.9%
2 (Two Author) 69 38.5%
More than 2 69 38.5%
Total 179 100%
Single Country 157 87.7%
Multiple Country 22 12.3%
Total 179 100%
Figure 2.3: Authorship pattern showing number of authors
Figure 2.4: Authorship pattern showing country details
1 (Single Author)22.90%
2 (Two Author)38.50%
More than 238.50%
Single Country87.70%
Multiple Country12.30%
No. of articles
Literature review
22
Furthermore, the information pertaining to the background of authors is reported in
Table 2.5. The research in this field has been predominantly carried out by
academicians with approximately 76.5% of contribution, which greatly exceeded that
of professionals (13.9%) and is also more than blended participation (academicians
and professionals) which is 9.4%. Hence there is need to bring academicians and
professionals to a common platform to carry out extensive research for achieving
higher standards.
Table 2.5: Background of authors
Background of authors No. of articles Percentage
Academic 137 76.5%
Professional 25 13.9%
Both 17 9.4%
Total 179 100%
Figure 2.5: Background of authors
2.3.5 Articles: Sector wise focus
There is a growing recognition that six sigma can be applied to non-manufacturing
operations and also it is not limited to US-based corporations where it was developed,
but it is applicable to all types of organizations around the world.
Academic76.5%
Professional13.9%
Both9.4%
Literature review
23
The concept of six sigma is not restricted to automobile, manufacturing and related
industry but it is applicable to almost all the industries. Now it has spread over all the
verticals such as chemicals, aerospace, electronics in manufacturing sector. In order to
improve understanding of sectoral influences on six sigma, the sample articles are
classified on the basis of the industry sector they are covering. The Confederation of
Indian Industry (CII) code was used for this purpose. Table 2.6 gives the frequency
distribution of type of sectors covered by researchers.
It may be clearly seen in Table 2.6 that researchers are more inclined towards carrying
out research in manufacturing sector (54.74 %) and the related industries like automobile
industries. In other words, out of 179 total articles 98 were from these manufacturing
industries. The service, infrastructure and agricultural sector drew least attention of the
researchers. Few researchers have performed investigations in multiples industries
(7.26%) in multiple sectors. This is because the concept of six sigma was first originated
to reduce the number of defects in manufacturing domain and then subsequently this was
extended to other sectors.
Table 2.6: Frequency distribution of type of sectors covered by researchers
Industry Number of
articles Percentage
1. Manufacturing Sector 98 54.74
1.1 Aerospace 04 2.23
1.2 Automobile 33 18.43
1.3 Chemical 12 6.70
1.4 ICTE (Information communication Technology and Electronics)
9 5.02
1.5 Others 27 15.08
1.6 Multiples 13 7.26
2. Service 21 11.73
2.1 Health Care 09 5.02
2.2 Information and communication Technology
03 1.67
Literature review
24
Industry Number of
articles Percentage
2.3 Tourism and Hospitality 09 5.02
3. Infrastructure 12 6.70
3.1 Infrastructure 9 5.02
3.2 Oil and gas 3 1.67
4. Agriculture 02 1.11
4.1 Food Processing 02 1.11
5. None 46 25.69
Grand Total 179 100
2.3.6 Integration with other manufacturing philosophies
Different elements have contributed to the success of six sigma philosophy. In the past,
many researchers have discussed about the importance of integrating six sigma
philosophy with different manufacturing philosophies. Yeh D.Y. et al., (2007) discussed
about the need to combine supply chain management and six sigma, while Su T. C. et al.,
(2006) highlighted the need of combining six sigma and lean philosophy to improve
service quality. Shah, R. et al., (2008) have focused on combining Lean with six sigma
for implementation of quality practices. Chen, M. et al., (2009) has elaborated on lean six
sigma approach for employing a well-structured continuous improvement methodology.
Kumar M. et al., (2006) have discussed about integration of Lean and six sigma
strategies into a more powerful and effective hybrid model, addressing many of the
weaknesses and retaining most of the strengths of each strategy. Furterer S. et al., (2005)
deliberated on combining the principles and tools of Lean Enterprise and six sigma in a
more synergistic manner.
All the above mentioned researchers’ perspectives show the importance of integration of
six sigma philosophy with other manufacturing philosophies to achieve manufacturing
excellence and social responsibilities. So the authors in this study have evaluated the
present status of the integration of six sigma philosophy with other manufacturing
philosophies.The five different philosophies were listed (refer Table 2.7) and later on, the
research articles were examined for consolidation with any of the five manufacturing
Literature review
25
philosophies. Table 2.7 shows summary of integration with other manufacturing
philosophies.
As Table 2.7 exhibits, only 26 research articles of the total articles considered for this
review are identified under this category. Among these, “lean” has the largest number of
studies covering 46.15% of the total (26) articles in present study, whereas, total quality
management(TQM) is placed second with 23.07% articles. Other three out of the five
selected philosophies had few integration articles with six sigma philosophy as compared
to the earlier mentioned philosophies. These were supply chain management (SCM)
(19.23%), enterprise resource planning (ERP) (3.84%) and theory of constraints (TOC)
(7.69%). The review of papers with respect to integration with other manufacturing
philosophies shows that there is need to increase the efforts for blending six sigma
philosophy with other manufacturing philosophies.
Table 2.7: Summary of integration with other manufacturing philosophies
Integrating with other philosophies Total Percentage
SCM (supply chain management) 5 19.23%
ERP (enterprise resource planning) 1 3.84%
Lean 12 46.15%
TQM (total quality management) 6 23.07%
TOC (theory of constraints) 2 7.69%
Total 26 100%
2.3.7 Framework/Model of six sigma
The term framework doesn’t have clear cut definition from the research world. Many
researchers are using model in the place of framework or vice-versa. It is all happening due
to lack of clarity about what is framework or model. The present study investigated what is a
framework. Model is one in which the six sigma elements are defined but do not discuss
the relation between the elements whereas a framework can be defined as one where the
six sigma elements are defined and also discuss the relation between the elements. Yusuf
and Aspinwall (2000) while reviewing the frameworks of Total Quality Management
(TQM) have explained that ‘a model’ answers the question of “what is TQM” with the
Literature review
26
overall concept or elements put down together, whereas a framework answers “how to”
questions and provides an overall ‘way forward’. A framework is not only a recommended
bunch of elements to be considered in that system, but it should give information about the
complete relationships amongst the elements of system under study.
The same concept has been followed in the present study while studying the
frameworks/models. It was checked whether the corresponding article featured any kind of
model or framework. So far, many of the researchers including Kifayah Amar and Douglas
Davis (2008) have proposed few models in different articles discussing about only
elements/constructs of six sigma but most of them did not discuss the relationship between
of elements and the status of implementation of their proposed frameworks/models in real
environment. Table 2.8 shows distribution of model/frameworks proposed vs. proposed
and implemented in the industry.
Table 2.8: The distribution of model/framework proposed vs. proposed and
implemented
Type Proposed Proposed and
Implemented Neither Total
Model/Framework 55 12 67
Neither (non of the above) 112 112
Total 55 12 112 179
From Table 2.8, it can be easily seen that only 67 frameworks/models exist in the present
review. Only 12 articles (of both types) had their proposed framework/models reported
implementation. It apparently shows the lack of attempts in implementing the proposed
models or frameworks. Logical conclusion is not reached in majority of cases as
framework/ model has not been tested and found suitable/ successful.
2.4 Research gaps
The study has included a large sample size of the articles as well as the number of
journals (52 journals) in conducting the critical review of content oriented
classification and empirical research methodology in six sigma. The number of articles
reviewed has given clear idea about history of six sigma, present status of six sigma
and future of empirical research in the field of six sigma. The major research gaps
Literature review
27
identified after conducting the literature review are presented as follows: (i) Need for
more empirical research in six sigma (ii) Need for collaborative research between
academicians and industry professionals (iii) Need for implementation of six sigma in
other Industry sectors (iv) Need for development of six sigma implementation
framework. This is the first of its kind attempt to solely discuss the descriptive
statistics of empirical research methodology and content oriented classification in the
field of six sigma.
(i) Need for more empirical research in six sigma:
In the section on research methodology, it is found that most of theory building is
taking place through the process of conceptual methodologies and a few through the
empirical methodologies. The focus of researchers should now be on establishing and
testing new hypothesis with the help of techniques like case studies and surveys etc.
rather than working solely on theory building. Flynn et al., (1990) and Swamidass
(1991) have reported the importance of empirical research study and its effects on
operations management. According to them, the term “empirical,” which means
“knowledge based on real world observations or experiment,” is used here to describe
field-based research which uses data gathered from naturally occurring situations or
experiments, rather than via laboratory or simulation studies, where the researchers
have more control over the events being studied. Empirical research can be used to
document the state of the art in any research, as well as to provide a baseline for
longitudinal studies. It can also be invaluable in the development of parameters and
distributions for mathematical and simulation modeling studies. A very important use
for empirical data is in theory building and verification. Information derived from
actual practice can enhance six sigma research in a number of ways. Gathering
systematic information about six sigma practices provides information about the state
of the art in six sigma. Anecdotal articles may describe current practices at a single
firm, however, systematic data gathering can provide more generalizable evidence
about trends and norms in specific populations of firms. This may be used to make
inferences about firms in general. Empirical data can also be used in conjunction with
simulation and mathematical programming research.
Subsequently, other researchers started focusing on empirical research.
Pannirselvam et al., (1999) found that empirical studies consisted of only 18% of
Literature review
28
published research articles in operations management when conducted survey during
1992-1997. They had conducted the survey during the early stage of the empirical
research. That is one of the reasons why he got less number of articles involving
empirical approach in his review. In this present review, it is found that approximately
38 % of empirical approach articles were published from period considered for this
study, clearly suggesting the positive change towards the empirical approach. As evident
from analysis in research methodology section, the study found a rise in empirical
approach (either quantitative or qualitative) over the years but still it is in minority as
compared to conceptual approach. Hence there is further need for more empirical
research to get better benefits to the organizations.
(ii) Need for collaborative research between academicians and industry professionals:
One of the important observation that is reflected in this research is about authorship
patterns. Previous international business reviews (Sekaran, 1983; Sin et al., 1999)
addressed the importance of collaboration among researchers, particularly from diverse
countries and cultural backgrounds to enhance the overall quality of research. In spite
of the increasing globalization of research interests and researchers themselves,
academicians or researchers dominate over others. There is an urgent need to bring
down the geographical domination of the authors and geographic concentration of
authorships, which otherwise may lead to ineffective results when referred to by other
countries. To achieve the object of globalization of authorship pattern, the authors
suggest that the developed countries’ research institutes like Centre for Research in Six
Sigma and Process Excellence (CRISSPE) in UK, need to collaborate with
undeveloped and developing nations’ research institutes like Indian Statistical Institute
(ISI) in India to encourage research in their regions and to get culture independent
results. Another important factor coming out from this authorship pattern is back
ground of authors. The present study has found that the contribution of research articles
is mainly from academicians with very few professional being involved. To overcome
this kind of the problem, the academicians have to collaborate with the professionals to
get better conclusions and articles useful to the industry. There is need to improve the
catchment of research in these developing countries through the various research
institutions, collaboration between institutions and organizations and encouragement
from local government to the researchers.
Literature review
29
(iii) Need for implementation of six sigma in other Industry sectors:
While considering the industry focus of the research articles, it was found that most of
the articles are addressing issues from manufacturing sector. One of the reason is six
sigma principles were invented from the manufacturing sector initially. However, at
present there is a need of six sigma implementation in other sectors like service,
infrastructure, finance, healthcare and agriculture sector. Moreover there is need to carry
out the research in other conventional and non-conventional industries in order to
improve their productivity, flexibility and to fulfill customer needs.
(iv) Need for development of six sigma implementation framework:
From the literature review of six sigma articles, it is clear that only few researchers
have talked about framework of six sigma and no framework has discussed the
relation between the elements and effect of one over other element.. The study also
observed that articles have talked about limited number of six sigma elements instead
of considering a complete set of six sigma elements in the organization. To encourage
the professionals to implement a set of six sigma elements, the researchers need to
develop more numbers of six sigma frameworks, which acts as guiding torch to the
professionals. This shows the urgent need for the six sigma implementation
framework, describing important elements of six sigma, relationships between these
elements and which will guide the professionals for effective implementation of
six sigma.
2.4.1 Significant observations
Apart from the abovementioned various research gaps, certain prominent observations
were made during the literature review are discussed below,
• Increase in the number of articles:
The importance of six sigma philosophy is growing day by day due to its positive
impact on productivity of organizations and fulfillment of customer requirements. All
this adds to significant growth in published articles in various journals. It is evident
from analysis of papers published during period (i.e., 2005-2011) that there is a large
increase in the number of published articles, which is 76.53 % of the total articles
considered for the present review.
Literature review
30
• Integration of six sigma with other philosophies:
As evident from the integration with the other philosophies section, there is a need to
integrate six sigma philosophy with other manufacturing philosophies to achieve
manufacturing excellence. The study reports that research community should
investigate integrating six sigma philosophy with other manufacturing philosophies
in order to exhibit all the benefits of this process.
• Status of six sigma in India:
Six sigma has evolved into a powerful business improvement methodology in
many Indian industries and its importance is growing. Very little research has
been carried out relating to the status of six sigma implementation in the Indian
industry (Antony, J. and Desai, D.A., 2009). In order to gain a better insight into
the six sigma initiative within the Indian industry, there is need to carry out a
large-scale survey in the immediate future for greater validity of the findings from
this research.
2.5 Research plan
The flow chart of research plan followed is as shown in Figure 2.6. The research problem
is chosen as per the gaps identified through literature review. The state of existing six
sigma frameworks is investigated and subsequently the need for new framework for six
sigma is proposed. To accomplish this, existing models/frameworks of six sigma are
identified through thorough literature search. In the next step, the empirical investigation
of existing six sigma frameworks was carried out. The objective of this investigation is to
find the validity and reliability of the existing frameworks in Indian scenario. Next phase
is to develop a new framework suitable for Indian industries. Then empirical
investigation of proposed framework is carried out. This phase includes validity &
reliability of proposed six sigma framework followed by path analysis & structural
equation modeling of proposed six sigma framework to find out suitability in Indian
Industry. Finally, based on the results obtained through various analysis conducted in
this phase, the study concludes the proposed six sigma framework is suitable to
implement in Indian manufacturing industries.
Literature review
31
Figure 2.6 Research plan
2.6 Conclusion
A tremendous growth of literature related to six sigma has been observed in the last
two decades. After looking at the wide range of research articles in various journals it
Literature Review
Identification of
research gap
Need for a framework of six
sigma implementation
• Identification of existing model/ frameworks of six sigma
• Identification of elements/constructs of six sigma
Empirical investigation
Empirical investigation of validity and reliability of existing six sigma frameworks
in Indian industries
Development of six sigma
framework: Proposed framework
Empirical investigation of proposed six
sigma framework in India industry
Conclusion
Path analysis & structural equation modeling of proposed six sigma framework
to find out suitability in Indian Industry
Validity & reliability of proposed six sigma framework to find out
suitability in Indian Industry
Literature review
32
can be easily concluded that the concept of six sigma has a big impact on
academicians, industries and researchers worldwide. The detailed examination of
literature shows that there is good information available about six sigma principles,
tools and techniques, its applications, system and metrics. But in the opinion of the
authors, it is the first attempt to critically review the articles in this explicating field.
The authors have provided an in-depth and integrated review of articles. Through this
literature review many issues are addressed which have not been covered adequately in
the past. The authors hope this study will trigger an impulse to promote further
research and exploration.
The limitation of this study is that only three publishing houses were used for articles
collection. It is possible to execute research at even larger scale as six sigma literature
has become very vast. Secondly, there is subjectivity involved in the categorization of
articles as it depends on the author and his perceptive. Although the article
categorization process is carried out with due care but still probability of unintentional
faults cannot be ruled out. Thus in order to strengthen these outcomes, future attempts
may be directed to validate the outcomes of this study with larger sample size.
Overall this review of literature shows that there is substantial advancement in this
field. However, there is still need to carry out further research in this direction and to
throw light on certain dark and unexplored areas of six sigma implementation. Future
studies may cover these issues by promoting the topics and effective exploration. All
these advancements will make it more assorted and useful tool across various domains
and global recognition/application.
In this chapter extensive literature review was undertaken firstly to gain an insight into
the concept of six sigma and secondly to identify work done by the researches in this
field. The various gaps in the existing literature were found regarding the state of
various models/frameworks proposed by researches and need for development of six
sigma implementation framework, describing important elements/construct of six
sigma, relationships between these elements and which will guide the professionals for
effective implementation of the six sigma. Based on the gaps identified, the objectives
of the proposed research were framed.
Literature review
33
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organisations: Benefits, challenges and difficulties, common myths, empirical
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8. Bendell, T.,2006. A review and comparison of six sigma and the lean
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11. Chakrabarty, A., Tan, K.C.,2007. The current state of six sigma application in
services. Managing Service Quality 17, 194-208.
12. Chen, M., Lyu, J.,2009. A Lean Six-Sigma approach to touch panel quality
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E. J.,1990. Empirical research methods in operations management. Journal of
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15. Gowen III, C.R., Tallon, W.J.,2005. Effect of technological intensity on the
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implementation of six sigma and knowledge management in hospitals.
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17. Guo, L.,2008, “PERSPECTIVE: an analysis of 22 years of research in JPIM”,
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18. Harry, Mikel J., and Schroeder, Richard,2000. Six Sigma: The Breakthrough
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Doubleday, New York.
19. Jin, T., Janamanchi, B., Feng, Q.,2011. Reliability deployment in distributed
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Journal of Production Economics 130, 96–103.
20. Kevin Burgess, Prakash J. Singh, Rana Koroglu,2006. Supply chain
management: a structured literature review and implications for future research.
International Journal of Operations and Production Management 26, 703-729.
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the Lean Sigma framework in an Indian SME: a case study. Production Planning
and Control 17, 407-423.
22. Kwak, Y.H., Anbari, F.T.,2006. Benefits, obstacles, and future of six sigma
approach. Technovation 26, 708-715.
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23. Mohamed Gamal Aboelmaged.,2010. Six sigma quality: a structured review and
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future research areas. Int. J. Six Sigma and Competitive Advantage 2, 105-161.
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management research: an update for the 1990’s. Journal of Operations
Management 18, 95-112.
27. Pulakanam, V., Voges, K.E.,2010. Adoption of six sigma: Review of empirical
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28. Schroeder, R.G., Linderman, K., Liedtke, C., Choo, A.S.,2008. Six sigma:
definition and underlying theory. Journal of operations Management 26, 536-554.
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Examination for Their Role in the Six Sigma Methodology, Quality Progress 32,
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37
Chapter 3
Research methodology
3.1 Introduction
First phase of this chapter discuss about importance of empirical research and research
methodology followed. Questionnaire design and data collection process used for the
study is explained in the subsequent section. In next phase selection of industry, brief
information about the typical products that are manufactured in the selected industry
and importance and need of six sigma in the selected company sector is explained.
3.2 Empirical research
Empirical research methods are a class of research methods wherein empirical
observations or data are collected in order to answer particular research questions.
While this methods are primarily used in academic research, it can also be useful in
answering practical questions. Minor et al., (1994) defined “empirical studies as
those involving the gathering and analysis of data, and subsequent reporting of
findings and conclusions.” The importance of empirical research in applied business
studies has been highlighted by various authors (such as Ebert, 1990; Hayes and
Clark, 1985; Flynn et al., 1990 etc). It cannot be denied that the most effective
method of conducting a research is to follow a proven systematic empirical research
approach. By following an existing approach, more time can be spent on content of
the research rather than on the method. The empirical research methodology proposed
by Flynn et al., (1990) was followed. Approach given by Flynn for systematic
empirical research consists of following six stages:
• Establish the theoretical foundation
• Select research design
• Select data collection method
• Implementation
• Data analysis
• Findings and conclusions
Research methodology
38
This approach has been widely followed by the practitioners and researcher in the
empirical study. The reason for choosing this approach is due to its simplicity, straight-
forward nature and a systematic approach for conducting empirical research and it is
shown in the Figure 3.1 (Flynn et. al., 1990)
Figure 3.1: A systematic approach for empirical research (Flynn et al., 1990)
The systematic approach of empirical research proposed by Flynn et. al. (1990) was
followed step by step. In the stage of establishing the theoretical foundation the researcher
either builds a theory or verifies a prior theory. Empirical research can have one of the two
purposes either theory building i.e. to propose one’s own theory based on empirical data or
theory verification i.e. to verify an already existing or newly proposed theory on the basis
of empirical data. The focus of theory verification is on testing the hypothesis within
specified confidence levels, instead of the origin of the hypotheses. However the origin for
a theory building study is not hypothesis, rather some assumptions, frameworks, a
perceived problem or perhaps, a very tentative hypotheses. The second stage in the
systematic approach is selecting a research design and various methods are prescribed
which are given in the Figure 3.1. The survey is the most frequently used research design.
The reason for this is that cross-sectional survey design involves selecting different
organizations over a large industry space. This design has the ability to describe features of
large number of people and organizations. Ferdows et al., (1986) proposed that “when the
focus of the research is generalizability to an entire population of firms, administrating a
survey to a large sample is a more appropriate approach”.
Research methodology
39
Once the research design is selected a data collection method needs to be selected.
Researchers have given various methods of data collection and sometimes a combination
of data collection methods can also be used. Questionnaire is the most widely used method
of data collection, as it gives inference about a large group of people/ organizations from
data drawn on a relatively small number of individuals/ organizations. In the next step the
implementation of the selected data collection method is discussed. The first step involves
selection of the population and then from that population a random sample is generated, to
help control against bias. If the sample is drawn from a specific group, such as a given
industry the actual sample should be drawn randomly once the master set of names have
been obtained. The next step in implementation involves scale development. The most
widely used is the Likert scale which is an example of interval scale. After the scale
development the questionnaire is constructed, and then its pilot testing is done before
sending it to the full random sample taken out of the population. If possible the
nonrespondents can be identified and then they can be contacted again through some other
means of correspondence like telephone, e-mails etc. The last stage of implementation
stage is the data entry stage. Prior to data entry, careful examination of completed
questionnaire is required to prevent subsequent data analysis problems. The data entry
should be done very carefully to keep the vital integrity of the data. The last stage of
systematic empirical research is the data analysis. Several data analysis methods are
prescribed in the literature. Finally the research report is prepared for publication.
3.3 Methodology of the proposed empirical research
The methodology of the proposed empirical research to achieve the objectives is
discussed in the following sub-sections.
3.3.1 Theory verification
Through the detailed literature review the concept of six sigma was studied and the
theoretical foundation for the research on six sigma in Indian scenario was identified at
the onset of research. The various initiatives taken in this regard were identified through
the search of different six sigma models /frameworks suggested by various authors
around the globe. The validity and reliability of existing frameworks of six sigma was
investigated. The present status of six sigma implementation in Indian manufacturing
Research methodology
40
companies was studied in depth and need for a six sigma framework was identified.
Subsequently, a framework for the six sigma implementation was proposed.
3.3.2 Selecting a research design
When planning any form of research one of the most important factors is establishing the
method and design of the empirical research. The research design depends on the kind of
information required, the nature of changes observed and the status of industry to be
observed. Decision is needed to be made whether to go for a longitudinal survey i.e. to
focus on a small group or number of organizations and attempt to investigate them over a
period of time. The second option is to go for a cross sectional survey i.e. selecting
different organizations. This design has an ability to describe a large number of
organizations and its people (Gilgeous, 1997). Cross-sectional survey was preferred
since our need was to identify the requirements of six sigma in the Indian scenario.
Secondly the complexity of data in the longitudinal survey and the time constraint
required, also suggest to follow cross-sectional survey.
The method of survey was cross-sectional and hence to extract relevant information
survey methodology was chosen. The survey is the most commonly used method of
research design in operations management, as survey gives self reports of the
industry as well as their opinions (Malhotra & Grover, 1998). In this case the term
empirical is used to describe the real world observations using field research
(gathering data from naturally occurring situations) not simulations where the
researcher has control over the events being studied (Flynn et. al, 1990). As stated
earlier Empirical research has been used to collect the data across various
manufacturing sectors in the Indian industry. Surveys are fairly common in empirical
research (Deshmukh & Dangayach, 2003; Malhotra & Grover, 1998). Survey
research involves collection of data from a large group of population.
3.3.3 Selecting a data collection method
Questionnaire survey was used as data collection method. The method of
questionnaire administration was chosen as mail-survey in the first phase of the
exploratory study and subsequently the second questionnaire was launched on the
same samples selected in the first study, but in this case the questionnaires were sent
through e-mails. The questionnaire was prepared separately for the two surveys
Research methodology
41
conducted on the same population. The first questionnaire was for evaluation of the
validity and reliability of existing six sigma frameworks. The second phase of the
exploratory search is to do the empirical investigation of proposed framework for
six sigma implementation.
3.3.4 Selection of industry
A database of manufacturing industries was obtained from the CII (Confederation of
Indian Industry) directory. Next, to select the sample manufacturing companies a brief
literature review was done and it was found that from the Indian perspective, the major
manufacturing sectors are automobile, electronics, engineering, and process industries
(Deshmukh and Dangayach, 2003). In addition to above four sectors, Textile is
considered as a separate sector. Certain sectors have emerged in the forefront regarding
growth and employment because of unique opportunities they enjoy at the present time:
Textile & Garments, Automobiles & Components, Steels, Minerals, Fertilizers,
IT hardware and Electronics, Chemical & Petrochemicals, Telecom equipment etc.
(National Strategy for Manufacturing, 2006). Hence the lists of large companies from the
above sectors were chosen from the CII industrial directory.
In India manufacturing industry is consist of many different sectors, each of which is
influenced by the overall manufacturing environment, but each of which also has its own
ups and downs. A database of 208 companies was generated from the directory to which
the questionnaires were sent. Table 3.1 shows the typical products that are manufactured
in the sample sectors.
Table 3.1: Typical products that are manufactured in the sample sectors
Sector Product
Automobile • Two wheelers includes scooter and motorbikes
• Four wheelers including cars, trucks, tractors, and buses
• Automotive components includes axles, shock absorber, head lights, battery, bearings, clutches, brakes, steering and suspension systems, speedometers, mileage meters, piston and piston rings, engine assembly etc.
Machines & Equipments
• Generators, inverters rotors, stators, electric motors etc.
• Diesel engines
• Construction machinery
• Agriculture machinery
Research methodology
42
Sector Product
• Material handling equipment such as forklift trucks, cranes, etc.
• Sewing machines
• Refrigerators, fans
Electricals and Electronics
• Electronic consumer items, TV tubes, cables
• Measuring instruments like electronic energy meters, optical pyrometers, stabilizers, etc.
• Industrial electronics including, microcircuits, electronic panels, fuse gears, telephone exchange chambers, cables, transformers, etc.
• Semiconductors, capacitors, HMC’s, etc.
• Switchgears etc.
Process Industries
• Paper
• Paint
• Tyres
• Packaging products
• Cement
• Petroleum and products
• Medicines
• Fertilizers
Textiles • Fabrics
• Cotton Yarn
• Textile Products
• Yarn
Questionnaires were sent to top management of the companies i.e. CEO’s/ Chairman’s/
Managing Directors in five industrial sectors:
• Automobile
• Machines and equipments
• Electricals and Electronics
• Process Industries
• Textiles
The detailed list of companies to which the questionnaire was sent is given as appendix F
at the end. The relevance, importance and brief overview of each of the above five
sectors are discussed as below:
Research methodology
43
3.3.4.1 Automobile sector
India has made a mark in the global automobile industry; the salient aspects below make
for India featuring on every leading automobile player's roadmap.
• India is the second largest two-wheeler market in the world
• Fourth largest commercial vehicle market in the world
• 11th largest passenger car market in the world
• Fifth-largest bus and truck market in the world (by volume)
• Envisaged to be the 7th largest automobile market by 2016, and world's 3rd
largest by 2030 (behind only China and the US)1
The Indian automotive industry has witnessed an unprecedented boom in recent years,
owing to the improvement in living standards of the middle class, and a significant
increase in their incomes. The industry is expected to touch the 10 million mark, to
which the Commercial Vehicle Segment will be a major contributor. Industry experts
peg the Indian Automobile sales growth at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of
9.5 per cent - 13008 million vehicles - by 2015. Hence the growing commitment of
international auto manufacturers to India as a source of high value, high quality
engineering products and services cannot be denied. India seems set to emerge not only
as a very large domestic auto market, but also as a powerful link in the global auto
chain.2"
In terms of auto components, the world's top car makers turn to India for various auto
components like crankshafts (Bharat Forge Ltd. is world leader in supplying
crankshafts to all the countries) and other components for their vehicles. Riding this
success, and capitalizing on the spiraling demand of domestic auto industries, the
Indian automobile components companies have emerged as one of India's fastest
growing manufacturing sector, and a globally competitive one. According to the Auto
Component Manufacturers Association (ACMA), the apex body of component
makers in India, global sourcing of components from the country will double from
US$ 5.9 billion to US$ 12.9 billion in 2013-14, and is slated to hit US$ 20 billion in
seven years. India is estimated to have the potential to become one of the top five
auto component economies by 2025. India's component industry now has the
1 http://in.kpmg.com/pdf/automotive-study.pdf
2 http://in.kpmg.com/pdf/automotive-study.pdf
Research methodology
44
capability to manufacture the entire range of auto-components, such as engine parts,
drive, transmission parts, suspension and braking parts, electrical parts, and body and
chassis parts. The Indian automobile market is estimated to become the third largest in
the world by 2016 and will account for more than 5 per cent of the global vehicle sales;
India is expected to become the fourth largest automobiles producer globally by 2020
after China, US and Japan3.
In automobile sector, there is a huge scope for six sigma in terms of improving the
quality of automotive parts, reducing the defects in the final product and so on. Large
automobile companies like Ford, GM have reported significant benefits from the
application of six sigma and this made other automobile companies to adopt this
philosophy for the similar benefits. Kalamdani & Khalaf (2006) have advocated the
application of six-sigma and has mentioned that it is a successful mode for achieving
improvement across the individual activities in the automobile industry.
3.3.4.2 Machines and equipments sector
This sector in India comprises of heavy engineering Industry, machine tool industry,
electrical industry, industrial machinery and auto-industry. These industries provide
goods and services for almost all sectors of the economy, including power, rail and road
transport. Heavy engineering industries are engaged in the production of heavy
engineering goods and mainly produces high-value products using high-end technology.
The major end customer industries for heavy engineering goods are power,
infrastructure, steel, cement, petrochemicals, oil & gas, refineries, fertilizers, mining,
railways, automobiles, textiles, etc. The machine building industry caters the
requirements of equipment for basic industries such as steel, non-ferrous metals,
fertilizers, refineries, petrochemicals, shipping, paper, cement, sugar, etc.
Heavy electrical industry covers power generation, transmission, distribution and
utilization equipments. These include turbo generators, boilers, various types of turbines,
transformers, switchgears and other allied items. Majority of the products manufactured
by heavy electrical industry in the country, which includes items like transformers,
switchgears etc. are used by all sectors of the Indian economy. Some major areas where
these are used are the multi core projects for power generation including nuclear power
3 http://www.ibef.org/download/Auto_Components_-_August_2015.pdf
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stations, petrochemical complexes, chemical plants, integrated steel plants, non-ferrous metal
units, etc. India is the only other developing country besides China, which produces a full
range of electric power generation and transmission equipment4.
In machines and equipment sector, six sigma approach has been increasingly adopted
worldwide in order to enhance productivity and quality performance and to make the
process robust to quality variations. Sahoo et al., (2007) have applied six sigma in
machine industry and mentioned it as a viable option to the shop floor problems. They
have also reported the there was substantial improvement in the efficiency and
performance of manufacturing operations.
3.3.4.3 Electricals and electronics sector
The highlights of the Indian Electronics Industry are5:
• Industry size – US$ 25 billion
• Ranked 26th in the world in sales, 29th in production
• Growing at over 25 % CAGR
• Expected to reach US$ 158 billion by 2015
• Low penetration levels
• The industry is one of the fastest growing in India, driven by growth in key
sectors such as IT, Consumer Electronics and Telecom
The total electronic equipment production in India had reached $52 billion in 2013,
compared with $14 billion in 2006, a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 18 per
cent. Semiconductor consumption in India will be more than double from $2.8 billion in
2006 to $7.2 billion in 20136. The growth in electronic equipment production is being
bolstered by the rapid growing demand for electronics equipments in India. Gartner
classifies electronic equipments across six broad categories: communications electronics,
data-processing electronics equipment, consumer electronics, industrial electronics,
automotive electronics and military/civil aerospace electronics. In 2013, the consumer
electronics equipment segment led to the growth with 42 per cent share of the overall
electronic equipment production in India. The segment is primarily driven by analog TVs
and other audio and video equipment, including CD players. It also includes electronic
4 http://www.ibef.org
5 http://www.ibef.org/download/electronics
6 Business Standard
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46
appliances such as microwave ovens, washing machines, air-conditioners and
calculators.
GE one of the leading electrical company initiated six sigma in 1996 and reported saving
of more than US$2 billion of revenue in 1999. Black & Decker’s power tool
manufacturing company reported savings of approximately US$75 million in 2000.
The challenge for electrical and electronics manufacturing facilities is to manufacture
item having no quality defects with least cost. In consumer electronics there is a cut
throat competition with regard to price. All manufacturers try to curtail manufacturing
cost. So there is a great stress in the process of manufacturing electrical and electronics
goods. In order to address various types of challenges faced by electrical and electronics
companies, these sectors are also trying adopt the six sigma practices.
3.3.4.4 Process industries sector
Process industries sector includes cement, paper, paint, tyres, petroleum and its products,
pharmaceuticals, fertilizers etc. Globally, India is the second largest producer of cement.
Cement production grew at the rate of 10.1 per cent during 2012-13 over the previous
fiscal's total production of 147.8 MT. Of this, 9.3 MT of cement was exported.
Continuing the growth momentum, cement production increased by 8.4 per cent to
80.85 MT. during the period April-September from 74.58 MT during the corresponding
period last year. The Indian cement industry is on a roll. Driven by a booming housing
sector, global demand and increased activity in infrastructure development such as state
and national highways, the cement industry has outpaced itself, ramping up production
capacity, attracting the top cement companies in the world, and sparking off a spate of
mergers and acquisitions to spur growth7.
India's rapid economic growth is being built on a frame of steel. Soaring demand by
sectors like infrastructure, real estate and automobiles, at home and abroad, has put
India's steel industry on the world steel map. The rapid rise in the production has resulted
in India becoming the fifth largest producer of steel in the world, up by two places.
The Indian pharmaceutical sector is witnessing tremendous growth with the contract
research and clinical trials businesses taking wing, and the new patent regime opening
7 http://www.ibef.org
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new avenues for players in the country. The Indian pharmaceutical industry ranks 4th in
terms of volume (with an 8 per cent share in global sales) globally. In terms of value it
ranks 13th (with a share of 1 per cent in global sales) and produces 20-24 per cent of the
world's generic drugs (in terms of value).
The oil and gas industry has been instrumental in fuelling the rapid growth of the Indian
economy. It contributes about 45 per cent of the total energy consumption of the country,
which is the fifth largest energy consumer in the world. In the last few years, the paper
industry in the country grew by 6 per cent. In the future, it is forecast to grow at 10 per
cent because of huge spurt in demand for writing and printing paper. In sharp contrast to
it, the Industry in the US and Europe is growing at a mere 2 per cent, while in other
Asian countries, it is growing at 4.5 per cent. Riding on the back of a real estate boom,
paint companies are extremely bullish on India, which is among the fastest growing
markets across the globe. Among the international companies that are increasing their
investments is the Japanese paint major, Nippon, which is planning to invest about Rs
350-400 crore in India for its various expansion projects over the next few years.
(Business Standard, January 6, 2010).
Tyre production in the country registered a growth of 10 per cent in April-December
2012-13 compared with the corresponding period last financial year. On the exports
front, passenger car tyres registered a whopping growth of 54 per cent, while growth in
the truck and bus segment was 9 per cent. Hence it can be seen that the process industry
is also matching the growth of the other sectors.
Kaushik and Khanduja (2009) have explained the importance of six sigma in process
industry. They have explained about implementation of six sigma in power plant and
reported huge savings. Chonghun Han and Young-Hak Lee (2002) have mentioned the
role of six sigma to address the major challenges in process industries in the highly
competitive global market i.e. requirement to produce high quality products with less
energy and resources consumed.
3.3.4.5 Textile sector
The Indian textiles industry has significantly contributed to the economic life of the country.
Liberalisation in India and the scrapping of quotas in world trade of textiles and clothing has
bolstered growth for the sector. In the post quota period, the industry size has expanded from
Research methodology
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US$ 49 billion in 2006-07 to US$ 62 billion in 2012-13. In this period, while the domestic
market increased from US$ 23 billion to US$ 30 billion, exports increased from around US$
14 billion to US$ 19 billion. India has overtaken the US to become the world's 2nd largest
cotton producing country, after China. According to the Confederation of Indian Industry–
Ernst & Young Textiles and Apparel Report 2013, the Indian sourcing market is estimated to
grow at an annual average rate of 12 per cent from an expected market size of US$ 35-37
billion in 2011 to US$ 47-49 billion by 2013. Kumar M et al., (2006) have emphasized use
of six sigma in textile industry. Also many authors have indicated the importance of
six sigma in addressing the problems in textile industries.
3.3.5 Data collection and analysis
As the next step in implementation of the questionnaire survey the scale selection was
done and as stated earlier Likert scale was used. The details of the same shall be
provided in chapters four and six respectively. The questionnaires in the first stage were
mailed to the 208 companies and in the second stage the developed questionnaire was
sent as an attachment through e-mail. The data entry was done for respective surveys. In
order to get that relevant and required information, data is analyzed. As per Jankowicz
(1991) data analysis can be defined as “a systematic and orderly approach taken towards
the collection of the data so that information can be obtained from the data” It is difficult
to draw conclusions from empirical data and to generalize them, without the help of
statistical evidence. The Statistical Package of Social Science (SPSS) version 18 and
AMOS were used to analyze the data. This software provides complete range of
statistical methods and good range of editing and labeling facilities. It produces output in
an easily decipherable manner. Various data analysis techniques like descriptive
statistics, correlations analysis, factor analysis etc. were used.
3.4 Conclusion
This chapter reported the systematic approach followed for conducting empirical
research for a cross sectional survey. The step by step systematic research methodology
followed was explained. The methodology followed to fulfill the research plan was
explained in detail. A brief overview of various sectors to which the questionnaire was
sent and importance and need of six sigma in these sectors is explained. In last section
data collection and analysis techniques are discussed.
Research methodology
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References:
1. Chonghun Han and Young-Hak Lee,(2002). Intelligent integrated plant operation
system for six sigma. Annual Reviews in Control,26,27-43
2. Dangayach, G.S. and Deshmukh, S.G.,2003. Evidence of manufacturing
strategies in Indian industry: a survey. International Journal of Production
Economics, 83, (3), 279-98.
3. Electronic equipment output to touch US$ 32 billion available at:
http://www.indianembassy.nl/september.doc#_Toc176320029 (accessed on 23rd
May 2012)
4. Ferdows, K., Miller, J.G., Nakane, J., Vollmann, T.E.,1986. Evolving Global
Manufacturing Strategies: Projections into the 1990s. International Journal of
Operations & Production Management,6 (4),6-16.
5. Flynn, B.B., Sakakibara, S., Schroeder, R.G., Bates, K.A. and Flynn, E.J.,1990.
Empirical research methods in operations management. Journal of Operations
Management, 9, 250-284.
6. Gilgeous M.,1997. A Framework for manufacturing excellence. PhD Thesis,
University of Nottingham, U.K.
7. India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF). “Manufacturing in India.” Available at:
http://www.ibef.org (accessed on 13th Feb 2012).
8. India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF): Electronics available at:
www.ibef.org/download/electronics_29feb_08.pdf., (accessed 29th Feb 2012)
9. India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF): Textiles Available at:
http://www.ibef.org/industry/textiles.aspx (accessed 13th May 2012)
10. India in Business Industry and Services: Textiles available at:
http://indiainbusiness.nic.in/industry-infrastructure/industrial-sectors/textile.htm
(accessed 13th May 2012)
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http://www.indiainbusiness.nic.in/industry-infrastructure/industrial-
sectors/heavy.htm (accessed 13th May 2012)
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Industries Dec 2006 available at: www.scribd.com/doc/2445675/automotivestudy
(accessed 2nd Apr 2013)
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13. Jankowicz, A.D.,1991. Business Research Projects for Students, Chapman &
Hall, London, UK.
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Available at: http://in.kpmg.com/pdf/automotive-study.pdf (accessed on 22nd
Apr 2012)
15. Kalamdani, R., & Khalaf, F.,2006. Application of design for six sigma to
manufacturing process design at Ford PTO. International Journal of Product
Development, 3, 369-387.
16. Kaushik, P., Khanduja, D.,2009. Application of six sigma DMAIC methodology
in thermal power plants: A case study. Total Quality Management and Business
Excellence 20, 197-207.
17. Kumar, M., Antony, J., Singh, R.K., Tiwari, M.K., Perry, D.,2006. Implementing
the Lean Sigma framework in an Indian SME: a case study. Production Planning
and Control 17, 407-423.
18. Malhotra M.K. and Grover V.,1998. An assessment of survey research in POM:
from constructs to theory. Journal of Operations Management, 16 (4), 407-425.
19. The National Strategy for Manufacturing, 2012, Government of India, National
Manufacturing Competitiveness Council, New Delhi.
20. Paint majors ride the real estate boom. Business Standard Mumbai August 10,
2012. Available at: http://www.business-standard.com/india/storypage.php?
autono=294038. (accessed January, 2012)
21. Minor, E.D., Hensley, R.L. and Wood, D.R.,1994. A review of empirical
manufacturing strategy studies. International Journal of Operations and
Production Management, 14 (1), 5-25.
22. Ebert, R.J.,1990. Announcement on empirical field based methodologies in JOM.
Journal of Operations Management, 90(1),135-137.
23. Hayes, R.H., and K.B. Clark.,1985. Explaining Observed Productivity
Differentials between Plants: Implications for Operations. Interfaces,15(6), 3-14.
24. Sahoo, A.K., Tiwari, M.K., Mileham, A.R., 2008. six sigma based approach to
optimize radial forging operation variables. Journal of materials processing
technology 202, 125–136.
51
Chapter 4
Empirical investigation of validity and reliability of existing
six sigma frameworks in Indian industry
4.1 Introduction
For global competitiveness, Indian industries need overall operational and service
excellence. Indian industries have experienced periodic impacts of transformation, both,
before and after industrial reforms. Initially, the focus has been on large-scale public and
private sectors, mainly in core infrastructural production organizations. After
globalization and liberalization, quality surfaced as one of the major areas of concern
along with productivity. With the reduction of geographical barriers and the pressure of
competing in the global market, overall operational and service excellence have become
a necessity for the Indian industries to remain globally competitive. six sigma has
evolved into a powerful business improvement methodology in many Indian industries
and its importance is growing. According to Antony, J. and Desai, D.A. (2009),
"Although many Indian industries have successfully embraced the six sigma business
improvement strategy, the adoption of six sigma in Indian industries is not as
encouraging as it should be. It appears that six sigma is not fully explored by Indian
industries".
Presently many Indian companies such as Bharat Forge, Tata Motors, Mahindra and
Mahindra, Maruti and their ancillaries, are taking right steps in the direction for
implementation of six sigma business improvement strategy. However, a
comprehensive six sigma framework/path/roadmap for the Indian scenario is needed,
which can be used to establish a mechanism to assess the competitiveness of the Indian
manufacturing firms and to encourage the adoption of global best practices. A review
of literature in Chapter 2 has reported that there is a need for the six sigma
implementation framework, describing important elements/construct of six sigma,
relationships between these elements and which will guide the professionals for
effective implementation.
Empirical investigation of validity and reliability of existing six sigma frameworks in Indian industry
52
4.2 Identification of existing six sigma frameworks
The term framework doesn’t have clear cut definition from the research world. But
there seems to be a lack of consensus about what really a framework is. Very often,
the terms model and frameworks have been used interchangeably. It is all happening
due to lack of clarity about what is framework or model. The present study
investigated what is a framework. Few researchers tried to give proper definition of
the framework and model. Yusof and Aspinwall (2000) stated that a model can
answer the question of “what is” with the overall perception or elements put down
together, whereas a framework attempts to answer “how to” questions and presents
an overall relationships and method forward. According to Aalbregtse et al., (1991),
“a framework is a device that used to define the whole blue print of the management
business objectives and also tries to present the methodology to reach the
organization business goals”. Hakes (1991) reported that the strong framework help
to build up fundamental relationship among the theory and practice of the
organizations. The mathematical model is just a model but it should not be
considered as a framework. These models are generally useful to take a decision
based on value calculated. A framework consists of a set of fundamental tools,
techniques, principles with complete discussion on the actions to be performed
(Popper, 1994). Struebing and Klaus (1997) discussed that a framework projects the
complete action plan and ensure each individual step builds up methodology also.
According to Anand and Kodali (2009), a framework can be useful to the managers
of the organization as a guiding torch, which can assist and shows the required path
during implementation of the new advanced manufacturing philosophies in an
organization. After reviewing entire exiting literature on the frame work, Gunjan and
Kodali (2013) concluded that the framework should satisfy the following conditions:
� A framework is not only a recommended bunch of elements to be considered in
that system, but it should give information about the complete relationships
amongst the elements of system under study.
� A framework should discuss the important steps and stages of activities and how
these are vital for the required purpose.
� A framework should give information about what all activities are involved and
connection of various elements of frameworks with those activities.
Empirical investigation of validity and reliability of existing six sigma frameworks in Indian industry
53
Hence the focus of the present research is to propose a six sigma framework which will
talk about various elements important to achieve six sigma and also give information
about the complete relationships amongst the elements. It will also describe the
important steps and stages for the implementation of the framework. The framework
will consist of definitive set of pillars and its elements which in totality present the
overall picture of six sigma and which overcomes the deficiency that exists in existing
framework of six sigma. The proposed six sigma framework will be useful for the
organization willing to implement six sigma.
From the literature review of six sigma articles, it is clear that few researchers have
proposed framework of six sigma. However all the frameworks suggested by various
researchers talk about elements of six sigma implementation and do not discuss complete
relationships between the elements suggested, steps and stages of activities and its
implementation. The study found 67 six sigma frameworks from the literature review.
The comprehensive list of frameworks identified from literature review and considered
for the study is given in Table 4.1. Apart from this, a brief overview about the existing
frameworks and comments are also shown in Table 4.1
Table 4.1: The complete list of six sigma frameworks considered in the present study
Frameworks Comments on frameworks
Vijay Shanmugam (2007) The author has discussed about success of a
six sigma program relies mainly on some of the key
ingredient and identified few elements for six sigma
implementation in US manufacturing firm.
Roger Hiltona, Margaret Ballab
and Amrik S. Sohal (2008)
The authors emphasized on, there is limited empirical
evidence demonstrating the relationship between
factors associated with a six sigma quality program
and the performance of organizations and discussed
about six sigma elements for implementation.
Forrest B. Green (2006) The author suggests that Total Quality
Management is undergoing a revival under a new
name, six sigma. Author also discussed about five
elements for six sigma implementation.
Navin Shamji Dedhia (2005) The author discussed about six sigma basics and
four necessary elements for implementation.
Empirical investigation of validity and reliability of existing six sigma frameworks in Indian industry
54
Frameworks Comments on frameworks
Fu-Kwun Wang, Timon C. Du
and Eldon Y. Li (2004)
The authors discussed about applying six sigma to
Supplier Development in PC Manufacturing I
Taiwan and also discussed about important
elements for six sigma implementation.
Kamran Moosa and Ali Sajid
(2010)
The authors explored and analyzed the critical
success and failure factors of implementing
six sigma in organization.
Ka-Yin Chau, Songbai Liu
and Wai-Hung Ip (2009)
This paper focuses on enhancing enterprise
information integration using six sigma and
identifies important performance indicators that can
be used in continuous improvement.
Louise Davison
and Kadim Al-Shaghana (2007)
This paper investigates empirically influences on
quality culture development, with particular
reference to a six sigma management programme.
E. V. Gijo
and Tummala S. Rao (2005)
The authors discussed various hurdles faced by
the organizations from their experiences, and
give a few recommendations for six sigma
implementation.
Rodney Mcadam
and Alison Evans (2004)
In this article the authors suggest with the help of
manufacturing case study, there is a need for a
corresponding cultural transformation and more
effective communication for implementation of
six sigma.
Hakan Wiklund
and Pia Sandvik Wiklund ( 2005)
This paper discusses six sigma as a company-wide
approach for organizational improvement
incorporating organizational learning. The paper
also discusses factors associated with
manufacturing work organization and leadership
that are essential for improving organizational
learning and for stimulating the competence
development and motivation among personnel.
Bill Wyper
and Alan Harrison (2000)
The authors discussed about deployment of
six sigma methodology in Human Resource
function with help of a case study.
C. R. Gowen Iii, G. N. Stock
and K. L. Mcfadden ( 2008)
The author explored the usefulness of knowledge
management for the implementation of six sigma in
hospitals. However usefulness of other elements of
six sigma has not been emphasized.
Empirical investigation of validity and reliability of existing six sigma frameworks in Indian industry
55
Frameworks Comments on frameworks
R. Shah, A. Chandrasekaran
and K. Linderman (2008)
This article has discussed about six sigma elements
for implementation with the help of data collected
from manufacturing firms in USA.
Ziaul huq (2006) The author suggests six sigma Implementation
through Competency Based Perspective (CBP) and
suggests key elements for implementation of
six sigma.
Joseph A. De Feo
and Zion Bar-El (2002)
With help of case study in aviation industry, the
author suggested few six sigma elements. In this
paper the authors combined DFSS and TRIZ
methodology to meet six sigma level.
Satya S. Chakravorty (2009) The author has suggested a model focusing
important elements of six sigma with help of case
study in Network Technology Company.
Alessandro Brun (2011) The paper discusses the results of a search project
carried out at Italian company mentioning Critical
success factors of six sigma implementations in
Italian companies. However relations between the
suggested elements have not been discussed.
Xingxing Zu, Lawrence D.
Fredendall and Thomas J. Douglas
(2008)
The authors investigated role of six sigma and its
influence on quality management theory and
application. This study was carried out at a
manufacturing firm in US and also suggested few
six sigma elements.
Roger G. Schroeder, Kevin
Linderman, Charles Liedtke and
Adrian S. Choo (2008)
Descriptive article explaining definition and
underlying theory of six sigma theory and
suggested four elements for implementation.
Ying-Chin Ho, Ou-Chuan Chang
and Wen-Bo Wang (2008)
This study determines critical factors for Asian
aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul
companies during the initial incorporation stage of
six sigma programs and suggested key six sigma
elements. But did not discuss relations between
these elements.
Leopoldo J. Gutie´rrez et al., (2009) This study investigated six sigma from a goal-
theoretic perspective to shared-vision development.
Suggested model having four key elements of
six sigma from survey conducted at manufacturing
and service firms.
Empirical investigation of validity and reliability of existing six sigma frameworks in Indian industry
56
Frameworks Comments on frameworks
Maneesh Kumar, Jiju Antony,
Frenie Jiju Antony
and Christian N. Madu (2007)
This paper presents a case study from a leading
automotive company in US demonstrating how the
effective introduction and implementation of a
six sigma program in organizations can lead to a
breakthrough and suggested key six sigma
elements. However relationship between the
elements have not been discussed.
T. N. Goh (2002) A conceptual paper giving some strategic
perspectives on six sigma, highlighting the
potential and possible limitations of six sigma
applications particularly in a knowledge-based
environment.
Ricardo Banuelas, Jiju Antony,
and Martin Brace (2005)
This study presents a case study of UK
manufacturing firm illustrating the effective use of
six sigma to reduce waste in a coating process and
suggested few six sigma elements.
Chang-Tseh Hsieh, Binshan Lin
and Bill Manduca (2007)
This article briefly discusses the basic concepts of
the six sigma Process Improvement Methodology,
and its application to various computer applications.
Finally, present an actual case where some of these
applications were used to help a major corporation
to achieve significant cost savings.
Graeme Knowles, Linda Whicker,
Javier Heraldez Femat and
Francisco Del Campo Canales
(2005)
The authors have presented a conceptual model for
the application of six sigma methodologies to
supply chain improvement. Relation between
various elements of model has not been discussed.
Maneesh Kumar
and Jiju Antony (2008)
The authors tried to assess the current status of QI
in the UK manufacturing SMEs and report the
differences in the quality management practices of
six sigma SMEs against the ISO certified firms.
Suggested key six sigma elements but did not
discuss relationships between the elements.
Jiju Antony and Darshak A. Desai
(2009)
Authors presented the results from an empirical
investigation of six sigma status in the Indian
industry and underrepresented region of
investigation on six sigma implementation.
Suggested key elements for implementation.
However relations between the elements have not
been discussed.
Empirical investigation of validity and reliability of existing six sigma frameworks in Indian industry
57
Frameworks Comments on frameworks
Ayon Chakrabarty
and Tan Kay Chuan (2009)
The authors presented a conceptual framework to
facilitate widening the scope of six sigma
implementation in service organizations in
Singapore.
Chuni Wu and Chinho Lin (2009) The authors presented a case study of knowledge
creation facilitated by six sigma in a manufacturing
company in Taiwan.
Chu-Hua Kuei
and Christian N. Madu (2003)
The authors presented a customer-centric six sigma
quality management as an extension of the
traditional six sigma way. It views product quality
and process reliability as key to achieving
six sigma and adopts a holistic view of quality.
Behnam Nakhai, and
Joao S. Neves (2009)
A descriptive article elaborating the contributions
of six sigma methodology to the improvement of
service quality. This study aims to explore the
challenges of six sigma in reaching a much wider
field of application.
Razvan Lupan, Ioan C. Bacivarof,
Lasquo and Istia (2005)
The authors proposed that six sigma method as an
improvement solution for the ISO 9000:2000
Quality Standard. The article approach is focused
on integrating the DMAIC cycle of the six sigma
method with the PDCA process approach,
recommended by the standard ISO 9000:2000.
Doug Sanders
and Cheryl Hild (2000)
The authors proposed Senior management
involvement and Support as key elements for
six sigma implementation.
Venkateswarlu Pulakanam and
Kevin E. Voges (2010)
The authors proposed a conceptual framework after
comparing few frameworks of six sigma.
Relationship between the elements of frameworks
considered and proposed framework is not
discussed.
Young Hoon Kwak and
Frank T. Anbari (2006)
A descriptive article focused on the evolution,
benefits, and challenges of six sigma practices and
identifies the key factors influencing successful
six sigma project implementations.
Archana Shukla and R. Srinivasan
(2007)
Authors have presented a case of six sigma
Implementation in electronic Industry and proposed
six elements of six sigma implantation.
Empirical investigation of validity and reliability of existing six sigma frameworks in Indian industry
58
Frameworks Comments on frameworks
Jaideep Motwani, Ashok Kumar
and Jiju Antony (2004)
Authors have suggested business process change
framework for examining the implementation of
six sigma with the help a case study of Dow
Chemicals. Authors have proposed seven six sigma
elements for implementation.
Ricardo Banuelas
and Jiju Antony (2002)
This article reviews the literature related to the
critical success factors for the effective
implementation of six sigma projects in
organizations and suggested twelve six sigma
elements important for implementation. Relationship
between the suggested elements is not discussed.
Taina Savolainen
and Arto Haikonen (2007)
This article examines the dynamics of organizational
learning and continuous improvement (CI) in the
context of six sigma implementation in business
organizations operating in multicultural
environments. Presented findings from a case study
in three Finnish multinational companies and
suggested few key success factors for progressive
organizational learning in conclusion.
Pande et al., and George (2000) The authors claims that companies such as GE and
Motorola have reported huge savings from their
six sigma initiatives and suggested seven important
elements for six sigma implementation.
Ricardo Banuelas, Charles
Tennant, Ian Tuersley
and Shao Tang (2006)
Authors tried to identify the criteria considered for
selecting six sigma projects and how six sigma
projects are selected in organizations in the UK.
Suggested six element for six sigma
implementation.
Godecke Wessel and
Peter Burcher (2004)
The authors based on a sample of SMEs in
Germany, examines how six sigma has to be
modified to be applicable and valuable in an SME
environment. Suggested few elements important for
six sigma.
Chao-Ton Su, Tai-Lin Chiang,
and Che-Ming Chang (2006)
The authors aims to develop and apply an
integrated Lean six sigma methodology in a
service-quality improvement endeavour. An
empirical case study of IT (Information
Technology) help-desk service was utilised to
examine the effectiveness of the methodology.
Empirical investigation of validity and reliability of existing six sigma frameworks in Indian industry
59
Frameworks Comments on frameworks
Leila Jannesari Ladani and
Diganta Das, Jerry L. Cartwright,
Robert Yenkner and Jafar Razmi
(2006 )
The authors discussed about six sigma
methodology and its implementation in electronic
industry and suggested few six sigma elements for
successful implementation.
Jiju Antony (2006) This conceptual paper presents the potential areas
where six sigma could be exploited in service
functions and also reveals most common six sigma
performance metrics used by service industries.
Savolainen and Haikonen (2008) The authors emphasized on importance of
six sigma and mentioned four steps for
implementation.
Geroge Elliott (2004) A descriptive article, mentioning journey steps
towards six sigma implementation.
Arto Haikonen, Taina Savolainen
and Pekka Jarvinen (2004)
Authors aims to explore the six sigma methodology
as a method for developing CI capability and
mentioned seven key elements for six sigma
implementation.
Ayon Chakrabarty
and Kay Chuan Tan (2007)
This article aims to review six sigma application in
services sector and suggested seven important
elements for six sigma implementation.
Rhonda L. Hensley
and Kathryn Dobie (2005)
This paper has provided a conceptual model of
organizational readiness that may help to explain
why some organizations have a much easier time
implementing six sigma than others. One limitation
of this study is that the conceptual model has only
applied in a single organization.
Rupa Mahanti
and Jiju Antony (2009)
The article presents the CSFs which are essential
for successful deployment of six sigma in software
business.
Maneesh Kumar
Jiju Antony and Alex Douglas
(2009)
This article presents the results of the survey
conducted in UK manufacturing SMEs to
investigate into their quality practices and measure
its impact on the organizational performance of
SMEs and suggested few key elements.
Kim M. Henderson and
James R. Evans (2000)
This article reviewed the basic concepts of six
Sigma, its benefits, and successful approaches for
implementation and suggested five six sigma
elements for implementation.
Empirical investigation of validity and reliability of existing six sigma frameworks in Indian industry
60
Frameworks Comments on frameworks
Mark Goldstein (2001) The author is consultant and suggested key
six sigma elements for implementation in this
descriptive article.
Hemant Urdhwareshe (2004) The author has given key six sigma elements
important for implementation in manufacturing
sector in this descriptive article.
Jiju Antony and Ricardo Banuelas
(2002)
This papers presents key ingredients for successful
implementation of six sigma in SME’s.
Burton and Sams (2005) The authors suggested framework for six sigma
implementation and mentioned five key elements.
Hayes (2009) A conceptual model suggesting six key elements
for six sigma implementation.
Furterer (2004) The author is consultant and suggested few
six sigma elements for implementation.
Chang (2002) The author has suggested six sigma implementation
framework for SME’s with eight key elements.
Park (2003) The author is consultant and suggested six sigma
implementation framework with five key elements.
Frank T. Anbari and
Young Hoon Kwak (2004)
The author provided a brief overview of the
Six sigma management method and its use of
project management. The article also examines the
main factors driving the success of six sigma
projects.
Xingxing Zu, Lawrence D.
Fredendall and
Tina L. Robbins (2006)
Based on data collected from US manufacturing
firms, the authors have suggested key elements for
six sigma implementation. However relationship
between the elements have not been discussed.
Wenny Chandra and T N Goh
(2003)
A conceptual framework suggesting five key
six sigma elements for implementation.
Relationship between the elements not discussed.
Daniel Alejandro Firka (2008) A descriptive article, suggesting key success
elements for six sigma implementation in
Argentinean firms.
In all the frameworks listed in Table 4.1 above, various authors have suggested key
elements/critical success factors for six sigma implementation. However no one has
discussed about relationship between the suggested elements and its validation. It should
Empirical investigation of validity and reliability of existing six sigma frameworks in Indian industry
61
be clearly understood here that these researchers listed in the above-mentioned table have
not proposed any frameworks; rather they have explained what are the elements or
critical success factors for six sigma implementation.
The focus of this work is to evaluate reliability and validity of indentified frameworks,
develop a new framework suitable to Indian Industries, evaluate reliability and validity
of suggested framework with context to Indian Industries and also to explore the
applicability of proposed six sigma implementation framework in Indian industries.
4.3 Research methodology for conducting the empirical investigation
The different stages of the systematic approach for the research methodology described
in Chapter 3 are followed to conduct the validity and reliability study. A brief description
about the same is presented below:
4.3.1 Theory verification
The first step is to analyze the existing six sigma frameworks for validity and reliability
in Indian industry.
4.3.2 Selecting a research design
To accomplish the validity and reliability analysis of the existing six sigma frameworks
of in the Indian scenario, a cross-sectional survey was conducted as discussed in
Chapter 3.
4.3.3 Selecting a data collection method
A questionnaire survey is selected as the data collection method for the first phase of
empirical research which deals with validity and reliability analysis of the exiting
six sigma frameworks.
4.3.4 Implementation
A cross-sectional study using questionnaire survey has been decided to perform on
selected multi-sectional industries of manufacturing sector.
In order to achieve the objectives of the present research, the study focused on different
multi-sectional industries in manufacturing sectors, i.e. the automobile industry, process
industry, machinery and equipment, electrical and electronics and textiles industry.
Empirical investigation of validity and reliability of existing six sigma frameworks in Indian industry
62
A database of manufacturing companies to be used for the survey was obtained from the
CII (Confederation of Indian Industry) directory for the year 2012.
The respondents involved in the survey were from various levels like Managing
Directors/CEO’s, production managers, maintenance managers, logistics managers,
human resource managers, product managers and quality managers.
A structured questionnaire was developed on five point Linker scale, the details of which
are given in appendix B where (1) means Not Important, (2) means Less Important, (3)
means Important, (4) means More Important and (5) means Most Important. The
respondents were requested to consider each framework as independent entity and rate
the critical success factors/ elements in it as a milestone to guide the organization
wanting to implement six sigma. The respondent were asked to rate these elements on
the five point response scale. A typical example is shown below:
Framework 3: Forrest B. Green
F3.1 Strong customer focus 1 2 3 4 5
In initial stage of questionnaire design, the industry experts and academicians were
consulted. Comments and feedback of the experts were incorporated and a few minor
changes were made especially in questionnaire format. Most of the experts shared the
feedback on questionnaire format and finally declared that it was suitable for data
collection.
The questionnaire consisted of two parts A and B. The aim of the part A was to collect
the information about the respondent and organization profile. Part B was a structured
questionnaire developed considering all the frameworks for assessing the level of
importance of each element on a five point Likert scale.
A covering letter was also enclosed describing aim of the present study, instructions to
fill the questionnaire, email address of the present study authors. The respondents were
welcome to share any other information they had regarding the concept of six sigma in
the Indian industry. The author performed a pilot study to reinforce the expert’s feedback.
The study expected that the respondents have basic idea about six sigma practices. The
language used in each six sigma framework was simple for easy understanding of the
respondents.
Empirical investigation of validity and reliability of existing six sigma frameworks in Indian industry
63
Moreover, the authors shared their contact details in covering letter with the participants,
in case of any ambiguity or queries related to the questionnaire.
Total 725 questionnaire were sent to people selected from population of manufacturing
industries. Subsequently the author sent 175 postal reminders and 450 emails to non-
responding organizations and also contacted personally over telephone. Responses from
188 organizations were received. However, there were 8 questionnaires which were
incomplete and were not valid and hence we had 180 valid responses which make the
overall response rate of 24.82 percent.
Statistics of sector wise responses received are as shown in the Table 4.2. According to
Sharma and Kodali (2008), a response rate of 18 % is considered to be adequate in
Indian manufacturing conditions. In order to arrive at sample size the author performed
literature review and revealed that different sample sizes such as at least 150-300 cases
(Hutcheson and Sofroniou, 1999) or around 200 is reasonable (Comery and Lee, 1992).
Costello and Osborne (2005) reported that a large sample size helps to get more
appropriate results.
Table 4.2: Statistics of sector wise responses
Industry Sample size
No. of
responses
received by
Post
No. of
responses
received by
Total No. of
responses
received
Response
Rate (%)
Automobile 188 24 29 53 28.19
Process 145 11 20 31 21.37
Machines
and
Equipment
140 13 25 38 27.14
Electrical
and
electronics
174 14 19 33 18.96
Textile 78 9 16 25 32.05
Total 725 71 109 180 24.82
4.3.4.1 Validity and reliability analysis
The objective was to investigate the validity and reliability of various frameworks of
six sigma in the Indian industry. The validity and reliability of the frameworks was
Empirical investigation of validity and reliability of existing six sigma frameworks in Indian industry
64
investigated from the responses received and the collected data was analyzed by using
the Statistical Package of Social Science (SPSS) version 18.
4.3.4.2 Reliability analysis
Reliability is the extent to which a variable or set of variables is consistent in what it is
intended to measure (Dangayach and Deshmukh, 2003). Reliability analysis is used to
find out whether the survey instrument is producing the repetitive results at any time it is
administered to the same respondent under same settings regardless of who administers
them (Flynn et al., 1990). According to Walsh and Betz (2001), reliability can be
measured by test-retest reliability, alternate forms reliability, split-half reliability, and
internal consistency reliability.
Many researchers have preferred to use internal consistency method due to its various
advantages like consistent method and only require a single application to get required
results (Sureshchandar et al., 2001). Cronbach’s alpha coefficient is the most commonly
used coefficient to measure internal consistency of any framework (Cronk, 2004). It can
be calculated using standard commercial package SPSS 18v, which is a user-friendly
software package (Flynn et al., 1990).
4.3.4.3 Validity analysis
According to (Carmines and Zeller 1979, Ngai et al., 2004), validity is defined as the
extent to which any measuring instrument measures what it is intended to measure.
Normally validity analysis is done using three measures: (1) content validity,
(2) criterion related validity and (3) construct validity. Reliability is a necessary
condition for validity, but reliability is not sufficient to determine validity alone (Pierce,
2007).
1. Content validity is determined by judgment made by panel of experts and it is
qualitative approach. The main objective of content validity is used to check whether
all aspects of the attributes are considered in the survey instrument
(Ngai et al., 2004). It can be determined by expert opinions and cannot be
determined statistically (Nunnally, 1978).
2. Criterion validity is used to determine the extent to which a measuring instrument
is related to the objective measured. It is nothing but a simple correlation analysis for
Empirical investigation of validity and reliability of existing six sigma frameworks in Indian industry
65
testing a scale of constructs for a single outcome. In the current context, criterion
related validity is used to investigate the empirical relationship between the
frameworks’ elements and the objective of achieving six sigma.
3. Construct validity measures whether a scale is an appropriate operational definition
of an outcome. Construct validity provides the researcher with confidence that a
survey actually measures what it is anticipated to measure. It can be measured
through empirical survey and cannot be directly assessed. The most reliable method
to perform construct validity is Principle component analysis. Principle component
analysis is conducted to check whether all elements are loading on a single factor i.e.,
unidimensionality of the scales towards a single construct (Sharma and Kodali, 2008).
In the present study, the principle component analysis has been used to check
unidimensionality of each framework.
4.4 Results and discussion of empirical study
The validity analysis was performed on each six sigma framework to find eligible
six sigma frameworks that can be used for further investigation.
The content validity of the questionnaire was performed in two stages: initial stage, the
questionnaire was administered to eight practitioners in industry and four academicians..
The feedback received from them was incorporated in the final questionnaire. In final
stage, the questionnaires were sent to academicians in other prestigious institutions and
also pilot study was conducted in one of the reputed automotive industry. The sample
size of the pilot study is 30 samples in middle and top level management, who have
complete knowledge about six sigma. The comments and feedback of the experts were
taken into consideration and a few minor enhancements were made especially in
questionnaire draft format on the basis of the feedback received. Finally, the
questionnaires were sent to the various Indian manufacturing organizations.
Criterion-related validity is used to check whether a framework’s measures are positively
related to the proposed objective or not in the respective context of study. However, in
the present study at this juncture the criterion-related validity is not tested for the chosen
frameworks. But it has been carried out while validating the proposed framework. The
similar kind of approach was followed by Sharma and Kodali (2008) in their research on
manufacturing excellence frameworks. Finally, the construct validity of each framework
Empirical investigation of validity and reliability of existing six sigma frameworks in Indian industry
66
was checked. The objective of the construct validity is to check whether it measures the
concept or the theoretical construct it was anticipated or designed to measure.
In order to perform validity analysis on any scale, the scale should satisfy two
conditions: one is unidimensionality of the scale (Gerbing and Anderson, 1988) and
secondly, the scale should fulfill the reliability conditions as well (Ahire et al., 1996).
Unidimensionality is used to check whether all elements are concentrated towards the
main target of the measurement (Gerbing and Anderson, 1988; Pierce et al., 1989).
Hence, for all the considered frameworks, the unidimensionality checks as well as the
reliability analysis was performed. The principle component analysis was used to
conduct construct validity on all 67 six sigma frameworks. The factors extracted from
each framework are listed in Table 4.3. The analysis shows that only twenty nine
frameworks displayed unidimensionality with respect to six sigma.
Table 4.3: Factors extracted from each framework
Name of the framework Number of
factors extracted
Vijay Shanmugam (2007) 2
Roger Hiltona, Margaret Ballab and Amrik S. Sohal (2008) 7
Forrest B. Green (2006 ) 1
Navin Shamji Dedhia (2005) 1
Fu-Kwun Wang, Timon C. Du and Eldon Y. Li (2004) 3
Kamran Moosa and Ali Sajid (2010) 1
Ka-Yin Chau, Songbai Liu and Wai-Hung Ip (2009) 1
Louise Davison and Kadim Al-Shaghana (2007) 2
E. V. Gijo and Tummala S. Rao (2005) 1
Rodney Mcadam and Alison Evans (2004) 1
Hakan Wiklund and Pia Sandvik Wiklund ( 2005) 2
Bill Wyper and Alan Harrison ( 2000) 2
C. R. Gowen Iii, G. N. Stock and K. L. Mcfadden ( 2008) 1
R. Shah, A. Chandrasekaran and K. Linderman (2008) 1
Ziaul Huq (2006) 1
Joseph A. De Feo and Zion Bar-El (2002) 1
Satya S. Chakravorty (2009) 1
Empirical investigation of validity and reliability of existing six sigma frameworks in Indian industry
67
Name of the framework Number of
factors extracted
Alessandro Brun (2011) 5
Xingxing Zu, Lawrence D. Fredendall and Thomas J. Douglas
(2008)
3
Roger G. Schroeder, Kevin Linderman, Charles Liedtke and
Adrian S. Choo (2008)
2
Ying-Chin Ho, Ou-Chuan Chang and Wen-Bo Wang (2008) 3
Leopoldo J. Gutie´rrez et al., ( 2009) 1
Maneesh Kumar, Jiju Antony, Frenie Jiju Antony and
Christian N. Madu (2007)
3
T. N. GOH (2002) 3
Ricardo Banuelas, Jiju Antony and Martin Brace (2005) 1
Chang-Tseh Hsieh, Binshan Lin and Bill Manduca (2007) 2
Graeme Knowles, Linda Whicker, Javier Heraldez Femat and
Francisco Del Campo Canales (2005)
1
Maneesh Kumar and Jiju Antony (2008) 4
Jiju Antony and Darshak A. Desai (2009) 3
Ayon Chakrabarty and Tan Kay Chuan (2009) 1
Chuni Wu and Chinho Lin (2009) 1
Chu-Hua Kuei and Christian N. Madu (2003) 1
Behnam Nakhai and Joao S. Neves (2009) 1
Razvan Lupan, Ioan C. Bacivarof,Lasquo and Istia (2005) 1
Doug Sanders and Cheryl Hild (2000) 2
Venkateswarlu Pulakanam and Kevin E. Voges (2010) 4
Young Hoon Kwak and Frank T. Anbari (2006) 4
Archana Shukl and R. Srinivasan (2007) 1
Jaideep Motwani, Ashok Kumar and Jiju Antony (2004) 2
Ricardo Banuelas and Jiju Antony (2002) 4
Taina Savolainen and Arto Haikonen (2007) 1
Pande et al., and George (2000) 2
Ricardo Banuelas, Charles Tennant, Ian Tuersley and
Shao Tang (2006)
2
Godecke Wessel and Peter Burcher (2004) 4
Empirical investigation of validity and reliability of existing six sigma frameworks in Indian industry
68
Name of the framework Number of
factors extracted
Chao-Ton Su, Tai-Lin Chiang and Che-Ming Chang (2006) 1
Leila Jannesari Ladani Diganta Das, Jerry L. Cartwright,
Robert Yenkner and Jafar Razmi (2006 )
1
Jiju Antony (2006) 3
Savolainen and Haikonen (2008) 1
Geroge Elliott (2004) 3
Arto Haikonen,Taina Savolainen and Pekka Jarvinen (2004) 3
Ayon Chakrabarty and Kay Chuan Tan (2007) 1
Rhonda L. Hensley and Kathryn Dobie (2005) 2
Rupa Mahanti and Jiju Antony (2009) 6
Maneesh Kumar, Jiju Antony and Alex Douglas (2009) 4
Kim M. Henderson and James R. Evans (2000) 1
Mark Goldstein (2001) 4
Hemant Urdhwareshe (2004) 3
Jiju Antony and Ricardo Banuelas (2002) 5
Burton and Sams (2005) 4
Hayes (2009) 1
Furterer (2004) 1
Chang (2002) 1
Park (2003) 1
Frank T. Anbari and Young Hoon Kwak (2004) 3
Xingxing Zu, Lawrence D. Fredendall and
Tina L. Robbins (2006)
4
Wenny Chandra and T N Goh (2003) 2
Daniel Alejandro Firka (2008) 4
Table 4.4 shows an example of a component matrix for the framework suggested by
Rodney Mcadam and Alison Evans, which is result of the principal component analysis
for the factor extraction.
Empirical investigation of validity and reliability of existing six sigma frameworks in Indian industry
69
Table 4.4: A component matrix for the framework of Rodney Mcadam and Alison
Evans
Elements Components
Role of management 0.711
Empowerment, reward and co-operation 0.721
Process performance issues 0.761
Cultural transformation 0.796
Customer satisfaction 0.771
Methods of communicating to all employees 0.785
Extraction method: Principal component analysis
The frameworks displaying unidimensionality are:
1. Navin Shamji Dedhia
2. Kamran Moosa and Ali Sajid
3. Ka-Yin Chau, Songbai Liu and Wai-Hung Ip
4. E.V. Gijo and Tummala S. Rao
5. Rodney Mcadam and Alison Evans
6. C. R. Gowen Iii, G. N. Stock and K. L. Mcfadden
7. R. Shah, A. Chandrasekaran and K. Linderman
8. Ziaul Huq
9. Joseph A. De Feo and Zion Bar-El
10. Satya S. Chakravorty
11. Leopoldo J. Gutierrez Gutierrez, F.J. Llorens-Montes and O scar F. Bustinza
Sanchez
12. Ricardo Banuelas, Jiju Antony and Martin Brace
13. Graeme Knowles, Linda Whicker, Javier Heraldez Femat and Francisco Del
Campo Canales
14. Ayon Chakrabarty and Tan Kay Chuan
15. Chuni Wu and Chinho Lin
16. Chu-Hua Kuei and Christian N. Madu
17. Behnam Nakhai and Joao S. Neves
18. Razvan Lupan, Ioan C. Bacivarof, Lasquo and Istia
Empirical investigation of validity and reliability of existing six sigma frameworks in Indian industry
70
19. Archana Shukla and R. Srinivasan
20. Taina Savolainen and Arto Haikonen
21. Chao-Ton Su, Tai-Lin Chiang and Che-Ming Chang
22. Leila Jannesari Ladani, Diganta Das, Jerry L. Cartwright, Robert Yenkner and Jafar
Razmi
23. Savolainen and Haikonen
24. Ayon Chakrabarty and Kay Chuan Tan
25. Kim M. Henderson and James R. Evans
26. Hayes
27. Furterer
28. Chang
29. Park
Internal consistency or reliability of the frameworks can be checked by inter-item
analysis. One of the most commonly used indicator of internal consistency is Cronbach's
alpha coefficient.
Preferably, the framework Cronbach alpha coefficient of a scale should be above 0.7,
which is considered to be good (Pallant, 2005; Soriano-Meier and Forrester, 2002).
Cronbach alpha coefficients of selected twenty nine frameworks were more than 0.7 and
a mean of more than 3.5. Table 4.5 shows the mean and reliability analysis results for the
selected frameworks.
Table 4.5: Mean and reliability analysis results for the selected frameworks
Framework name Overall
mean
Cronbach's
alpha
1. Navin Shamji Dedhia 3.8 0.772
2. Kamran Moosa and Ali Sajid 3.7 0.850
3. Ka-Yin Chau, Songbai Liu and Wai-Hung Ip 3.761 0.761
4. E. V. Gijo and Tummala S. Rao 3.724 0.824
5. Rodney Mcadam and Alison Evans 3.739 0.850
6. C. R. Gowen Iii, G. N. Stock and K. L. Mcfadden 3.739 0.850
7. R. Shah, A. Chandrasekaran and K. Linderman 3.778 0.901
Empirical investigation of validity and reliability of existing six sigma frameworks in Indian industry
71
Framework name Overall
mean
Cronbach's
alpha
8. Ziaul Huq 3.708 0.877
9. Joseph A. De Feo and Zion Bar-El 3.489 0.841
10. Satya S. Chakravorty 3.748 0.883
11. Leopoldo J. Gutierrez Gutierrez, F.J. Llorens-Montes
and O scar F. Bustinza Sanchez
3.772 0.698
12. Ricardo Banuelas, Jiju Antony and Martin Brace 3.831 0.812
13. Graeme Knowles, Linda Whicker, Javier Heraldez
Femat and Francisco Del Campo Canales
3.489 0.841
14. Ayon Chakrabarty and Tan Kay Chuan 3.585 0.878
15. Chuni Wu and Chinho Lin 4.092 0.830
16. Chu-Hua Kuei and Christian N. Madu 3.489 0.841
17. Behnam Nakhai and Joao S. Neves 3.678 0.824
18. Razvan Lupan, Ioan C. Bacivarof, Lasquo and Istia 3.968 0.771
19. Archana Shukla and R. Srinivasan 3.444 0.830
20. Taina Savolainen and Arto Haikonen 3.457 0.900
21. Chao-Ton Su,Tai-Lin Chiang and Che-Ming Chang 4.150 0.866
22. Leila Jannesari Ladani, Diganta Das, Jerry L.
Cartwright, Robert Yenkner and Jafar Razmi
3.692 0.789
23. Savolainen and Haikonen 3.650 0.789
24. Ayon Chakrabarty and Kay Chuan Tan 3.457 0.900
25. Kim M. Henderson and James R. Evans 4.033 0.865
26. Hayes 3.485 0.882
27. Furterer 3.604 0.885
28. Chang 3.890 0.895
29. Park 4.110 0.827
The complete frameworks results are presented in Appendix-C.
For example, the reliability analysis for the framework suggested by Rodney Mcadam
and Alison Evans is shown in following section.
Empirical investigation of validity and reliability of existing six sigma frameworks in Indian industry
72
Table 4.6: Reliability analysis for the framework of Rodney Mcadam and Alison Evans
(a) Summary item statistics
Number of
cases:180 Mean Minimum Maximum Range Maximum
/Minimum Variance N of
Items
Item Means 3.739 3.617 3.800 .183 1.051 .004 6
Inter-Item
Correlations .488 .291 .703 .412 2.416 .011 6
(b) Item-total statistics
Elements
Scale Mean
if Item
Deleted
Scale
Variance if
Item Deleted
Corrected Item-
Total
Correlation
Squared
Multiple
Correlation
Cronbach's
Alpha if
Item
Deleted
Role of
management 18.6500 12.128 .575 .438 .835
Empowerment, reward and co-
operation
18.6667 11.888 .597 .511 .832
Process
performance issues 18.8167 11.011 .643 .497 .824
Cultural
transformation 18.7000 11.842 .681 .510 .818
Customer
satisfaction 18.7000 11.206 .645 .600 .823
Methods of
communicating to
all employees
18.6333 11.463 .672 .552 .818
(c) Reliability statistics
Cronbach's Alpha Cronbach's Alpha Based on Standardized Items N of Items
.850 .851 6
From these selected frameworks, the main elements were identified through frequency
distribution analysis. The criteria for chosen elements were generally having a mode
(most frequently occurring value) of four or more and mean of more than 3.5. The
sample frequency distribution analysis statistics performed on the framework of
Rodney Mcadam and Alison Evans shown in Table 4.7. Most of the constructs/
Empirical investigation of validity and reliability of existing six sigma frameworks in Indian industry
73
elements in each framework were identified. Finally total 159 elements were identified
from these twenty nine frameworks.
Table 4.7: The sample frequency distribution analysis performed on the framework
of Rodney Mcadam and Alison Evans
Role
of
man
agem
ent
Em
pow
erm
ent,
rew
ard a
nd c
o-
oper
atio
n
Pro
cess
per
form
ance
issu
es
Cult
ura
l
tran
sform
atio
n
Cust
om
er
sati
sfac
tion
Met
hods
of
com
mu
nic
atin
g
to a
ll
emp
loy
ees
N Valid 180 180 180 180 180 180
Missing 0 0 0 0 0 0
Mean 3.7833 3.7667 3.6167 3.7333 3.7333 3.8000
Median 4.0000 4.0000 4.0000 4.0000 4.0000 4.0000
Mode 4.00 3.00 3.00 4.00 3.00 4.00
4.5 Conclusion
The objective of the chapter was to perform the validity and reliability analysis of the
existing frameworks of six sigma in Indian scenario. This study has identified that
although majority of the frameworks are displaying high level of reliability but only 29
frameworks displayed unidimensionality with respect to the construct i.e. six sigma it
measures. It was found through the frequency analysis that majority of the constructs
have a high mean and mode score. Various frameworks displayed different constructs
with a certain amount of overlap between them. On further investigating the selected
frameworks, many important constructs/ critical success factors were not found like
standardization. Very few frameworks reported importance of use of quality tools, role
of effective communication and focus on suppliers in their frameworks.
Hence, it clearly shows that none of the existing frameworks can be used in its present
form due to various limitations and there is a need for development of a new framework
which will suite and fulfill the requirements of Indian industry. Six sigma is an important
imperative for Indian manufacturing sector to compete with global as well as Indian
competition. Hence, there is need to develop a comprehensive six sigma framework
considering all the aspects of Indian manufacturing companies to sustain globally and
which will provide strategic directions for the industry. The development of a new
framework shall be discussed in the next chapter.
Empirical investigation of validity and reliability of existing six sigma frameworks in Indian industry
74
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R.B.,1989.Organization-based self-esteem: Construct definition, measurement,
and validation. Academy of Management Journa,32(3), 622-648
18. Pierce, M.K.,2007. A determination of the reliability and construct validity of the
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Missouri, Columbia
19. Popper, K.R.,1994. The Myth of the Framework: In Defence of Science and
Rationality, Routledge. London
20. Sharma, M. and Kodali, R.,2008. Validity and reliability of applying
manufacturing excellence frameworks to Indian industries. Proceedings of the
Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part B: Journal of Engineering Manufacture,
222 (6),723-739.
21. Soriano-Meier, H. and Forrester, P.L.,2002. A Model for Evaluating the Degree
of Leanness of Manufacturing Firms. Integrated Manufacturing System, 13
(2),104-109.
22. Struebing, L. and Klaus, L.A.,1997. Smaller business thinking big. Quality
Progress, February, 23-27.
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23. Sureshchandar, G.S., Rajendran, C. and Anantharaman, R.N.,2001. A holistic
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frameworks: comparison and review. Total Quality Management, 11(3), 281-294.
77
Chapter 5
Development of six sigma framework: Proposed framework
5.1 Introduction
As seen in previous chapter, many researchers have proposed various frameworks and
suggested corresponding elements of six sigma. Also, it was found that none of the
existing frameworks were useful in the present form to implement in Indian
manufacturing industries. The study also revealed that the elements suggested are not
sufficient and there is need to identify comprehensive set of elements and subsequently
comprehensive structural framework to fulfill the changing requirements of the Indian
manufacturing as well as the global manufacturing scenario. The present study has
considered only those frameworks which successfully validated in Indian manufacturing
industries.
5.2 Need of a framework for Indian scenario
Global manufacturing scenario is changing fast and India is well on its way to
becoming the premier manufacturing location for companies around the world.
According to Dangayach and Deshmukh, (2001), “today Indian companies are facing
competition from their multinational counterparts. To compete in the global scenario
Indian firms need to develop the competence for global manufacturing”. As understood
so far it can be seen that six sigma is an imperative for competing in the global market
and moreover Indian industries have been found wanting in their efforts to survive the
changed scenario. In the present Indian market scenario there is a requirement for an
appropriate framework for providing direction and guidance to an organization in six
sigma implementation. A framework that shall suit the Indian milieu as well as provide
strategic directions for the Indian Industry.
Hence, the present study is attempting to critically review the six sigma literature to
find out the inconsistencies in a sample of existing six sigma frameworks and the study
also tried to fulfill this gap with the help of developing a new framework for six sigma
implementation.
Development of six sigma framework: Proposed framework
78
At present some of the Indian industries are also trying to implement six sigma and are
competing in the world market without proper guidelines and directions. To achieve
the potential benefits of excellence within manufacturing, practitioners require
practical and detailed guidance. The absence of a practical and detailed model to
follow is an issue of concern to those interested in the pursuit of excellence within
manufacturing. In addition to this, to recommend any form of action to improve
manufacturing’s ability to contribute strategically to the business, it is necessary to
consider the key initiatives. These initiatives can be mobilized to effectively pursue the
manufacturing performance objectives and provide the business with a sustainable
advantage over the competition. Also, it is necessary to describe the means or process,
which could make explicit what needs to be done at the operations level in order to
sustain the competition. These issues can be resolved using the new framework of
six sigma.
In the frameworks which have been reviewed and discussed in the previous chapter,
there exists a significant difference in each framework and some framework addresses
only very few issues. Therefore the proposed research will focus on addressing all issues
and attempt to develop a comprehensive six sigma framework, which will be suitable for
the domestic as well as non- domestic industries.
The reliability and validity of the existing six sigma in the Indian Industry was
investigated in the previous chapter. This study identified that although majority of
the frameworks are displaying high level of reliability but very few frameworks
displayed unidimensionality with respect to the construct i.e. six sigma it measures.
None of the existing frameworks considered some important elements like
standardization, quality control tools and techniques etc. Hence none of the existing
framework can be used in their present form.
To promote the development of technological and managerial capabilities, it is necessary
that the industries should be provided with proper guidelines and directions especially
regarding the best practices in manufacturing like six sigma These guidelines or
directions are addressed in a framework or model, which paves the way for the Indian
industries to achieve manufacturing excellence and help them compete at the global
level.
Development of six sigma framework: Proposed framework
79
5.3 Comparison of various six sigma frameworks
To develop a new framework, a better understanding of existing frameworks is required.
It is necessary to understand, which areas are well-addressed in the six sigma literature
and which areas are yet to be addressed.
In order to suggest elements for new six sigma framework, it is important to find out:
� What type of elements are used by various researchers to develop the sample
six sigma frameworks?
� What are the standard elements that are used to formulate the selected six sigma
framework?
Similar kind of approach was followed by Mishra et al., (2006) and Soni and
Kodali (2013) to identify the best practices and to develop world class maintenance and
supply chain management frameworks respectively. The present study also followed
similar approach to identify best practices in the field of six sigma to develop a new
framework. The frequency analysis of selected 29 six sigma frameworks in the sample of
existing six sigma frameworks has been done and given Appendix-D.
Appendix-D revealed that around, total 159 elements are identified from a sample of 29
six sigma frameworks. Some elements were utilized by various researchers with different
phrases or words, but the meaning of those elements was the same. These kinds of
elements were clubbed to find out the exact number of unique elements in the sample of
six sigma frameworks. For instance, top management commitment / management
support/ executive commitment. All these elements represent top management
commitment.
The present study identified 159 elements; however, they are not independent of each
other. Majority of the elements can fall in a particular domain. If a suitable principle
component analysis is performed, all these elements fall under a few independent
elements. These few independent elements are very broad in nature. For example, strong
customer focus/ a genuine focus on the customer/ Customer management/ Customer
relationship etc. Hence these elements representing very specific area are clubbed
together and brought under the common tile e.g. customer relationship management. The
purpose of the present study is not to compare six sigma frameworks based on its
Development of six sigma framework: Proposed framework
80
strengths and weakness. The main purpose of this section is to find out availability of
standard elements in the existing literature.
The present study tries to find out a set of standard elements that are critical for six sigma
implementation; the study separated the elements that are repeated more than once.
Another objective of the comparative analysis in the study is to identify the pillar or main
elements of six sigma framework. Through frequency analysis of selected six sigma
frameworks, it was found that some elements have relatively high frequency than other
elements. Hence the study identified elements that were repeated with frequency of 0.2
or more i.e. 20% or more frameworks were considered important for six sigma
implementation. These repetitive elements were considered as pivotal points to develop a
new six sigma framework. These repetitive parameters / elements in the comparative
analysis can be called as “pillars” as they become pivotal for implementation of six
sigma.
The study found that around 6 elements were repeated with frequency of 0.2 or more. To
find the whether these six pillars covers all the necessary elements for implementation,
the study formed a twelve member team with six academicians and three each from
consultants and practitioners groups. A thorough brainstorming was done and few more
elements were added as new pillars through domain knowledge to already identified
pillars indentified the comparative analysis. The list of pillars of six sigma is as shown in
Table 5.1.
Table 5.1: Pillars of six sigma
S.No. Pillars
1 Top management commitment and leadership (TMCL)
2 Project selection and execution methodology (PSE)
3 Training and education (TRE)
4 Customer relationship management (CRM)
5 Effective Information technology and communication System (ECS)
6 Quality improvement tools and techniques (QIT)
7 Supply chain management (SCM)
8 Human resource management (HRM)
9 Standardization (STD)
Development of six sigma framework: Proposed framework
81
5.4 Development of a framework for six sigma
Using frequency analysis, literature review, domain knowledge etc. framework for six
sigma was developed. The step by step method of development of the framework is
discussed as given below:
5.4.1 Pillars of framework for six sigma
After doing frequency analysis some unique elements were identified, elements having
same meaning or broad area are clubbed together which represent the pillars of six sigma
and through domain knowledge and expert’s suggestion some more pillars were added to
already identified pillars through the comparative analysis. Along with this extensive
literature search, discussion with practitioner, was done to identify the various elements
for the effective implementation of various pillars of six sigma. The list of
pillars/elements of six sigma is as shown in Table 5.1. A brief discussion about these
pillars is given below:
1 Top management commitment and leadership (TMCL)
This refers to the top management role and behavior in driving the organization
towards six sigma. It was covered by 80% of the frameworks / studies and hence it was
considered to be an important element in the proposed framework. According to
Roth et al., (1992), the main focus of TMCL is about guiding and influencing
employees of the organization to attain the organization’s aspirations, developing a
vision and mission of the organization, and ensuring that the organizational
stakeholders including employees, customers and suppliers understand the values and
vision. The effective leadership includes developing strategies required to implement
changes, creating a trusting environment, creating an enthusiasm and motivation in the
employees, initiate the vision across the organization, conducting training programmes
and also encouraging continuous learning and development (Kouzes and Posner, 1995).
The present research also proposed TMCL as a foundation of the framework. Based on
the literature various elements were identified as given below:
1. Six sigma vision and mission
2. Strong Leadership
3. Participative Management
4. Long term strategy development
Development of six sigma framework: Proposed framework
82
5. Continuous learning and development culturing
6. Policy deployment
7. Appropriate resource allocation
8. Holistic strategy for integrating system
2 Project selection and execution methodology (PSE)
As per T.N. Goh and M. Xie (2004) project selection and execution (PSE) is one of
the important element to make the six sigma implementation really worthwhile. PSE
has been recognized by practitioners and researchers as one of the major factors for
achieving successful implementation. Organizations try to implement a six sigma
approach in anticipation of market penetration and organizational speed, while
simultaneously reducing the cost of doing business. In other words, the projects must
be selected in line with the organization’s goals and objectives. During the project
selection, the organization needs to ensure that all the projects are selected in line
with the goals and objectives and within a manageable scope. (E V Gijo and T S Rao,
2005). Many researchers have recognized PSE as an important element of six sigma
(Satya S. Chakravorty, Alessandro Brun, Roger G. Schroeder, Kevin Linderman,
Charles Liedtke and Adrian S. Choo). The selection of suitable projects in a six sigma
program is a major factor in the early success and long-term acceptance of six sigma
within any organization. The various elements identified under this pillar are given
below:
1. Brainstorming
2. Benchmarking
3. Risk management
4. Project review teams
5. Process capability
6. Project Management skills
7. Project prioritization and selection
8. Project orientation with clear & defined goals
3 Training and education (TRE)
According to Sung H. Park et al., (2009), training and education is the most fundamental
element in six sigma. It refers to learning activities in organizational levels for
Development of six sigma framework: Proposed framework
83
sustainable application of six sigma activity. K.C. Lee et al., (2006) stresses that six
sigma management activities do not just end with implementation, and indicates the need
for a monitoring tool that can maintain and develop improvements through sustainable
education/training (Heuring, 2004; Jones, 2004; Ettinger and Kooy, 2003). Many
researchers has identified training and education as key success factor for six sigma
implementation (Chin-Hung Liu, 2009).
Without organizational learning there can be no continuous improvement. One of the
most important stages in the quality planning process is the implementation stage, and so
also in six sigma. (Haekan Wiklund et al., 2002). Education and training give a clear
sense for people to better understand the fundamentals, and techniques of six sigma.
Training is required to make sure that managers and employees apply and implement the
complex six sigma techniques effectively (Young Hoon Kwak et al., 2006). Based on the
literature various elements were identified as given below:
1. Comprehensive six sigma training programme
2. Investment and training framework for trainers and mentors
3. Rigorous and structured training deployment plan
4. Education of management in the philosophy, methods, applications, and their roles
5. Training scheme
4 Customer relationship management (CRM)
It refers to strong customer focus. Six sigma places extraordinary emphasis on customer
needs, both internal and external, seeking to determine what consumers desire in
products and services. Six sigma formalizes this approach by specifically identifying
critical-to-quality requirements, which are characteristics that customers consider to have
the most impact on quality. Such characteristics could be a key dimension in a part or
product, the time to process a transaction, the ability to deliver a service, or the response
to an internal process. The main objective of six sigma, like most of other management
strategies on quality initiatives, is focused around meeting the customer requirements
(Anbari, 2002) and (Kwak and Anbari, 2006). With customer focus as an anchoring
guide, an organization is equipped to begin the six sigma process (Thomas D. McCarty,
2007). Many researchers have pointed out that the success of six sigma and its
implementation is determined by its impact on customer satisfaction. Hence it is
Development of six sigma framework: Proposed framework
84
considered as one of the pillar for six sigma implementation and various elements were
identified as given below:
1. Business strategy based on customer demand
2. Delivery performance improvement
3. Continuous evaluation of customer feedback
4. Customer enrichment
5. Post sale service to customer
6. Linking six sigma to customer
7. Customer involvement in design process
5 Effective information technology and communication system (ECS)
This refers to communication system, information sharing system for effective
communication between employees of the organization as well as outside. According to
Jiju Antony and Rupa Mahanti (2009), team communication is one of critical success
factors for implementation of six sigma in the Indian industries. In the present scenario,
the information flow plays vital role to fulfill complex manufacturing systems as well as
supply chain activities. Tan et al., (2002) have revealed the importance of information
technology tools to control information flow within organization as well as across supply
chain activities. To survive in the present dynamic markets conditions, the firms have
started to work as group instead of single independent entity (Christopher, 1992;
Lambert and Cooper, 2000). The information technology helps to provide the essential
prerequisite to build and control multi level networks as well as to improve
communication effectiveness in supply chain activities (Lee and Billington, 1992; White
and Pearson, 2001). Hence it is included as one of the important pillars to implement
six sigma framework in the organization and various elements were identified as given
below:
1. Effective communication systems with customers and suppliers
2. Use of EDI(Electronic Data Interchange) to communicate between departments
3. Use of barcoding and scanners in logistic systems
4. Information technology employed at customer base
5. Enterprise resource planning system
6. Centralize database for documentation
7. Methods of communicating to all employees
Development of six sigma framework: Proposed framework
85
6 Quality improvement tools and techniques (QIT)
This refers to use of quality tools and methods. The complexity of problem solving
requires use of quality tools to assist in the organization and analysis of information and
data surrounding the concern. The application of quality tools and methods can lead to
improved performance, to the degree that improvement teams follow the six sigma tools
and method they can make better decisions, which improves project performance (Kevin
Linderman et al., 2006). According to Maneesh Kumar and Jiju Antony (2007) use of
quality tools is one of the critical success factor for six sigma implementation. Many
researchers have emphasized the effective use of quality tools & techniques for
successful implementation of six sigma and hence it is considered as one of the pillar and
main elements are listed below:
1. Understanding tools and techniques within six sigma
2. Understanding the DMAIC methodology
3. Link quality initiatives to business
4. Use of statistical tools and the statistical design of experiments (DoE)
7 Supply chain management (SCM)
It refers to Supplier involvement, long-term relationships with suppliers, fewer
dependable suppliers, reliance on supplier process control.
In the 1990s, companies started discovering that the impact of suppliers was of enormous
significance to customers. Rather than producing only high quality products, delivering
products to customers at the right time, at the right place, and at the right price has
become a new challenge. The supply chain management (SCM) approach has thus been
increasingly identified by many organizations as an opportunity to achieve these goals
(Chin et. al, 2004). Many organizations are focusing on SCM to improve their
organizational performance and enhance competitiveness in the marketplace.
As per Leopoldo J. Gutierrez et al., (2008), the important aspect of six sigma
methodology, such as supplier management could also serve as an orientation for
continuing in-depth analysis of the real reasons for the success of six sigma. Many
researchers have considered supplier management as one of the critical success factor for
six sigma implementation.
Development of six sigma framework: Proposed framework
86
In today’s businesses scenario, the interdependence of buyers and suppliers has
increased significantly. Hence organizations are looking for establishing long term
relationship with suppliers. Furthermore, companies have realized, vendors’
knowledge and experience can be valuable during the design of new products and in
achieving higher quality and faster response to market needs (Kanji, 1999). With the
increase of global competition, increased emphasis on supply chain performance has
become a critical source of sustainable advantage in many industries. Various
elements indentified from literature are given below:
1. Linking six sigma to suppliers
2. Long term supplier relationship
3. Supplier feedback
4. Supplier training and development activities
5. Supplier evaluation and certification
6. Supplier proximity
7. Supplier involvement in design process
8 Human resource management (HRM)
It refers to employee involvement/ employee participation, support from every employee of
the organization in making any initiative towards achieving goal of that organization
successful. Human Resource (HR) is the back bone of any company. Success or failure of
any company is mainly depend on the employees i.e. human resource of that company.
The organizational employee commitment is one of the major factors to implement any
change management concept in the organization. The employee relationship and
management is based on change implementation, with all the employees acting as team
to make the change process as any kind of success (Fransis, 2003). Before anticipating
contribution from the employees, the organization management should invest a
considerable capital budget in all steps of the planning and execution of employee
development. It includes job design, knowledge training programmes, financial benefits
and recognition initiatives that encourage employees to contribute effectively to attain
the organizational vision and mission (Clark, 1994; Chow, 2004). Hence many
researchers have considered human resource as important element in six sigma
implementation in organization. Hence the study proposed HRM as a one of the pillar in
six sigma framework. Various elements identified under HR are listed below:
Development of six sigma framework: Proposed framework
87
1. Linking six sigma to employees
2. Availability of well-trained full-time team leaders (Champions, Master Black Belts)
3. Multi skilled employees
4. Employee involvement in every stage of organization
5. Suggestion scheme
6. Stable or long term employment
7. Fair rewards and recognition
9 Standardization (STD)
The main purpose of standardization is the use of common products, processes and
components to fulfill the heterogeneous requirements. According to
Xingxing Zu. et al., (2008) simplified design and standardization is encouraged for
manufacturability. Standardization aims to institutionalize the improvement results from
six sigma through documentation and standardization of the new procedures.
As per Maneesh Kumar and Jiju Antony (2006), The real challenge of six sigma
methodology is not in making improvements to the process but in providing a sustained
improvement to the optimization. This requires standardization and constant monitoring
and control of the optimized process.
While discussing the role of standardization in context of other quality initiative,
Tarondeau (1998) discussed that the process of standardization helps to improve the
productivity, reduce the number of managing reference points, decrease the stock level,
and drastically reduce the complexity of a manufacturing system. According to
Thoteman and Brandeau (2000), any optimal standardization of internal products will not
create any change in characteristics of the end product from the customer’s point of
view. After discussion, many practitioners & researchers have suggested to include
standardization as one of pillars of six sigma. Along with this extensive literature search
was done to identify the various other elements under standardization. Hence the present
study also proposed standardization as one of the key pillars in six sigma framework.
Based on the literature various elements were identified as given below:
1. Standardized work procedures
2. Standardized products
3. Standardized tools and equipment
Development of six sigma framework: Proposed framework
88
4. Standardize materials for specific products families
5. Group technology
6. Visual control boards
7. Standardize the quality check methods
5.4.2 Pillars and elements of six sigma
The various pillars identify and their respective elements are shown in Table 5.2.
Table 5.2: Identified pillar of six sigma and respective elements
S.No. Pillars Elements
1 Top management
commitment and leadership
TMCL1
Six sigma vision and mission
TMCL2
Strong leadership
TMCL3
Participative management
TMCL4
Long term strategy development
TMCL5
Continuous learning and development
culture
TMCL6
Policy deployment
TMCL7
Appropriate resource allocation
TMCL8
Holistic strategy for integrating system
2 Project selection and
execution methodology
PSE1
Brainstorming
PSE2
Benchmarking
PSE3
Risk management
PSE4
Project review teams
PSE5
Process capability
PSE6
Project management skills
PSE7
Project prioritization and selection
PSE8
Project orientation with clear and
defined goals
3 Training and education
TRE1
Comprehensive six sigma training prog.
TRE2
Investment and training framework for
trainers and mentors
TRE3
Rigorous and structured training
deployment plan
TRE4
Education of management in the
philosophy, methods, applications and
their roles
TRE5
Training scheme
Development of six sigma framework: Proposed framework
89
S.No. Pillars Elements
4 Customer relationship
management
CRM1
Business strategy based on customer
demand
CRM2
Delivery performance improvement
CRM3
Continuous evaluation of customer
feedback
CRM4
Customer enrichment
CRM5
Post sale service to customer
CRM6
Linking six sigma to customers
CRM7
Customer involvement in design
process
5 Effective information
technology and
communication system
ECS1
Effective communication systems with
customers and suppliers
ECS2
Use of EDI (electronic data
interchange) to communicate between
departments
ECS3
Use of barcoding and scanners in
logistic systems
ECS4
Enterprise resource planning system
ECS5
Information technology employed at
customer base
ECS6
Centralize database for documentation
ECS7
Methods of communicating to all
employees
6 Quality improvement tools
and techniques
QIT1
Understanding tools and techniques
within six sigma
QIT2
Understanding the DMAIC
methodology
QIT3
Link quality initiatives to business
QIT4
Use of statistical tools and the
statistical design of experiments (DoE)
7 Supply chain management
SCM1
Linking six sigma to suppliers
SCM2
Long term supplier relationship
SCM3
Supplier feedback
Development of six sigma framework: Proposed framework
90
S.No. Pillars Elements
SCM4
Supplier training and development
activities
SCM5
Supplier evaluation and certification
SCM6
Supplier proximity
SCM7
Supplier involvement in design process
8 Human resource
management
HRM1
Linking six sigma to employees
HRM2
Availability of well-trained full-time
team leaders (champions, master black
belts)
HRM3
Multi skilled employees
HRM4
Employee involvement in every stage
of organization
HRM5
Suggestion scheme
HRM6
Stable or long term employment
HRM7
Fair rewards and recognition
9 Standardization
STD1
Standardized work procedures
STD2
Standardized products
STD3
Standardized tools and equipment
STD4
Standardize materials for specific
products families
STD5
Group technology
STD6
Visual control boards
STD7
Standardize the quality check methods
5.5 Proposed framework for six sigma
The identification of mail pillars and its elements important for six sigma framework
have been discussed in previous section. All the suggested pillars with elements were
wetted by eight members team consisting of academicians and practitioners in order to
make sure that suggested pillars and elements are appropriate to form a six sigma
framework. Figure 5.1 presents a framework for six sigma.
Development of six sigma framework: Proposed framework
91
Figure 5.1: A framework for six sigma
The salient features of the proposed framework are discussed below:
� The proposed framework of six sigma consists of 60 elements and 9 pillars or
broad areas that were identified through empirical survey and a thorough
literature survey respectively.
� The proposed framework was constructed after consultations with academicians,
practitioners and consultants, which overcomes the shortcomings of the existing
frameworks in the field of six sigma.
� The framework stands on strong foundation of top management commitment and
leadership towards. The pillars that support the roof of six sigma are the nine
initiatives a company takes for achievement of six sigma viz.: Top management
commitment and leadership, Project selection and execution methodology,
Training and education, Customer relationship management, Effective
information technology and communication system, Quality improvement tools
and techniques, Supply chain management, Human resource management and
Standardization. A detailed discussion about each was done in the previous
section.
� The proposed framework were consisted more number of pillars and elements as
compared with the sample frameworks considered in the study. It clearly
indicated its comprehensive nature compared with other existing frameworks in
TOP MANAGEMENT COMMITMENT AND LEADERSHIP
Six Sigma
Effectiv
e Info
rmatio
n T
ech
nolo
gy
and
Co
mm
unicatio
n S
ystem
Train
ing an
d E
ducatio
n
Qu
ality
Imp
rov
emen
t Tools an
d T
echn
iques
Sta
ndard
ization
Su
pp
ly C
hain
Man
agem
ent
Custo
mer R
elatio
nsh
ip M
anag
em
ent
Hu
man
Reso
urce M
anagem
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Pro
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& E
xecu
tion
meth
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Development of six sigma framework: Proposed framework
92
the field of six sigma. However the study is accepting that there is a possibility of
missing some of the elements in the proposed framework. According to
Weick (1979), frameworks generally consist of inadequacy because it is not
possible to generate a framework with the characteristics being general, simple
and accurate at the same time.
� Any framework generally undergoes the process of evaluating reliability and
validity of the constructs. The proposed framework also generates a requirement
to evaluate reliability and validity of elements. Hence, the framework verification
and validation is indispensable.
5.6 Conclusion
Many researchers/ authors and practitioners have proposed important elements for
six sigma across the world in the form of framework. However, the present study did not
find any review article existing in the literature reviewing various frameworks proposed
by authors/ researchers and practitioners. Different frameworks as proposed by authors/
researchers and practitioners were reviewed to find out the standard elements.
As a result total 159 elements obtained through the various frameworks and were
grouped under major initiatives like Top management commitment and leadership,
Project selection and execution methodology, Training and education, Customer
relationship management, Effective information technology and communication system,
Supply chain management, Human resource management. Along with the same some
more initiative like Quality improvement tools and techniques, Standardization were
proposed to take into account the changing manufacturing scenario.
Many researchers proposed six sigma framework to utilize in a specific environment of
the organization, which made it difficult to find the standard elements in the field of
six sigma. Hence the present study has proposed a six sigma framework to give a
coherent set of elements with the help of empirical study as well as comparative analysis.
The study has proposed six sigma framework with the help of academicians,
professionals and consultant’s team. Hence, it is believed that the proposed six sigma
framework will overcome all the limitation of existing six sigma frameworks and will be
useful for the organization wanting to implement six sigma. The study requires to
validate the proposed six sigma framework in Indian manufacturing industries.
Development of six sigma framework: Proposed framework
93
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Chapter 6
An empirical investigation of proposed six sigma framework in
Indian industry
6.1 Introduction
A framework for six sigma was developed in the fifth chapter. The study has
proposed nine main pillars, along with the various elements identified with the help
of empirical study under each pillar. An exploratory study was conducted to check
the reliability, validity and applicability of the proposed six sigma framework. To
fulfill requirements, the study performs a nationwide survey in the second phase of
the empirical study. The study also attempted to establish the directional relationships
among nine pillars of six sigma, i.e. dependencies and inter-dependencies by using
Interpretive structural modelling (ISM), which was subjected to statistical testing for
model fit by using SEM. Details regarding the same are presented in the subsequent
sections.
6.2 Methodology for empirical investigation
The different stages of the systematic approach for the empirical research is described in
Chapter 3. Same methodology was followed to conduct the second phase of empirical
study. A brief description about the same is presented below:
6.2.1 Theory verification
The first step in the systematic approach is theory verification. Accordingly, the second
exploratory study was aimed at conducting an empirical investigation of proposed
six sigma framework in Indian manufacturing industries.
6.2.2 Selecting a research design
To do the empirical investigation of proposed six sigma framework in Indian industry, a
cross sectional survey was conducted as discussed in Chapter 3.
An empirical investigation of proposed six sigma framework in Indian industry
97
6.2.3 Selecting a data collection method
A questionnaire survey was used as data collection method, as per the research
methodology discussed in detail in Chapter 3. The questionnaire was prepared and it was
also sent to the same 725 industry professionals to whom the first questionnaire was sent.
6.2.4 Implementation
Although this exploratory study was conducted on the same population of 725 industry
professionals identified in the previous exploratory survey, the questionnaires were sent
as a soft copy attachment through e-mails and also through post to various industries.
The survey instrument was developed with pillars and identified elements under these
pillars. The questionnaire was developed for assessing the implementation, level of
involvement related to various elements under each pillar. In addition to this, general
questions were also incorporated to identify the industry profile in terms of employee
strength, growth, customer strength, etc.
The questionnaire consisted of two sections part A and B. The aim of the section A is to
build a profile of the respondent and the manufacturing company based on the
experience of the respondent and the mission, vision of the company etc. section B deals
with structured questionnaire developed on a five point Likert scale for assessing the
level of importance of each element under nine pillars of six sigma identified (the details
of which are given in Appendix-E). A covering letter was also drafted which gives
general information about the research work, purpose of the study and how to use the
instrument and confidentiality of the information. Respondents were welcome to share
any other information they had, regarding the concept of six sigma in the Indian industry.
Respondents were asked to consider each pillar as a means for implementing six sigma
with each element in it as a milestone to guide the organization wanting to assess the
status of that particular pillar in their organization. The respondents were requested to
rate the element based on “how important is each element under various pillars of the
proposed framework are to the organization?” In the questionnaire was prepared in very
simple language and can easily be understood. In case of any discrepancy in
understanding, the respondents were requested to revert to the researchers through
e-mail, postal mail or phone. In totality, 725 questionnaires were sent by e-mail and post.
Subsequently, more than 200 e-mail reminders were sent. Apart from this, some people
were contacted personally over telephone. The questionnaire is developed using five
An empirical investigation of proposed six sigma framework in Indian industry
98
point Likert scale where (1) means not important, (2) means less important, (3) means
important, (4) means more important, and (5) means most important. Respondents were
requested to rate the degree or extent of practice of each element with reference to the
five point response scale. The details of the questionnaire are given in Appendix-E.
This time the response rate was slightly improved and out of the 725 questionnaires, 206
responses were received. Eight questionnaire were incomplete and hence total 198 valid
responses were received which include 74 from the automobile sector, 31 from the
process industry, 34 from the machines and equipment industry, 36 from electronics and
components, and 23 from the textile units. The overall response rate was 27.31 % which
can be considered good in Indian conditions. Details of sector wise responses received
are shown in the Table 6.1. On an average experience the respondents were eleven years.
Majority of the respondents were from the top management having designation such as
general manager, associate vice president etc.
Table 6.1: Statistics of sector wise responses
Industry Sample
size
No. of responses
received
by post
No. of responses
received
by e-mail
Total No. of
responses
received
Response
Rate (%)
Automobile 188 29 45 74 39.36
Process 145 10 22 32 22.06
Machines
and
Equipment
140 8 26 34 24.28
Electrical
and
Electronics
174 15 21 36 20.68
Textile 78 7 15 22 28.20
Total 725 69 129 198 27.31
6.2.5 Overview of data analysis techniques used
Brief about various data analysis techniques used are given below:
Descriptive statistics: Descriptive statistics are designed to give information about the
distribution of variables. It gives idea about measures of central tendency (Mean,
Median, Mode), measures of variability around the mean (standard deviation and
An empirical investigation of proposed six sigma framework in Indian industry
99
variance), information concerning the spread of distribution (maximum, minimum and
range) and information about the stability or sampling error of certain measures. This is
used for computing sector wise and overall statistics for various issues. The overall
statistics for various measures is as shown in various tables in Appendix-C.
Correlation analysis: Correlation analysis is performed to assess, association between
two constructs/variables. It is designated as “r” and varies between +1 to – 1. It
measures the strength of relationship between interrelated variables. It gives the
strength of relationship through identification of variance which lies between 0 to 1.
Correlation analysis was performed to estimate relationship among various elements
within the pillars. The Pearson correlation coefficient (r) is calculated, which describes
the extent to which an increase or decrease in one variable is accompanied by a
corresponding increase and decrease in the other (Sharma, 1996). The results are
shown in Appendix-C.
Reliability analysis: Reliability analysis addresses the issue that whether the survey
instrument shall produce the same result every time it is administered to the same person
under same settings regardless of who administers them. Reliability analysis is
performed for each element considered in the questionnaire to check the scale reliability
of each pillar. Inter-item analysis is used to check the scales for internal consistency or
reliability. Several measures of reliability can be evaluated in order to establish the
reliability of a measuring instrument. These include test retest method; equivalent forms,
split-halves methods and internal consistence method. Of all the above methods, the
internal consistence method requires only one administration and consequently is
supposed to be the most general and effective method (Sureshchandar et. al., 2001). In
this method reliability is operationalized as internal consistency, which is the degree of
inter-correlation amongst the items that constitute a scale (Nunnally, 1988). Internal
consistency is estimated using a reliability coefficient called Cronbach’s alpha. Hence
Cronbach’s alpha is calculated for each pillar as recommended for empirical research in
operations management. (Flynn et. al., 1990; Malhotra and Grover, 1998). The minimum
generally acceptable value of Cronbach’s Alpha is 0.70. The results are shown in
Appendix-C.
An empirical investigation of proposed six sigma framework in Indian industry
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Factor Analysis: Factor analysis is used to identify a small number of factors that
might be used to represent relationship among sets of interrelated variables. Its primary
usefulness is to take a large number of observable instances to measure an
unobservable construct or constructs. The purpose of factor extraction is to extract
factors i.e. the underlying constructs that describe a set of variables. It is used to
uncover the latent structure (dimensions) of a set of variables. It reduces attribute space
from a larger number of variables to a smaller number of factors. The results are shown
in Appendix-C. The details of the data analysis discussed from the next section
onwards.
6.3 Reliability analysis
Prior to evaluating the internal consistency of the measures (Cronbach's alpha, α), an
inter item correlation matrix was prepared for each measure to examine the extent to
which some common trait was present in the items. Low inter item correlations designate
that the associated items are probably should avoid from the group elements (Nunnaly,
1988). Even an item correlation of 0.2 is considered enough to be incorporated in the list
for further principle component analysis. None of the elements has shown correlation
value less than 0.2. The mean item correlation of these pillars came as more than 0.4.
Hence, they were considered satisfactory.
Table 6.2 shows the Reliability analysis for six sigma pillars. For all the pillars the alpha
value is quite high and hence all the elements within various pillars can be considered for
further analysis. Although, dropping some items from scales would improve some alpha
values, no items were deleted to improve the alpha values, as they were already high and
meet the criterion of exceeding 0.7 for all the scales. Also, this was done in order to
ensure the content validity of each measurement scale. The reliability analysis for all
constructs showed α value of more than 0.82. As already said α value of 0.70 or above is
considered to be the criterion for demonstrating internal consistency of established scales
(Nunnaly, 1988). The range of α value from 0.837 to 0.917 indicates that some pillars are
more reliable than the others. It is noted that usually more number of items in a scale
tended to show higher reliability and it is yet to be seen if validity of the constructs
demonstrates such robustness too. Since the measurements used in this study are
developed, based on extensive literature review and practitioner/expert inputs, the values
found are considered to be highly adequate.
An empirical investigation of proposed six sigma framework in Indian industry
101
Table 6.2: Reliability analysis for six sigma pillars
S.No. Pillar No. of
Items*
Item
means
for scale
Means of
inter item
correlation
Cronbach
alpha (α)
Standardized
Item alpha (α)
1 Top management
commitment and
leadership
8 (1-8) 4.075 0.555 0.908 0.856
2 Project selection and
execution methodology 8 (9-16) 3.75 0.495 0.889 0.876
3 Training and education 5 (17-21) 3.85 0.502 0.89 0.889
4 Customer relationship
Management 7 (22-28) 4.071 0.486 0.866 0.871
5 Effective Information
Technology and
communication system
7 (29-35) 4.1509 0.4701 0.837 0.838
6 Quality improvement
tools and techniques 4 (36-39) 3.882 0.474 0.875 0.854
7 Supply chain
Management 7 (40-46) 4.1829 0.6300 0.917 0.916
8 Human resource
management 7 (47-53) 3.689 0.528 0.909 0.870
9 Standardization 7 (54-60) 3.527 0.491 0.870 0.921
� Numbers in parenthesis indicate the item numbers in serial order as it appears in the SPSS data file.
Note: None of the items are deleted at this stage, as Alpha values are high for all
constructs.
6.4 Validity analysis
Prior to performing the principal component analysis, the data matrix was examined to
ensure that it had sufficient correlations to justify the application of factor analysis. One
of the measures to quantify the degree of inter-correlations among the variables and the
appropriateness of factor analysis is the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) measure of
sampling adequacy. A small value of KMO means each variable cannot be predicted or
explained by the other variables without significant error; hence factor analysis may not
be appropriate.
As a guideline, KMO values in the 0.90s are considered as marvelous; 0.80s are
meritorious; 0.70s are middling; 0.60s are ordinary; 0.50s are miserable; and below 0.50s
are undesirable (Hair et al.,1996). Individual variables that have KMO values lower than
0.50 should not be considered. Table 6.3 shows the overall KMO measure of sampling
adequacy for six sigma pillars. From Table 6.3 it is clear that for all the pillars KMO value
An empirical investigation of proposed six sigma framework in Indian industry
102
is more than 0.7. A large number of constructs like Top management commitment and
leadership, Project selection and execution methodology, Training and education, Effective
Information technology and communication system, Quality improvement tools and
techniques, Supply chain management and Human resource management were considered
meritorious, while the pillars Customer relationship management and Standardization are
middling, which has values above the suggested minimum standard of 0.7 required for
performing factor analysis (Hair et al.,1996; Norusis, 1994). Hence, based on the above
tests, it concluded that all nine pillars were suitable for applying principle component
analysis. In addition to this, the methodology suggested by Meyer and Collier (2001) were
followed to find out the Factor analysis statistics. The percent of variance explained by the
first principal component of each measurement scale was considered as vital. One criterion
is that the first component of each scale explains more than 40% of the variance in the
items. The second criteria is that the factor loadings for items should be greater than 0.30.
Hence this study considered items whose factor loadings are greater than 0.40. The two
remaining criteria considered were: a large eigen-value for the first component and small,
fairly equal eigen-values for subsequent components for subsequent components. The
values are verified with the parallel analysis.
Table 6.3: Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) measure of sampling adequacy for six sigma
pillars
Pillars No. of Items* Items deleted
(by number) KMO
Top management
commitment and leadership 8 (1-8) None 0.826
Project selection and
execution methodology 8 (9-16) None 0.811
Training and education 5 (17-21) None 0.811
Customer relationship
management 7 (22-28) None 0.727
Effective information
technology and
communication system
7 (29-35) None 0.858
Quality improvement tools
and techniques 4 (36-39) None 0.821
Supply chain management 7 (40-46) None 0.891
Human resource
management 7 (47-53) None 0.852
Standardization 7 (54-60) None 0.769
An empirical investigation of proposed six sigma framework in Indian industry
103
Validity analysis measures that the item or scale measure what it has been designed to
measure and nothing else. Normally validity analysis is done using three measures:
Content validity: It is judgment by experts, of the extent to which a summated scale
truly measures the concept that it intended to measure, based on the content of the
items. It can be determined using qualitative technique. It is not possible to measure
by using any quantitative techniques. It can be determined by the help of experts
(Flynn et. al., 1990). To assess the content validity of the questionnaire, the initial
draft of the questionnaire was administered to the same group of fourteen members to
whom the previous questionnaire was administered. At the same time the
questionnaire was also sent to two senior level executives in reputed automotive
manufacturing organizations.
The questionnaire was also administered to eight PS students of mechanical engineering
group of Birla Institute of Technology and Sciences, Pilani, undergoing their practice
school (industry Internship) in various organizations and hence the opinions from these
individual students were also considered. Finally, the questionnaire has modified as per
feedback received from the experts and the final version of the questionnaire was sent to
the top management i.e. to CEO’s and managers of the same group of 725 companies
identified earlier.
Criterion-related validity: Criterion-related validity is concerned with the extent to
which a measuring instrument is related to an independent measure of the relevant
criterion (Badri et al., 1995). Traditionally, it is evaluated by examining the correlations
of the different constructs with one or the more measures of business or manufacturing
performance (Saraph et. al., 1989). This investigates the empirical relationship between
the scores on a test instrument (predictor) i.e. framework elements and an objective
outcome (the criterion) i.e the various pillars. The most important of measure for
checking the criterion related validity is simple correlation, for testing a scale or elements
for a single outcome. The bivariate correlation matrices between various six sigma pillars
are shown in Table 6.4 and it can be seen that for both the relevant criterion the
correlation is high for all the pillars.
An empirical investigation of proposed six sigma framework in Indian industry
104
Table 6.4: Bivariate correlation matrices
Mean Std. D TMCL PSE TRE CRM ECS QIT SCM HRM STD
TMCL 4.075 0.882 1 .596** .495** .449** .545** .430** .523** .504** .546**
PSE 3.75 0.935 .596** 1 .436** .459** .430** .514** .462** .432** .406**
TRE 3.85 0.889 .495** .436** 1 .612** .338** .476** .448** .504** .493**
CRM 4.071 0.871 .449** .459** .612** 1 .521** .606** .491** .537** .510**
ECS 4.1509 0.876 .545** .430** .338** .521** 1 .367** .348** .497** .428**
QIT 3.882 0.854 .430** .514** .476** .606** .367** 1 .600** .577** .377**
SCM 4.1829 0.821 .523** .462** .448** .491** .348** .600** 1 .694** .692**
HRM 3.689 0.870 .504** .432** .504** .537** .497** .577** .694** 1 .681**
STD 3.527 0.921 .546** .406** .493** .510** .428** .377** .692** .681** 1
** Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed). * Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed).
Legend
TMCL: Top management commitment and leadership; PSE: Project selection and
execution methodology; TRE: Training and education; CRM: Customer relationship
management; ECS: Effective information technology and communication system; QIT:
Quality improvement tools and techniques; SCM: Supply chain management, HRM:
Human resource management, STD: Standardization.
Construct validity: It measures whether a scale is an appropriate operational definition
of an outcome i.e. six sigma. Since the construct cannot be directly assessed, indirect
inference about the construct validity can be made through empirical investigations.
Principle component analysis conducted on a single scale will show whether all the
dimensions (elements) within a summated scale will load a single or same construct or
whether the summated scale measure more than one construct i.e. it checks the
unidimensionality of the scales towards a single construct. The principle component
analysis was conducted within each main pillar with the means of all elements taken as
the loading on each pillar.
The results of validity analysis have clearly showed that the complete pillars were loaded
on single pillar. The complete sets of elements under each pillar were also loaded on
single element or construct. Hence, the proposed six sigma framework has fulfilled the
requirements of validity and reliability analysis and also is suitable to fulfill the
requirements of Indian manufacturing industries.
An empirical investigation of proposed six sigma framework in Indian industry
105
6.5 Path analysis for six sigma framework
The relationships among pillars were not established while checking the validity of the
constructs. The importance of establishing relationship among pillars is very significant from
implementation point of view. Successful deployment of first level of pillars is needed for
successful implementation of second level of pillars and so on. Hence the study made an
attempt to create a mental model derived from these nine pillars to establish the directional
relationships among the pillars of six sigma. It also includes dependencies and inter-
dependencies by using interpretive structural modelling (ISM). Later, it is subjected to
statistical testing for model fit by using structural equation modelling (SEM).
6.6 Research methodology applied for path analysis
The objective of the present section of study is to develop and validate the proposed
framework of six sigma in Indian manufacturing industry using ISM and SEM.
6.6.1 Interpretive structural modelling (ISM) method
Good understanding of the pillars and its elements as well as their inter-relationship is
vital to develop any framework. This following section deals with the recognition of
underlying relationships between cause and effect that can lead to new conclusions and
empirical verification. ISM methodology has the ability to draw the order and direction
on the complexity of relationships among factors/drivers of a system (Sage, 1977). It is
used to reduce complex system interactions to a logically oriented graph (Hsiao and Liu,
2005). ISM methodology essentially analyses the drivers, the inter-relationship between
pillars, hierarchy of their importance and classification of intervention levels. In the
present section ISM is developed for six sigma model.
In various research fields ISM has been applied to find out the relationship among the
elements like energy management (Saxena et al., 1992), information technology
(Kanungo, 2009), manufacturing strategy (Singh et al., 2007), organization behaviour
(Jyoti et al., 2010), performance management (Manoharan et al., 2010), project
management (Iyer and Sagheer, 2010), risk management (Jha and Devaya, 2008), supply
chain management (Ravi and Shankar, 2005), strategic management
An empirical investigation of proposed six sigma framework in Indian industry
106
(Bolanos et al., 2005), total quality management (Sahney et al., 2006), vendor selection
(Mandal and Deshmukh, 1994) and waste management (Sharma et al., 1995).
In the present research work, a structural relationship between the pillars were
established using ISM. The study has considered two case:
One case of small and medium scale automotive industry (SMSAI) and another one is of
large scale automotive industry (LSAI) for developing the ISM models. These two
organization are practicing six sigma for more than five years. Also both the organizations
had shown keen interest in finding the association between pillars of six sigma.
Case 1: Small and medium scale automotive industry (SMSAI)
SMSAI organization considered for the study is a leading global supplier of automotive
components and systems like transfer case and gear box. The organization provides
customers with incomparable manufacturing reach and ability. The organization claims
that their approach in implementation of six sigma principles is exceptional.
Case 2: Large scale automotive industry (LSAI)
LSAI considered for study is manufacturing different automobile components like crank
shaft and forged components and is actively participating in implementation of six sigma
projects across organizational activities. The LSAI organization has continuous rigorous
training programme in place within the company.
6.6.2 Development of interpretive structural modelling (ISM) for proposed cases
In following section ISM methodology is explained as it is applied to both the proposed
cases. The various steps involved in ISM technique are as follows:
Step 1. All the nine elements identified from the previous chapter were arranged in a
matrix, with the elements arranged so that the experts can give their opinion while the
items in the matrix are being compared. The nine pillars are Top management
commitment and leadership (TMCL), Project selection and execution methodology
(PSE), Training and education (TRE), Customer relationship management (CRM),
Effective information technology and communication system (ECS), Quality
improvement tools and techniques (QIT), Supply chain management (SCM), Human
An empirical investigation of proposed six sigma framework in Indian industry
107
resource management (HRM) and Standardization (STD). The letters shown in the
parenthesis refers to the pillar legends.
Step 2. Establishing a contextual relationship between pillars with respect to which pairs
of elements will be analysed.
Step 3. Developing a self-interaction matrix (SSIM) of pillars to display pair-wise
relationship between pillars under consideration. The data required to fill in the matrix was
collected by interacting with the six experts from industry and academics. The six experts
from industry were working in the capacity of managers, general managers and vice
presidents. The six academic experts belong to leading institutions from India. All the
experts were requested to identify the relationships among nine pillars of six sigma under
the light of their elements and general understanding. Each expert was given a worksheet
which had structural self-interaction matrix (SSIM) to fill. To develop contextual
relationship among pillars of six sigma model and their elements, the experts were asked to
respond on a worksheet by indicating ‘V’, ‘A’, ‘X’ and ‘O’ in each cell of the matrix,
where:
V: pillar or construct i will affect pillar or sub-construct j;
A: pillar or construct j will affect pillar or sub-construct i;
X: pillar or construct i and j affect each other equally;
O: pillar or construct i and j will have no relationship.
Each expert was briefed about the pillars and elements of six sigma model in the
worksheet provided to record their responses. The research objectives and the queries of
experts were clarified first and then each expert was requested to respond on the
worksheet. All the responses were collected and a check was performed. If the
relationship between ith and jth element is unanimous then corresponding letter was
allocated in the respective cell. However if the responses in a particular cell were of
varied opinions among the experts, all the experts were again consulted for that particular
relationship and requested to rethink on the relationship to probably enhances the
concurrency of the responses. In this manner after several interactions the final SSIM of
six sigma model pillars was formed. The SSIM for SMSIM and LSAI are shown in
Table 6.5 and Table 6.6.
An empirical investigation of proposed six sigma framework in Indian industry
108
Table 6.5: Structure self-interaction matrix (SSIM) of SMSAI
Drivers SCM STD HRM QIT TRE CRM ECS PSE TMCL
TMCL V V V V V V V V *
PSE A O A A A O X *
ECS A A A O O X *
CRM A A A A X *
TRE V X O V *
QIT A A A *
HRM X A *
STD O *
SCM *
Table 6.6: SSIM of LSAI
Drivers SCM STD HRM QIT TRE CRM ECS PSE TMCL
TMCL A A A A V X A O *
PSE A O O V V V V *
ECS A O A V V V *
CRM A A A X V *
TRE A A O O *
QIT A A A *
HRM A A *
STD A *
SCM *
Step 4. The SSIM has to be changed into a binary matrix, called the reachability matrix
by replacement X, A, V and O by 1 and 0. The rules for substituting 1‟s and 0‟s are
given as follows:
a) If the entry in cell (i,j) of SSIM is V then entry in the (i,j) cell of reachability matrix
must be replaced with 1 and in cell (j,i) must be replaced with 0.
An empirical investigation of proposed six sigma framework in Indian industry
109
b) If the entry in cell (i,j) of SSIM is A then entry in the (i,j) cell of reachability matrix
must be replaced with 0 and in cell (j,i) must be replaced with 0.
c) If the entry in cell (i,j) of SSIM is X then entry in the (i,j) cell of reachability matrix
must be replaced with 1 and in cell (j,i) must also be replaced with 1.
d) If the entry in cell (i,j) of SSIM is O then entry in the (i,j) cell of reachability matrix
must be replaced with 0 and in cell (j,i) must also be replaced with 0.
e) After making the reachability matrix its transitivity is checked. If element i lead to
element j and element j leads to element k, then element i should lead to element k.
By transitivity embedding, the modified reachability matrix is obtained. Table 6.7 and
Table 6.7 shows final reachability matrix for SMSIM and LSAI organization
considered for study.
Step 5. Table 6.7 and Table 6.8 display the driving power and dependence of each
six sigma pillar. The driving power of a particular six sigma pillar is the total numbers of
pillars (including it) which may help to achieve or establish. These driving power and
dependencies will be used further in MICMAC analysis, which involves classification of
elements into four groups of autonomous, dependent, linkage, and independent (driver)
six sigma model elements.
Table 6.7: Final reachability matrix of SMSAI organization
Element TMCL PSE ECS CRM TRE QIT HRM STD SCM Driver
TMCL 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 9
PSE 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
ECS 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 3
CRM 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 3
TRE 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 6
QIT 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 3
HRM 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 6
STD 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 6
SCM 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 6
Dependence 1 7 7 8 4 6 4 3 4
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Table 6.8: Final reachability matrix of LSAI organization
Element ECS STD SCM CRM PSE HRM QIT TRE TMCL Driver
ECS 1 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 4
STD 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 6
SCM 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 5
CRM 1 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 4
PSE 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1
HRM 1 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 4
QIT 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 6
TRE 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 7
TMCL 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 9
Dependence 8 2 5 8 9 8 3 2 1
Step 6. From the reachability matrix, the reachability set and antecedent set for each
criterion is found. The reachability set consists of the pillar itself and other pillar to
which it may reach, whereas the antecedent set consists of the pillar itself and the other
pillar which may reach to it. Then the intersection of these sets is derived for all pillars.
The pillar for which the reachability and intersection sets are the same is the top-level
pillar. Physically, the top pillars of the hierarchy will not reach to any other pillar above
their own level. Once the top-level pillar is identified, it is separated out from the other
pillar. Then, by the same process, the next level of pillars is found. The levels of partition
of the pillars for SMSIM and LSAI are shown in Table 6.9 and Table 6.10.
Table 6.9: Levels of partition of the pillars for SMSAI organization
Pillars Reachability set Antecedent set Intersection set Level
1 1 1 1 5
2 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8 2
3 3 1,2,3,7 3 3
4 4, 9 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 4, 9 1
5 5,7 1,2,5,7 5,7 3
6 2, 6, 8 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8 2, 6, 8 2
7 7 1,2,7 7 4
8 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8 2
9 4, 9 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 4, 9 1
1: TMCL; 2: TRE; 3: HRM; 4:PSE; 5: STD; 6: SCM; 7: QIT; 8: ECS;9: CRM
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Table 6.10: Levels of partition of the pillars for LSAI organization
Pillar Reachability set Antecedent set Intersection set Level
1 1, 1, 1, 6
2 2, 2, 7, 1, 2, 4
3 8, 9, 3, 8, 5, 6, 9, 3, 2, 7, 1, 8, 9, 3, 2
4 4, 8, 5, 6, 9, 4, 3, 2, 7, 1, 4, 1
5 5, 5, 1, 5, 4
6 6, 5, 6, 2, 7, 1, 6, 3
7 7, 7, 1, 7, 5
8 8, 9, 3, 8, 5, 6, 9, 3, 2, 7, 1, 8, 9, 3, 2
9 8, 9, 3, 8, 5, 6, 9, 3, 2, 7, 1, 8, 9, 3, 2
According to Tables 6.7, 6.8, 6.9 and 6.10, if there is an existence of relationship
between the pillars j and i, an arrow directed from i to j is drawn. The resulting figure is
called diagraph. Next the elements descriptions are written in the digraph to call it the
ISM. The developed ISM has no cycles or feedbacks. Elements are related in a pure
hierarchical pattern.
Step 7. Once all the transitivities are removed, the diagraph is finally converted into ISM
model.
The ISM model of SMSIM and LASI organization is as shown in Figure 6.1 and
Figure 6.2.
The structural linkages between six sigma pillars are shown in Figure 6.1 and Figure 6.2
represents which helps to explain the role of different pillars in the context of six sigma
process. Finally the ISM’s are checked for conceptual inconsistency and necessary
modifications are carried out in case of any inconsistency.
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Figure 6.1: ISM of SMSAI
Legend:
TMCL: Top management commitment and leadership; PSE: Project selection and execution
methodology; TRE: Training and education; CRM: Customer relationship management;
ECS: Effective information technology and communication system; QIT: Quality
improvement tools and Techniques; SCM: Supply chain Management, HRM: Human
resource management, STD: Standardization.
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Figure 6.2: ISM of LSAI
Legend:
TMCL: Top Management commitment and leadership; PSE: Project selection and execution
methodology; TRE: Training and education; CRM: Customer relationship management;
ECS: Effective information technology and communication system;
QIT: Quality improvement tools and techniques; SCM: Supply chain management,
HRM: Human resource management, STD: Standardization.
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6.6.3 Analysis of ISM models
ISM model developed shows different pillar appearing at a particular level in the model.
While there are similarities across both the ISM model diagrams, there is conspicuous
difference in terms of a particular element appearing at a particular level in the respective
six sigma model.
ISM model of SMSAI (Figure 6.1) and ISM model of LSAI (Figure 6.2) diagrams are
both similar in a way that both have the element, top management commitment and
leadership (TMCL) influencing all the other variables.
It was found that elements like top management commitment and leadership, training,
standardization pillars are at the same hierarchical in both the models. This shows that
both the organizations are following some kind of sequential process to implement
six sigma in terms of organizational activities.
Top management commitment and leadership is having direct influence on training and
education in both models. The roles of other seven elements (Project selection and
Execution, Customer relationship Management, Effective information technology and
communication system, Quality improvement tools and techniques, Supply chain
management, Human relationship management, Standardization) show significant
difference in both the models.
In the case of SMSAI model, top management commitment and leadership is the
Driver variable. It directly influences the element training. Element training has a
direct influence on element human resource management and standardization. Again,
these 2 elements, i.e. human resource management and standardization co-determines
the level of the elements supply chain management, Effective information technology
and communication system and Quality improvement tools and techniques which is
the penultimate element in the hierarchy of the elements. Finally, these elements
SCM,ECS and QIT has a direct influence on the dependent variables, namely Project
selection and execution and Customer relationship Management. These 2 variables
have a direct influence on each other at the same level.
In LSAI case, element top management commitment and leadership is the driver
variable. It influences the element training and education and quality improvement tools
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and techniques. Element training directly affects standardization, which is at the same
level of element quality improvement tools and techniques. Element standardization and
element quality improvement tools and techniques directly influences element supply
chain management. Element supply chain management in turn directly affects the
elements effective information technology and communication system, Customer
relationship management and Human relationship management. All these three elements
also affect each other at same level. Finally the element project selection and execution is
directly affected by these three elements i.e. ECS, CRM and HRM.
While there are similarities in both the interpretive structural models of SMSAI and
LSAI, there are structural differences as well. Firstly, there are only 5 levels in SMSAI
ISM while LSAI’s ISM exhibits 6 levels. However, in both the diagrams ultimate and
penultimate level elements are same i.e. top management commitment and leadership
and training but quality improvement tools and techniques is at higher level in SMSAI as
compared to LSAI. Supply chain management is driven by quality improvement tools
and techniques and issues of standardization, and it drives effective information
technology and communication system, customer relationship and human relationship
management. While in SMSAI, supply chain management was at higher level and was
driven by human relationship management and standardization and it drove only project
selection and execution and customer relationship management.
After developing ISM’s for SMSAI and LSAI it was observed that the mental model that
emerges out are different from each other which signify variation in the way pillars and
constructs of six sigma excellence interact with each other in the case organizations.
Hence it requires further analysis and discussion on this issue.
6.6.4 SEM development for statistical testing
Structural equation modelling (SEM) using AMOS 18.0v was performed to check the
statistical fit of the proposed ISM models. The inputs for this analysis are respondents
data (200 responses) collected from the previous section of study. The averages of
responses for the elements under each pillar were used and the directional relationships
among pillars established using ISM method so as to check the goodness of fit.
The model fit parameter values of SEM for SMSAI and LSAI considered for study is
given in Table 6.11. It is clearly visible from Table 6.11 that SMSAI’s ISM complies to
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range of model fit parameters while LSAI’s ISM fit is very much under permissible
range of model fit parameter values. It can thus be proposed here that LSAI’s ISM,
presents a statistically valid six sigma model in Indian manufacturing sector.
Table 6.11: Model fit parameter values of SEM for SMSAI ISM and LSAI ISM
Model parameters SMSAI ISM LSAI ISM Permissible range
χ2 29996.5 586.254 -
Df 632 572 -
χ2/df 42.53 1.31 ≤3
GFI 0.846 0.902 ≥0.90
AGFI 0.837 0.833 ≥0.80
RMSEA 0.018 0.019 ≤0.10
CFI 0.657 0.921 ≥0.90
RMR 0.141 0.132 ≤0.14
6.6.5 MICMAC analysis
The driver power and the dependence power of the developed ISM can be analyzed by using
MICMAC analysis. In this, the pillars are classified into four groups based on the driving
power and dependence power. The MICMAC analysis principle is based on the
multiplication properties of matrices. If element ‘i' directly influences element ‘k’ and if
element ‘k’ directly influences element ‘j’, any change affecting element ‘i’ have
repercussions on element ‘j’. This is because there is an indirect connection between
elements ‘i’ and ‘k’.
Table 6.7 and 6.8 show the final reachability matrix with an additional row and a
column. The names of pillars are listed in the first column while the first row contains
pillar numbers only. The last column is labeled as “driver” and the last row is labeled as
“dependence”. The number under the driver column indicates the number of nodes (or
pillars) that pillar can reach (directly and indirectly). The dependence metric tells us how
many nodes can reach a particular node (or pillars). For example, in table 6.8 which
shows final reachability matrix for in LSAI organization considered for study element
training, the driver value is 7 and the dependence value is 5. This means that this element
reaches seven other elements (in this context “influences” seven other elements) and is
reached (or “influenced”) by only five elements.
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Based on its driver and dependence scores
Figure 6.3 and Figure 6.4 show driver dependence matrix
Figure 6.3:
These plotted pillars can be categorized into certain types based on the quadrant or
position they occupy on the driver dependence plot as shown in Figure 6.3 and
Figure 6.4. The four regions in the Figure 6.3 and Figure 6.4 are divided into 4 sector
namely: I-Autonomous; II
Independent or driver pillars do not depend on other pillars. They tend to be located in
the top left quadrant of the driver dependence chart. These pillars tend to be crucial
because they form a set of key factors either contributing to inertia or to movement.
These pillars are also considered as entry variables in the system.
Relay pillars appear on the top right of the driver dependence chart. Relay elements are,
by nature, factors of instability since any action on them has consequences on the other
pillars, in case certain conditions on other influential variables are met.
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ased on its driver and dependence scores, X-Y charts are plotted for each element
show driver dependence matrix for SMSAI and LSAI
Figure 6.3: Driver dependence matrix for SMSAI
These plotted pillars can be categorized into certain types based on the quadrant or
position they occupy on the driver dependence plot as shown in Figure 6.3 and
6.4. The four regions in the Figure 6.3 and Figure 6.4 are divided into 4 sector
Autonomous; II-Dependent; III-Relay; IV-Independent (Driver).
Independent or driver pillars do not depend on other pillars. They tend to be located in
the top left quadrant of the driver dependence chart. These pillars tend to be crucial
se they form a set of key factors either contributing to inertia or to movement.
These pillars are also considered as entry variables in the system.
appear on the top right of the driver dependence chart. Relay elements are,
s of instability since any action on them has consequences on the other
pillars, in case certain conditions on other influential variables are met.
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117
Y charts are plotted for each element.
LSAI.
These plotted pillars can be categorized into certain types based on the quadrant or
position they occupy on the driver dependence plot as shown in Figure 6.3 and
6.4. The four regions in the Figure 6.3 and Figure 6.4 are divided into 4 sectors
Independent (Driver).
Independent or driver pillars do not depend on other pillars. They tend to be located in
the top left quadrant of the driver dependence chart. These pillars tend to be crucial
se they form a set of key factors either contributing to inertia or to movement.
appear on the top right of the driver dependence chart. Relay elements are,
s of instability since any action on them has consequences on the other
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10
9
8 1
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
1
Figure 6.4
Depended pillars can be considered
bottom right quadrant of the driver dependence chart
depended pillars are used to judge the effectiveness of managerial inputs. In other words,
a business or a process is evaluated based on the quality of the outcomes and how the
business processes were (or
outcomes. Autonomous variables
connections in the system. These elements are situated in the bottom left quadrant.
Independent/driver elements
The variables which are ‘driver’ or ‘independent’ variables do not depend on other
elements. They tend to be located in the top left quadrant of the driver dependence
diagram. These elements tend to be crucial because they form a set of givens. In other
words, they form a set of key factors either contributing to inertia or to movement. These
elements are also considered as entry variables in the system. MICMAC analysis
revealed that elements top management comm
training, supply chain managem
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IV
7
5 8
6
2,9,3
I
2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Figure 6.4: Driver dependence matrix for LSAI
considered as the result variables. These pillars are
of the driver dependence chart. From a practical standpoint,
depended pillars are used to judge the effectiveness of managerial inputs. In other words,
a business or a process is evaluated based on the quality of the outcomes and how the
are expected to be) used to leverage the inputs to
Autonomous variables are pillars or factors that have relatively
These elements are situated in the bottom left quadrant.
Independent/driver elements
‘driver’ or ‘independent’ variables do not depend on other
elements. They tend to be located in the top left quadrant of the driver dependence
diagram. These elements tend to be crucial because they form a set of givens. In other
key factors either contributing to inertia or to movement. These
elements are also considered as entry variables in the system. MICMAC analysis
revealed that elements top management commitment and leadership, standardization,
supply chain management and human resource management emerged as the
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III
II
4
9 10
located at the
practical standpoint,
depended pillars are used to judge the effectiveness of managerial inputs. In other words,
a business or a process is evaluated based on the quality of the outcomes and how the
to produce the
relatively few
These elements are situated in the bottom left quadrant.
‘driver’ or ‘independent’ variables do not depend on other
elements. They tend to be located in the top left quadrant of the driver dependence
diagram. These elements tend to be crucial because they form a set of givens. In other
key factors either contributing to inertia or to movement. These
elements are also considered as entry variables in the system. MICMAC analysis
leadership, standardization,
management emerged as the
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drivers for SMSAI and elements top management commitment and leadership,
standardization, quality improvement tools and techniques and training emerged as the
drivers for LSAI. In general, such drivers have high influence on the system that is being
studied and cannot be changed or manipulated easily. Top management commitment and
leadership practices focuses more on leadership/senior management’s role in building the
organizational structure, administrative processes, and enabling the human resources
towards six sigma culture. Hence, it is imperative that top management commitment and
leadership is a crucial driver for both the six sigma models.
Training and education is another driver which is common by found in the organizations
as they focus to improve knowledge and skill of the organizational employees. It is
observed in the ISM structure that training is driven by top management commitment
and leadership but training emerged as a driver for both the organizations.
In any organization, training and educations give a clear sense for people to better
understand the fundamentals and techniques of six sigma. Training and education refers
to learning activities in organizational levels for sustainable application of six sigma
activity.
Standardization is another common driver in both the oraganizations. Standardization
aims to institutionalize the improvement results from six sigma through documentation
and standardization of the new procedures. The process of standardization helps to
improve the productivity, reduce the number of managing reference points, decrease the
stock level, and drastically reduce the complexity of a manufacturing system. Hence
standardization needs to be propagated throughout the organization. This element
precedes rest of the elements of six sigma.
However, elements supply chain management and human resource management are
driver variables in SMSAI but not in LSAI, while the element quality improvement tools
and technique is driver variable in LSAI but not in SMSAI. The presence of more driver
variables (5 in SMSAI and 4 in LSAI) makes the company prone to more dependence on
these variables which in turn initiates another problem of synchronizing larger number of
driver variables.
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Relay element
These elements appear on the top right corner of the driver dependence chart. There are
no relay variables in SMSAI while element human resource management is a relay
variable in LSAI. Such elements are, by nature, factors of instability since any action on
them has consequences on the other elements, in case certain conditions on other influent
variables are met.
Dependent elements
These can be considered the ends or the result variables. These elements are located in the
bottom right quadrant of the driver dependence chart. Elements quality improvement tools
and techniques, customer relationship management, effective information technology and
communication system and project selection and execution are the dependent variables in
SMSAI. Elements effective information technology and communication system, supply
chain management, project selection and execution and customer relationship management
are the dependent variables for LSAI.
From a practical standpoint, these elements are used to judge the effectiveness of
managerial inputs. In other words, a business or a process is evaluated based on the
quality of the outcomes and how the business processes were (or are expected to be) used
to leverage the inputs to produce the outcomes. All these elements are observed as
variables due to the fact that these elements help in execution part of six sigma which is
highly depends on other independent variables. For example, the element human
resource management focuses on the motivation of employees which support the
six sigma initiative in the organization.
Autonomous elements
It can be observed from the Figure 6.3 and Figure 6.4 that both SMSAI and LSAI
doesn’t have any autonomous variables in its system.
Variables common to both organizations
It is also worthwhile to find out the commonalities between two suggested cases. The top
management commitment and leadership and training are drivers while project selection
and execution, effective information technology & communication system and customer
relationship management are dependent variables.
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Despite the differences and commonalties between six sigma models, LSAI model is
found to be statistically fit and hence has been considered to be representative of
six sigma framework in Indian manufacturing industry.
6.7 Discussion
Validity and reliability analysis on a proposed six sigma framework in Indian
manufacturing industries has been performed in initial part of this chapter. The sample
data collected from two hundred Indian manufacturing industries. The study performed
correlation analysis to find out the relationship among pillars and elements within the
pillars also. The study revealed high inter item correlation mean value among elements
and pillars also. It clearly indicated that all the pillars and elements were played major
role in the implementation of six sigma principles in the organizations. The study also
revealed overall mean of each pillar was more than 3.5, which indicated all the elements
under each pillar plays very important role in successful implementation of six sigma
principles in the organizations and all the pillars have high Cronbach's alpha value,
which was more than 0.8. From the above values it is clearly demonstrated the high
internal consistency shown among the elements and pillars also. Hence, the study clearly
shows that proposed six sigma framework fulfils the requirement of reliability analysis.
Validity analysis on the proposed six sigma framework was also performed with the
same sample data in the first phase of this chapter. The study has performed content,
criterion-related as well as construct validity analysis. For the content validity analysis
twelve team members were consulted. They were suggested minor corrections to
improve questionnaire and to improve the format of the questionnaire. The criterion-
related validity analysis revealed bivariate correlation among pillars were high, which
was 0.3 and above. It clearly indicates all the elements in the proposed six sigma
framework plays important role. The study also performed construct validity analysis.
The objective of the construct validity is to check whether it measures the concept or the
theoretical construct it was anticipated or designed to measure. The validity analysis can
be performed on any scale, but the scale should satisfy two conditions: One is
unidimensionality of the scale. Secondly, the scale should fulfill the reliability conditions
as well (Ahire et al.,1996).
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Unidimensionality is used to check whether all elements are concentrated towards the
main target of the measurement (Gerbing and Anderson, 1988; Pierce et al.,1989). The
study revealed all elements were shown unidimensionality towards pillars of the
framework. Similarly, all the pillars were shown unidimensionality towards six sigma.
The study has also performed reliability analysis the result shown high cronbach’s alpha
value. The proposed six sigma framework has fulfilled the validity and reliability
analysis requirements. Hence, the study concluded the proposed six sigma framework
can useful to implement in Indian manufacturing industry.
The chapter also include research methodology to perform ISM methodology for
proposed framework of six sigma in Indian manufacturing industry by considering two
automotive organization cases. The ISM was performed on two exemplary cases of
six sigma organizations in Indian manufacturing industry: one is small and medium scale
automotive industry (SMSAI) and other is large scale automotive industry (LSAI). These
cases (LSAI and SMSAI) were selected on the basis of capital scale of the organization.
From the discussion presented in the research work, it is focused as to how the
framework for six sigma practices in Indian manufacturing industry works. So far as
managerial implications of this framework are concerned, the study provides guidelines
for achieving standardization in all the functions involved and also helps a manager to
understand cause and effect relationship among various important pillars in developing a
six sigma organization.
Such relationships can be used to diagnose any form of malfunctioning that may exist in
six sigma practices. From researcher’s point of view, the framework provides a definitive
set of pillars which in totality present the overall picture of six sigma and which
overcomes the deficiency that exists in standard theory of integrating various field of six
sigma practices together.
The proposed framework highlights the importance of various relationships and
interrelationships between pillars of six sigma practices in Indian manufacturing
industry. However, there are some shortcomings of the present study. Firstly, the case
study focused only on the automotive sector. However, in India, several other sectors of
manufacturing like process, machinery, apparel sectors are also fast growing and
six sigma practices are very prevalent in them.
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Therefore in order to test the applicability of the proposed six sigma framework in these
sectors too, several more studies should be conducted. Secondly, the pillars of six sigma
practices are solely based on existing literature (although respondents in the survey are
practitioners), hence in order to increase the robustness and comprehensiveness of
proposed six sigma framework, more pillars in consultation with practitioners and
consultants can be added. In the end, authors would like to suggest to the researchers to
deliberate on the proposed framework and make efforts to enhance the applicability of
this framework in other manufacturing sectors so that all the sectors of manufacturing
industry not only in India but in other countries too, can be also benefited from adopting
the proposed six sigma practices.
6.8 Conclusion
In this chapter various statistical tools like the descriptive statistics; reliability
analysis, principle component analysis, structure evaluation modelling, and
correlation analysis are used and the data was analyzed using SPSS (version 18.0 V).
Based on the 200 responses received from Indian manufacturing industries, the
proposed six sigma framework was tested. The study found Pearson’s one tailed
correlation coefficient value. It is revealed that a strong correlation exists among
pillars and elements under pillars also in the proposed framework. The study also
performed reliability analysis to find out the reliability of the pillars and its
respective elements, which revealed all pillars and its elements have high cronbach’s
alpha value. The study also performed unidimensionality of the pillars as well as
elements under the pillars, which revealed that all the pillars were unidimensional
towards six sigma and all the elements were unidimensional towards respective
pillars of the framework.
The ISM model based on expert opinions were formed which enabled comparison of
the structural model from the different pillars of six sigma practices. The ISM was
developed for two automobile component manufacturing organizations as test cases.
The two manufacturing organizations selected from the automobile sector, which
were SMSAI and LSAI. The relationships among pillars of six sigma framework
were obtained from ISM, and later were subjected to statistical testing for model fit
by using SEM. The input to SEM was the respondent’s (200 responses) data used in
previous study in the present chapter. The major findings revealed that ISM of LSAI
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organization statistically fits for six sigma framework, and finally MICMAC analysis
was conducted to find the driving and dependency power of each element of the
statistically fit six sigma framework. Finally, based on the results obtained through
various analysis conducted in this chapter, the study concludes the proposed
six sigma framework is suitable to implement in Indian manufacturing industries.
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An empirical investigation of proposed six sigma framework in Indian industry
127
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128
Chapter 7
Conclusions
Global competition, rapidly changing technologies impose a great deal of competition
from global market to manufacturing industries in India. In order to be competitive
globally, Indian manufacturing industries have to work most efficiently and improve
their productivity. Moreover shorter product life cycles have contributed in making the
current manufacturing environment extremely competitive. Under such circumstances,
traditional quality improvement approaches which were used by the industries are no
longer provide edge over the competitors.
Hence many industries are implementing various change management programmes such
as Total productive maintenance (TPM), Total quality management (TQM),
Six sigma (SS), Lean enterprise (LE) systems, etc. Among such programmes, six sigma
has attracted the attention of many industry professional significantly, which is reflected
in the number of case studies and participating organization in the surveys that are
reported in the literature related to six sigma.
However, many organizations are not successful in their attempts to implement six sigma
effectively. Although many publications and books are available that discusses about
six sigma, it is ironical to hear about such failures. It is due to there is an improper
understanding of six sigma among the professionals. Many researchers has discussed
that implementation of six sigma requires a thorough understanding about the ‘six sigma
elements’, ‘steps to implement six sigma’, and ‘relationship between six sigma
elements’. Although there is a good literature available about six sigma but it seems to
be highly incoherent with respect to use of elements and inconsistent in strategy
formulation. Hence, there is a need to study the six sigma practices in Indian
manufacturing industry and also find out a definitive set of pillars (or practices) of
six sigma that can lead to six sigma excellence framework.
The present research is focused on examining some of fundamental concerns in field of
six sigma. Hence, the present study has focused on addressing all these concerns while
Conclusions
129
making efforts to present an empirical investigation of six sigma practices in Indian
industry.
In Chapter 2, in depth review of six sigma literature is presented. It provides a
comprehensive assessment of research methodology and content of six sigma research
articles published from 1995 to 2011 in 52 journals having focus towards six sigma.
A systematic classification and a critical analysis was performed to identify research
gaps in content of six sigma as well as to recommend directions for future research.
Using research approach given by Nakata and Huang, this chapter reviewed total 179
research articles related to six sigma research with respect to research methodology and
its related aspects
The research reveals that most of the articles are conceptual in nature and empirical
articles are increasing aggressive than the past.
The study has found a rise in empirical approach over the years but still it is in minority
as compared to conceptual approach and hence there is further need for more empirical
research to get better benefits to the organizations. The review also indicated that
researchers should start focusing on various sphere of theory verification as well rather
than only theory building.
The literature review carried out in Chapter 2 has found that the contribution of research
articles is mainly from academicians with very few professional being involved. To
overcome this issue, the academicians have to collaborate with the professionals to get
better conclusions and articles useful to the industry. There is need to improve the
catchment of research in these developing countries through the various research
institutions, collaboration between institutions and organizations and encouragement
from local government to the researchers.
The various gaps in the existing literature were found regarding the status of six sigma
implementation in Indian manufacturing sector and applicability of existing frameworks
in the Indian industry.
The third Chapter discusses about the research approach which has been widely followed
by the practitioners and researcher for carrying out an extensive survey in the
Conclusions
130
manufacturing scenario. The justification for using empirical research for the study and
the detailed description of the research methodology followed is given. The type of
empirical survey that is to be done has been explained and the justification for selecting
for questionnaire survey is also explained. At the end of this chapter, the method of
collecting the industry database is explained and finally a brief overview about the five
sample sectors namely automobile, machines and equipments, electrical and electronics,
process industries and textiles which were chosen for conducting the survey research are
provided.
Chapter 4 describes about the various steps undertaken by researchers and consultants
related to the concept of six sigma have been studied and certain frameworks as
suggested by various academicians / researchers / consultants were identified.
Reliability and validity analysis of these existing frameworks of six sigma has been
done through extensive survey of Indian manufacturing industry. The results of this
survey have been discussed in this chapter, and the results show that although majority
of the frameworks are displaying high level of reliability, very few frameworks
displayed unidimensionality with respect to the construct i.e. six sigma it measures.
Apart from this, many important constructs were not found in the existing
frameworks like, quality control tools and techniques, standardization etc. Very few
frameworks reported importance of training and education in their frameworks.
Hence, it has been concluded that none of the existing frameworks can be used in their
present form and therefore there is a need for development of a new framework to
address all these gaps.
Hence there is a need for development of a new framework which will suite and fulfill
the requirements of Indian industry which suits the Indian milieu and provide strategic
directions for the Indian industry
In the fifth Chapter, a critical review of six sigma frameworks is discussed and an
attempt is made to highlight the inconsistencies present in existing frameworks. Various
frameworks proposed by authors, researchers and practitioners were compared to find
out the commonalities. Subsequently the total 159 elements obtained through the various
frameworks and were clubbed under major initiatives referred as pillars like Top
management commitment and leadership, Project selection and Execution methodology,
Training and Education, Customer Relationship Management, Effective Information
Conclusions
131
technology and communication System, Quality Improvement Tools and Techniques,
Supply Chain Management, Human resource management (HRM). Along with the same
some more initiative like standardization were proposed to take into account the
changing manufacturing scenario. Finally a six sigma framework was proposed to give a
coherent set of elements with the help of empirical study as well as comparative analysis.
The proposed framework will help researchers to overcome the limitation of existing six
sigma frameworks and help reducing the inconsistencies that may occur in future six
sigma frameworks.
In the sixth Chapter, firstly, extensive survey of Indian industries has been done for
empirical investigation for the usefulness and comprehensiveness of the proposed six
sigma framework for the Indian Industry. This chapter discusses about the observations
and analysis of the second questionnaire which were sent to the same industries as
discussed in fourth Chapter. The second questionnaire was developed to check the
reliability and validity of the developed framework. The developed framework of six
sigma was validated. Secondly, a path analysis for proposed framework of six sigma in
Indian manufacturing industry using interpretive structural modelling (ISM) and
structural equation modelling (SEM) was performed. The ISM is done using two six
sigma principles practicing Indian manufacturing industry. The study has identified two
organizations, one of the organizations is practicing six sigma principles aggressively
and another organization has also implemented six sigma, but lacking in six sigma
implementation as compared with first organization due to its limitations. Based two
organizations practices, ISM model were developed. The relationships among pillars of
six sigma framework were obtained from ISM, and later were subjected to statistical
testing of model fit by using SEM. The input to SEM was the respondent’s (200
responses) data used in previous study. The major findings revealed that ISM based on
organization, is statistically fit for six sigma framework.
7.1 Summary of contributions of the research
The contribution of this research may be summarized in the following manner:
� Extensive review of six sigma literature was carried out to identify various research
gaps and existing six sigma frameworks.
Conclusions
132
� Validity and reliability of the existing six sigma frameworks were carried out using
an exploratory survey. In addition, it was found none of the frameworks were
suitable in existing form for Indian manufacturing scenario.
� A structured framework of six sigma was proposed. The proposed framework can be
helpful to organizations to identify the various initiatives towards implementation of
six sigma for manufacturing excellence.
� The managerial implications of six sigma framework can be vastly felt. In India
many companies are new to six sigma implementations. The present study thus
provides managers an insight as to what are the pillars of six sigma and what are the
elements under these pillars. These nine pillars also span across all the crucial areas
of business right from project selection and execution to customer relationship
management. This can guide managers about the use these pillars within a
framework to achieve successful six sigma implementation. The main benefit of the
study is that the nine pillars proposed with the help of conceptual analysis as well as
group of experts belonging to academics, professionals and consultants. The
elements of the framework are derived with the help of empirical study from Indian
manufacturing sector.
� The proposed framework was validated using one more exploratory survey and path
analysis. Various statistical analyses were used, which confirmed that the developed
framework is legitimate in the Indian scenario. Finally, the applicability of the
proposed framework of six sigma is verified in two manufacturing organizations with
the help of ISM model.
� The research contribution of the study are far reaching as huge literature on six sigma
lacks standardization. The identified pillars of six sigma can be used as standard and
important set of elements for future research since these pillars and elements are
derived from literature and empirical study from Indian manufacturing industry.
� The proposed framework of six sigma provides a definitive set of elements which
present overall picture of six sigma and overcomes the deficiency that exists in the
literature with respect to frameworks.
� It was found that there exists a huge gap between theory building and theory
verification. Theory building is progressing at faster rate than theory verification.
Hence researchers must concentrate on theory verification as well to bring the
discipline to maturity phase.
Conclusions
133
� It is observed that sample size used by various researchers especially in survey
research is very much restricted. Hence researcher should try to go for larger sample
sizes and try to achieve higher response rates in survey research.
� In the also felt researchers working on empirical studies should report several
characteristics of respondents like industry, work experience of respondents,
designation etc. Such characteristics is helpful to judge the quality and reliability of
the reported facts and theories. However getting complete demographic data is not an
easy task but researchers can take help of survey professionals in this context.
7.2 Recommendations for future work
The work presented in thesis addresses several issues related to six sigma in empirical
research literature, Indian manufacturing industry and theory. However there are few
issues that remained unaddressed due to limitation on the scope of work. Hence avenues
for further research are suggested, which are given as follows:
� In the present study, only five sectors across the Indian manufacturing domain were
considered and the response rate was reasonable good as compared to present
empirical research works. However, this study can further be extended to various
other sectors and the reliability / validity of the proposed framework in other sectors
can also be analysed.
� The five sectors considered for study can further be refined to various sub
classification within each sector like for process industries cement, pharmacy,
chemical, etc. and their level of six sigma identified.
� Each pillar of six sigma framework can be developed further by identifying their
implementation elements individually.
� Further development of this questionnaire can be done so that it can be used for a
global survey also. By doing this it will be possible to compare the Indian companies
and their global counterparts.
� In the present study relationships amongst various pillars of proposed six sigma
pillars were identified using bivariate correlation (Pearson’s Correlation) which
indicated positive correlations among the nine pillars. This relationship can be further
analyzed using other methods.
A-1
Appendix-A: List of papers reviewed in Chapter 2
[1]. Agarwal, R., Bajaj, N., 2008. Managing outsourcing process: applying six sigma.
Business Process Management Journal 14, 829-837.
[2]. Al-Mishari, S.T., Suliman, S., 2008. Integrating Six-Sigma with other reliability
improvement methods in equipment reliability and maintenance applications.
Journal of Quality in Maintenance Engineering 14, 59-70.
[3]. Amar, K., Davis, D., 2008. A review of six sigma implementation frameworks
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Engineering and Computer Scientist,19-21 March, Hong kong
[4]. Anand, R.B., Shukla, S.K., Ghorpade, A., Tiwari, M.K., Shankar, R., 2007. Six
sigma-based approach to optimize deep drawing operation variables.
International Journal of Production Research 45, 2365-2385.
[5]. Andersson, R., Eriksson, H. and Torstensson, H., 2006. Similarities and
differences between TQM, six sigma and lean. The TQM Magazine, 18, 282-296
[6]. Antony, J., 2004. Six sigma in the UK service organisations: results from a pilot
survey. Managerial Auditing Journal 19, 1006-1013.
[7]. Antony, J., 2006. Six sigma for service processes. Business Process Management
Journal 12, 234-248.
[8]. Antony, J., 2007. What is the role of academic institutions for the future
development of six sigma? International Journal of Productivity and Performance
Management 57, 107-110.
[9]. Antony, J., 2008. Can six sigma be effectively implemented in SMEs?
International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management 57, 420-423.
[10]. Antony, J., 2009. Six sigma vs TQM: some perspectives from leading
practitioners and academics. International Journal of Productivity and
Performance Management 58, 274-279.
[11]. Antony, J., Unpublished results. Assessing the Status of six sigma in the UK
Service Organisations: Some Key Observations and Findings.
Appendix-A
A-2
[12]. Antony, J., Antony, F.J., Kumar, M., Cho, B.R., 2007. Six sigma in service
organisations: Benefits, challenges and difficulties, common myths, empirical
observations and success factors. International Journal of Quality and Reliability
Management 24, 294-311.
[13]. Antony, J., Banuelas, R., 2002. Key ingredients for the effective implementation
of six sigma program. Measuring Business Excellence 6, 20-27.
[14]. Antony, J., Desai, D.A., 2009. Assessing the status of six sigma implementation
in the Indian industry: results from an exploratory empirical study. Management
Research News 32, 413-423.
[15]. Antony, J., Douglas, A., Antony, F.J., 2007. Determining the essential
characteristics of six sigma Black Belts: Results from a pilot study in UK
manufacturing companies. The TQM Magazine 19, 274-281.
[16]. Antony, J., Kumar, M., Madu, C.N., 2005. Six sigma in small- and medium-sized
UK manufacturing enterprises: Some empirical observations. International
Journal of Quality and Reliability Management 22, 860-874.
[17]. Banuelas, R., Antony, J., 2003. Going from six sigma to design for six sigma: an
exploratory study using analytic hierarchy process. The TQM Magazine 15, 334-
344.
[18]. Banuelas, R., Antony, J., 2004. Six sigma or design for six sigma? The TQM
Magazine 16, 250-263.
[19]. Banuelas, R., Antony, J., Brace, M., 2005. An Application of six sigma to Reduce
Waste. Quality and Reliability Engineering International 21, 553-570.
[20]. Banuelas, R., Tennant, C., Tuersley, I., Tang, S., 2006. Selection of six sigma
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[21]. Bendell, T., 2006. A review and comparison of six sigma and the lean
organizations. The TQM Magazine 18, 255-62.
[22]. Behara, R.S., Fontenot, G.F., Gresham, A., 1995. Customer satisfaction
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Reliability Management 12, 9-18.
Appendix-A
A-3
[23]. Brady, J.E., Allen, T.T., 2006. Six sigma Literature: A Review and Agenda for
Future Research. Quality and Reliability Engineering International 22, 335-367.
[24]. Brun, A., 2011. Critical success factors of six sigma implementations in Italian
companies. International Journal of Production Economics 131, 158-164.
[25]. Buch, K., Tolentino, A., 2006. Employee perceptions of the rewards associated
with six sigma. Journal of Organizational Change Management 19, 356-364.
[26]. Bunce, M.M., Wang, L., Bidanda, B., 2008. Leveraging six sigma with industrial
engineering tools in crateless retort production. International Journal of
Production Research 46, 6701-6719.
[27]. Caulcutt, R., 2001. Why is six sigma so successful? Journal of Applied Statistics
28, 301-306.
[28]. Chakrabarty, A., Chuan, T.K., 2009. An exploratory qualitative and quantitative
analysis of six sigma in service organizations in Singapore. Management
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[29]. Chakrabarty, A., Tan, K.C., 2007. The current state of six sigma application in
services. Managing Service Quality 17, 194-208.
[30]. Chakravorty, S.S., 2009. Six sigma programs: An implementation model.
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[31]. Chandra, W., Goh, T.N Unpublished results. Introducing six sigma: a framework
for quality management.
[32]. Chau, K.-Y., Liu, S., Ip, W.-H., 2009. Enhancing enterprise information
integration using six sigma. Total Quality Management and Business Excellence
20, 537-546.
[33]. Chen, K.S., Lin, C.T., Chen, S.C., 2008. Applying Six-Sigma methodology in
constructing the quick response of a case reporting system. Total Quality
Management and Business Excellence 19, 381-398.
[34]. Chen, M., Lyu, J., 2009. A Lean Six-Sigma approach to touch panel quality
improvement. Production Planning and Control 20, 445-454.
Appendix-A
A-4
[35]. Chen, S.C., Chang, L., Huang, T.H., 2009. Applying Six-Sigma methodology in
the Kano quality model: An example of the stationery industry. Total Quality
Management and Business Excellence 20, 153-170.
[36]. Cheng, J.-L., 2007. Comparative Study of Local and Transnational Enterprises in
Taiwan and their Implementation of six sigma. Total Quality Management and
Business Excellence 18, 793-806.
[37]. Cheng, J.-L., 2008. Implementing six sigma via TQM improvement: an empirical
study in Taiwan. The TQM Journal 20, 182-195.
[38]. Cheng, J.-L., 2009. six sigma and TQM in Taiwan: An empirical study of
discriminate analysis. Total Quality Management and Business Excellence 20,
311-326.
[39]. Chung, Y.C., Hsu, Y.W., 2010. Research on the correlation between Design for
six sigma implementation activity levels, new product development strategies and
new product development performance in Taiwan’s high-tech manufacturers.
Total Quality Management and Business Excellence 21, 603-616.
[40]. Coronado, R.B., Antony, J., 2002. Critical success factors for the successful
implementation of six sigma projects in organisations. The TQM Magazine 14,
92-99.
[41]. Das, P., 2005. Reduction in delay in procurement of materials using six sigma
philosophy. Total Quality Management and Business Excellence 16, 645-656.
[42]. Dasgupta, T., 2003. Using the six-sigma metric to measure and improve the
performance of a supply chain. Total Quality Management and Business
Excellence 14, 355-366.
[43]. Davison, L., Al-Shaghana, K., 2007. The Link between six sigma and Quality
Culture - An Empirical Study. Total Quality Management and Business
Excellence 18, 249-265.
[44]. Dedhia, N.S., 2005. six sigma basics. Total Quality Management and Business
Excellence 16, 567-574.
[45]. Van Den Heuvel, J., Does, R.J., Verver, J.P., 2005. six sigma in healthcare:
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Competitive Advantage 1, 380-388.
Appendix-A
A-5
[46]. Desai, D.A., 2006. Improving customer delivery commitments the six sigma way:
case study of an Indian small scale industry. International Journal of six sigma
and Competitive Advantage 2, 23-47.
[47]. Does, R., van den Heuvel, E., de Mast, J., Bisgaard, S., 2002. Comparing
Nonmanufacturing with Traditional Applications of six sigma. Quality
Engineering 15, 177-182.
[48]. Eberly, D.A., 2006. Building Energy Cost Savings From Six-Sigma Process
Improvement Methods. Strategic Planning for Energy and the Environment 26,
59-70.
[49]. Ehie, I., Sheu, C., 2005. Integrating six sigma and theory of constraints for
continuous improvement: a case study. Journal of Manufacturing Technology
Management 16, 542-553.
[50]. Elliott, G., 2004. The journey to steps to six sigma. Handbook of Business
Strategy 5, 201-205.
[51]. Eric,M.L.,Larry,A.S.,2009. Developing an Assessment Tool for Two
Organizations Using Six Sigma Principles. Engineering Management Journal
21, 7-15
[52]. De Feo, J., Bar-El, Z., 2002. Creating strategic change more efficiently with a
new Design for six sigma process. Journal of Change Management 3, 60-80.
[53]. Firka, D.A., 2007. Six sigma Evolution within Transitional Economies. The
Argentinean Case., in: 13th Asia Pacific Quality Organization International
Congress, Shanghai, October. 18-20.
[54]. Freiesleben, J., 2006. Communicating six sigma’s benefits to top management.
Measuring Business Excellence 10, 19-27.
[55]. Friday-Stroud, S.S., Sutterfield, J.S., 2007. A conceptual framework for
integrating six-sigma and strategic management methodologies to quantify
decision making. The TQM Magazine 19, 561-571.
[56]. Fuller, H.T., 2000. Observations about the success and evolution of six sigma at
SEAGATE. Quality Engineering 12, 311-315.
Appendix-A
A-6
[57]. Furterer, S., Elshennawy, A.K., 2005. Implementation of TQM and lean six sigma
tools in local government: a framework and a case study. Total Quality
Management and Business Excellence 16, 1179-1191.
[58]. Gijo, E.V., Rao, T.S., 2005. Six sigma implementation - Hurdles and more
hurdles. Total Quality Management and Business Excellence 16, 721-725.
[59]. Goel, S., Chen, V., 2008. Integrating the global enterprise using six sigma:
business process reengineering at General Electric Wind Energy. International
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[60]. Goh, T.N., 2002a. The Role of Statistical Design of Experiments in six sigma:
Perspectives of a Practitioner. Quality Engineering 14, 659-671.
[61]. Goh, T.N., 2002b. A strategic assessment of six sigma. Quality and Reliability
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[62]. Goh, T.N., Xie, M., 2003. Statistical Control of a six sigma Process. Quality
Engineering 15, 587-592.
[63]. Goh, T.N., Xie, M., 2004. Improving on the six sigma paradigm. The TQM
Magazine 16, 235-240.
[64]. Goldstein, M.D., 2001. Six sigma program success factors, in: six sigma Forum
Magazine. 36-45.
[65]. Gowen III, C.R., Tallon, W.J., 2005. Effect of technological intensity on the
relationships among six sigma design, electronic-business, and competitive
advantage: A dynamic capabilities model study. The Journal of High Technology
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[66]. Grant, D., Mergen, A.E., 2009. Towards the use of six sigma in software
development. Total Quality Management and Business Excellence 20, 705-712.
[67]. Green, F.B., 2006. Six-Sigma and the Revival of TQM. Total Quality
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[68]. Gutiérrez, L.J.G., Lloréns-Montes, F.J., Sánchez, Ó.F.B., 2009. six sigma: from a
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Appendix-A
A-7
[69]. Hagemeyer, C., Gershenson, J.K., Johnson, D.M., 2006. Classification and
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TQM Magazine 18, 455-483.
[70]. Hahn, G.J., Doganaksoy, N., Hoerl, R., 2000. The evolution of six sigma.
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[72]. Harjac, S.J., Atrens, A., Moss, C.J., 2008. Six sigma review of root causes of
corrosion incidents in hot potassium carbonate acid gas removal plant.
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[73]. Hensley, R.L., Dobie, K., 2005. Assessing readiness for six sigma in a service
setting. Managing Service Quality 15, 82-101.
[74]. Van den Heuvel, J., Does, R.J., De Koning, H., 2006. Lean six sigma in a
hospital. International Journal of six sigma and Competitive Advantage 2, 377-
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[75]. Hilton, R., Balla, M., Sohal, A.S., 2008. Factors critical to the success of a Six-
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[76]. Ho, Y.-C., Chang, O.-C., Wang, W.-B., 2008. An empirical study of key success
factors for six sigma green belt projects at an Asian MRO company. Journal of
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[77]. Hong, G.Y., Goh, T.N., 2003. Six sigma in software quality. The TQM Magazine
15, 364-373.
[78]. Hsieh, C., Lin, B., Manduca, B., 2007. Information technology and six sigma
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project portfolio selection to implement lean and six sigma concepts.
International Journal of Production Research 46, 6611-6625.
Appendix-A
A-8
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[81]. Ingle, S., Roe, W., 2001. Six sigma black belt implementation. The TQM
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[82]. van Iwaarden, J., van der Wiele, T., Dale, B., Williams, R., Bertsch, B., 2008. The
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[83]. Javier Lloréns-Montes, F., Molina, L.M., 2006. Six sigma and management
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[84]. Jenicke, L.O., Kumar, A., Holmes, M.C., 2008. A framework for applying six
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[85]. Jin, T., Janamanchi, B., Feng, Q., 2011. Reliability deployment in distributed
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[86]. Johannsen, F., Leist, S., 2009. A six sigma approach for integrated solutions.
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Appendix-A
A-9
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[92]. Kaushik, P., Khanduja, D., 2009. Application of six sigma DMAIC methodology
in thermal power plants: A case study. Total Quality Management and Business
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[93]. Kerri,A. G.,2007. Six sigma Project Management: Insights from Research and
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[96]. Koning, H. de, Does, R.J., Bisgaard, S., 2008. Lean six sigma in financial
services. International Journal of six sigma and Competitive Advantage 4, 1-17.
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Appendix-A
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B-1
Appendix-B
Survey questionnaire for empirical study of “Six Sigma Implementation
Frameworks” in Indian manufacturing industry
Introduction: Academic researchers/ Consultants/ Organizations have proposed various
frameworks for Six Sigma Implementation, which are available in literature. The
frameworks for Six Sigma Implementation are identified from existing literature. The
frameworks and its elements are presented in this questionnaire. The Questionnaire
consists of two parts: Part A consists of organization profile and competitiveness,
whereas Part B consists of Six Sigma implementation frameworks and its elements. The
aim of the study is given below:
Aim: An empirical analysis of Six Sigma Implementation frameworks in Indian
manufacturing industry
==============================================================
PART A: Organization Profile
1. Name of Organization:
2. Name of respondent and designation (optional):
3. Total years of experience:
4. Plant location:
5. What are the major products of the organization?
6. Total turnover of the organization:
Appendix-B
B-2
7. What is the vision statement of your organization?
8. What is the mission statement of your organization?
9. Please indicate the number of employees in your organization.
(a) 0-50 (b) 51-499 (c) 500-2000 (d) 2001-4999 (e) Over 5000
10. Do you consider your organization as a?
(a) Small enterprise (b) Medium enterprise (c) Large enterprise
11. Does your organization following Six Sigma activities / tools?
(a) Yes (b) No
12. If yes, how long did your organization following the Six Sigma activities / tools?
(a) Less than 1 year (b) 1 Year (c) 2 Years (d) More than 2 Years
13. Where the Six sigma activities / tools are implemented in your organization?
(a) Whole organization/enterprise (product development, manufacturing and
distribution)
(b) Product development
(c) Manufacturing
(d) Physical distribution system (Supply chain management)
(e) Other (Please specify)
14. Indicate the growth of the organization in terms of revenue in the last 3 years:
(a) Over 20% (b) Between 10-20% (c) Less than10% (d) Negative growth
15. Indicate the growth of organization in terms of profit in the last 3 years:
(a) Over 20% (b) Between 10-20% (c) Less than 10% (d) Loss
Appendix-B
B-3
16. Please indicate your organization’s performance over the last 3 years compared to
your competitors:
(a) Excellent (b) Good (c) Average (d) Below Average (e) Poor
17. Please indicate the rank of priority for the objectives of your organization (1 for
highest and 6 for lowest). Please add any additional objective and its rank of priority
if not included below:
Organization objectives Rank Organization objectives Rank
Profit Global focus
Growth Maintain competitive
advantage
Survival Social responsibility
Other (please specify)
Other (please specify)
18. Please indicate the rank for the competitive priorities of your organization (1 for
highest and 10 for lowest). Please add any additional competitive priority and its rank
if not included below:
Competitive priority Rank Competitive priority Rank
Cost Delivery/Availability
Flexibility Morale
Environmental consciousness Customer relations
Quality and reliability Productivity
Innovation Sustainability
Global focus Other (please specify)
Appendix-B
B-4
PART B
Guidelines for filling the questionnaire:
Please consider each framework in isolation / individually to achieve six sigma
implementation.
Please read the framework and its elements carefully and indicate/assign the actual level of
importance of the elements of the framework mentioned as per your expertise in your
organization.
The level of importance is given from 1 to 5 wherein:
1: Unimportant 2: Ordinary Important 3: Important 4: Very Important 5: Absolutely
Important
Framework 1: VIJAY SHANMUGAM
S.No Constructs / Elements / Tools 1 2 3 4 5
1.1 Top management commitment
1.2 Training
1.3 Project selection
1.4 Team selection
1.5 Communication
Framework 2: Roger Hiltona, Margaret Ballab and Amrik S. Sohal
S.No Constructs/ Elements/ Tools 1 2 3 4 5
2.1 Executive commitment
2.2 Adopting the philosophy
2.3 Benchmarking
2.4 Training
2.5 Closer customer relationships
2.6 Closer supplier relationships
2.7 Open organisation
2.8 Employee empowerment
2.9 Flexible operations
2.10 Process improvement
2.11 Measurement performance of operational activities
2.12 Organisational structures
2.13 Zero defects mentality
2.14 work force improvement teams
2.15 Planning and values
2.16 Audits
2.17 Problem solving tools
2.18 Design and engineering ( Quality function deployment)
2.19 Flexiable production lines
Appendix-B
B-5
Framework 3: FORREST B. GREEN
S.No Constructs/Elements/Tools 1 2 3 4 5
3.1 Strong customer focus
3.2 Elevated employee involvement
3.3 Continuous improvement
3.4 Enlightened leadership
3.5 Fact-based decision making
Framework 4: NAVIN SHAMJI DEDHIA
S.No Constructs/Elements/Tools 1 2 3 4 5
4.1 Necessary resources
4.2 Support and leadership of top management
4.3 Customer requirements identified explicitly
4.4 Comprehensive training programme
Framework 5: FU-KWUN WANG, TIMON C. DU and ELDON Y. LI
S.No. Constructs/Elements/Tools 1 2 3 4 5
5.1
A committed leader is needed to ensure a successful Six-
Sigma implementation
5.2
Six-Sigma efforts must be integrated with existing business
strategies and key performance measures
5.3
The framework of business process must support successful
Six-Sigma efforts
5.4
Six-Sigma requires disciplined customers and market
intelligence
5.5 Six-Sigma projects must produce real savings or revenue
5.6
Well-trained full-time team leaders, who are known as
Champions, Master Black Belts, Black Belts, and Green Belts,
must lead six-Sigma projects
5.7
Six-Sigma projects must be supported by the continuous
reinforcement and reward of leaders
Framework 6: Kamran Moosa and Ali Sajid
S.No Constructs/Elements/Tools 1 2 3 4 5
6.1 Vision of top management
6.2 Appropriate strategies based on experiences
6.3 Practical and hands on training to managers
6.4
Effective coordination through proper project management
in the first 1–2 years
6.5 Leadership of quality which demands effective accountability
6.6 Motivation and teamwork from managers
Appendix-B
B-6
Framework 7: Ka-Yin Chau , Songbai Liu and Wai-Hung Ip
S.No. Constructs/Elements/Tools 1 2 3 4 5
7.1 Management support and participation
7.2 Resource allocation
7.3 Data-driven decision making
7.4 Measurement and feedback
Framework 8: LOUISE DAVISON and KADIM AL-SHAGHANA
S.No Constructs/Elements/Tools 1 2 3 4 5
8.1 Demonstration of management commitment to quality
8.2 Creating awareness of quality
8.3 Training
8.4 Employee participation
8.5 Performance evaluations based on quality-related criteria
Framework 9: E. V. GIJO and TUMMALA S. RAO
S.No Constructs/ Elements/Tools 1 2 3 4 5
9.1 Top management support
9.2 Finding best Six Sigma Master Black Belt or consultant
9.3 Proper project selection
9.4
Resources (such as training facilities and computing software
facilities)
9.5
Use of quality tools(such as Quality Function Deployment
(QFD),tree diagrams, Pareto diagrams)
Framework 10: RODNEY MCADAM and ALISON EVANS
S.No. Constructs/Elements/Tools 1 2 3 4 5
10.1 Role of management
10.2 Empowerment, reward and co-operation
10.3 Process performance issues
10.4 Cultural transformation
10.5 Customer satisfaction
10.6 Methods of communicating to all employees
Framework 11:Hakan Wiklund and Pia Sandvik Wiklund
S.No. Constructs/Elements/Tools 1 2 3 4 5
11.1 Top management Involvment
11.2 Proper selection of Six Sigma projects
11.3 Highly disciplined approach
11.4
Use of statistical tools and the statistical design of
experiments (DoE)
11.5 Tranining
Appendix-B
B-7
Framework 12: Bill Wyper and Alan Harrison
S.No. Constructs/Elements/Tools 1 2 3 4 5
12.1
Importance of people issues in management of change (e.g.
fear of change, fear of being measured, not dissatisfied with
present, etc.)
12.2 Need to involve suppliers and customers
12.3 Benefits of clear definition of the process
12.4 Effectiveness and simplicity of Six Sigma tools
12.5
Importance of effective and effcient CHART data collecDon
system
12.6
Importance of criteria for measures of performance's
selection
12.7 Leardership
Framework 13: C. R. GOWEN III, G. N. STOCK and K. L. MCFADDEN
S.No Constructs/ Elements/Tools 1 2 3 4 5
13.1 Six Sigma initiatives
13.2 Knowledge acquisition
13.3 Knowledge dissemination
13.4 Knowledge responsiveness
13.5
Quality programme results (such as customer
satisfaction, net cost savings and reduction of errors)
13.6 Sustainable competitive advantage
Framework 14: R. SHAH, A. CHANDRASEKARAN and K. LINDERMAN
S.No Constructs/ Elements/Tools 1 2 3 4 5
14.1 Top management leadership
14.2 Customer requirements
14.3 Focus on financial and non-financial results
14.4 Structured method of process improvement
14.5 Strategic process selection
14.6 Full-time specialist ( such as black belt)
Framework 15: ZIAUL HUQ
S.No Constructs/ Elements/ Tools 1 2 3 4 5
15.1 Strategic leadership
15.2 Participative management (team approach)
15.3 An explicit focus on internal and external customers
15.4
Changing the organization structure to better identify and
improve processes
15.5
Establishment of an ERP system that is focused on process
analysis and quality
15.6 Workforce culture
Appendix-B
B-8
Framework 16: Joseph A. De Feo,Zion Bar-El
S.No Constructs/ Elements/Tools 1 2 3 4 5
16.1 Top managament commitment
16.2 Project selection
16.3 Resource allocation
16.4 Training
16.5 Customer satisfaction
16.6 Reward system
Framework 17: Satya S.Chakravorty
S.No Constructs/ Elements/Tools 1 2 3 4 5
17.1 Perform strategic analysis
17.2 Form cross-functional improvement team
17.3 Choose improvement tools
17.4
Execute high-level process mapping and prioritize
improvement
17.5 Develop detailed implementation plan
17.6 Implement,document and revise
Framework 18: Alessandro Brun
S.No Constructs/ Elements/Tools 1 2 3 4 5
18.1 Management involvement and commitment
18.2 Cultural change
18.3 Communication
18.4 Organizational infrastructure and culture
18.5 Education and training
18.6 Linking SixSigma to business strategy
18.7 Linking Six Sigma to customer
18.8 Linking Six Sigma to human resources
18.9 Linking Six Sigma to suppliers
18.10 Understanding tools and techniques within Six Sigma
18.11 Project management skills
18.12 Project prioritisation and selection
Framework 19: Xingxing Zu, Lawrence D. Fredendall, Thomas J. Douglas
S.No Constructs/ Elements/Tools 1 2 3 4 5
19.1 Top management support
19.2 Customer relationship
19.3 Supplier relationship
19.4 Workforce management
19.5 Quality information
19.6 Product/service design
19.7 Process management
19.8 Six Sigma role structure
Appendix-B
B-9
19.9 Six Sigma structured improvement procedure
19.10 Six Sigma focus on metrics
Framework 20: Roger G. Schroeder , Kevin Linderman, Charles Liedtke, Adrian S. Choo
S.No Constructs/ Elements/Tools 1 2 3 4 5
20.1 Leadership engagement
20.2 Improvement specialists
20.3 Strategic project selection
20.4 Structured method
20.5 Performance metrics
Framework 21: Ying-Chin Ho, Ou-Chuan Chang , Wen-Bo Wang
S.No Constructs/ Elements/Tools 1 2 3 4 5
21.1 Top management’s commitment and participation
21.2 Business strategy based on customer demands
21.3
Establishment of the Six Sigma framework OR an effective
organizational infrastructure should be in place
21.4 Project execution and follow-up of the results
21.5 Investment of essential resources
21.6
Investment and training framework for trainers and mentors
(such as Black Belts)
21.7 Incentive/reward system
21.8 Use of data analysis with data that are easily obtainable
21.9 Attention given to both long-term and short-term targets
21.10 Coordination with a knowledge management system
21.11 Project meshes with company’s business strategy
21.12 Cooperation and communication
21.13 Utilization of Six Sigma tools
Framework 22:Leopoldo J. Gutie´rrez Gutie´rrez, F.J. Llore´ns-Montes and O scar F. Bustinza
Sa´nchez
S.No Constructs/ Elements/Tools 1 2 3 4 5
22.1 Teamwork
22.2 Statistical Process Control
22.3 Shared vision
22.4 Organization Performance
Framework 23: Maneesh Kumar, Jiju Antony, Frenie Jiju Antony and Christian N. Madu
S.No Constructs/ Elements/Tools 1 2 3 4 5
23.1 Management involvement and commitment
23.2 Understanding Six Sigma methodology
23.3 Linking Six Sigma to business strategy
23.4 Linking Six Sigma to the customer
23.5 Project prioritization and selection
23.6 Organizational infrastructure
Appendix-B
B-10
23.7 Cultural change
23.8 Project management skills
23.9 Linking Six Sigma to suppliers
23.10 Training
23.11 Linking Six Sigma to employees
23.12 Integrating Six Sigma with financial accountability
23.13 Project tracking and review
23.14 Company-wide Commitment
23.15 Full-time versus part-time resources
23.16 Information and analysis systems
23.17 Use of quality tools
23.18 Human resource management system
23.19 Competitive benchmarking
Framework 24: T. N. GOH
S.No Constructs/ Elements/Tools 1 2 3 4 5
24.1 Top down initiation of a serious quality journey (not a book-
keeping exercise)
24.2 Hierarchy of expertise and execution (champions, Black Belts, etc.)
24.3 Structured deployment of tools (DMAIC)
24.4 Customer focus (in contrast to inward-looking
standardization)
24.5 Clear performance metric (sigma levels; defects per million
opportunities (dpmo))
24.6 Fact-based decisions (not procedure or judgment based)
24.7 Application of statistics (analytical, not will power)
24.8 Service as well as engineering applications (thus extending
the horizon of statistical thinking)
24.9 Recognized time effects in process analysis (with explicit
provisions for short-term and long-term variations)
24.10 Result oriented (project by project; three to six months
project duration makes progress tangible)
24.11 Business oriented (achievements often required to be
expressed in financial terms)
24.12 Good timing (coming at a time when personal computing
hardware and statistical software packages had become
widely available, making pervasive implementation possible).
Framework 25: Ricardo Banuelas, Jiju Antony, and Martin Brace
S.No Constructs/ Elements/Tools 1 2 3 4 5
25.1 Management involvement and commitment
25.2 Project selection and its link to business goals
25.3 Training and teamwork
25.4 Project progress tracking and monitoring
Appendix-B
B-11
Framework 26: CHANG-TSEH HSIEH,BINSHAN LIN,BILL MANDUCA
S.No Constructs/ Elements/Tools 1 2 3 4 5
26.1 A genuine focus on the customer
26.2 Data-and fact-driven management
26.3 Process focus, management, and improvement
26.4 Proactive management
26.5 Boundary-less collaboration
26.6 A drive for perfection, and yet a tolerance for failure
Framework 27:GRAEME KNOWLES, LINDA WHICKER, JAVIER HERALDEZ FEMAT and FRANCISCO DEL
CAMPO CANALES
S.No Constructs/ Elements/Tools 1 2 3 4 5
27.1 Senior management commitment
27.2 Good cultural fit
27.3 Good training in tools
27.4 Strictly following the DMAIC methodology
27.5 Customer focus
27.6 Linked to organisational strategy
Framework 28: Maneesh Kumar,Jiju Antony
S.No Constructs/ Elements/Tools 1 2 3 4 5
28.1 Management involvement and commitment
28.2 Communication
28.3 Link quality improvement to employee
28.4 Cultural change
28.5 Education and training
28.6 Link quality initiatives to customer
28.7 Project selection
28.8 Link quality initiatives to business
28.9 Link quality initiatives to supplier
28.10 Project management skill
28.11 Organization infrastructure
28.12 Vision and plan
28.13 IT and innovation
Framework 29: Jiju Antony,Darshak A. Desai
S.No Constructs/ Elements/Tools 1 2 3 4 5
29.1 Management commitment and participation
29.2 Organizational infrastructure
29.3 Cultural change
29.4 Training
29.5 Linking six sigma to customers
29.6 Linking six sigma to business strategy
29.7 Linking six sigma to employees
Appendix-B
B-12
29.8 Linking six sigma to suppliers
29.9 Understanding of six sigma methodology
29.10 Project management skills
29.11 Project prioritization and selection
29.12 Leadership for Six Sigma
Framework 30: Ayon Chakrabarty and Tan Kay Chuan
S.No Constructs/ Elements/Tools 1 2 3 4 5
30.1 Top management commitment
30.2 Cultural change
30.3 Organizational readiness
30.4 Customer focus
30.5 Education and training
30.6 Company-wide commitment
Framework 31: Chuni Wu,Chinho Lin
S.No Constructs/ Elements/Tools 1 2 3 4 5
31.1 customer focus
31.2 Upper Management involvement and commitment
31.3 External Communication
31.4 Internal communication Plan
31.5 Infrastructure management
31.6 process improvement
Framework 32: Chu-Hua Kuei and Christian N. Madu
S.No Constructs/ Elements/Tools 1 2 3 4 5
32.1 Stakeholder and technical requirements
32.2 Leadership triad
32.3 Statastical thinking
32.4 Strategic thinking
32.5 System capabilities
32.6 Cultural acceptance
32.7 Employee fulfillment
Framework 33: Behnam Nakhai,Joao S. Neves
S.No Constructs/ Elements/Tools 1 2 3 4 5
33.1 Top management commitment
33.2 Training
33.3 Company’s culture and values
33.4 Six sigma initiative must be focused on the customer
Appendix-B
B-13
Framework 34: Razvan Lupan and Ioan C. Bacivarof,Lasquo, Istia
S.No Constructs/ Elements/Tools 1 2 3 4 5
34.1 Top management Commitment
34.2 Process approach
34.3 Customer focus
34.4 Continuous improvement
Framework 35: Doug Sanders and Cheryl Hild
S.No Constructs/ Elements/Tools 1 2 3 4 5
35.1
A focus on the development of critical thinking and the
integration of current knowledge and experience with tools
35.2
Education of management in the philosophy,
methods,applications, and their roles
35.3
Support for any goals established with the means,
opportunities,and mechanisms to attain the goals
35.4
Integration of all concurrent initiatives and communication
throughout the organization
35.5 Translation of internal objectives to external customer values
35.6
Alignment of project objectives with site/area objectives and
then with organizational objectives
35.7
Valuing and rewarding the attainment and the transfer of
process/product knowledge in addition to dollars saved on
projects.
Framework 36: Venkateswarlu Pulakanam and Kevin E. Voges
S.No Constructs/ Elements/Tools 1 2 3 4 5
36.1 Linking Six Sigma to business strategy
36.2 Linking Six Sigma to Customers (Customer focus)
36.3 Project management skills
36.4 Executive leadership and senior management commitment
36.5 Organizational infrastructure / readiness
36.6 Management of cultural change
36.7 Project selection and prioritisation
36.8 Integration of Six Sigma with financial accountability
36.9 Understanding the Six Sigma methodology
36.10 Training and education
36.11 Project tracking and reviews
36.12 Incentive program
36.13 Company-wide commitment
36.14 Linking Six Sigma to suppliers
36.15 Linking Six Sigma to employees
Appendix-B
B-14
Framework 37: Young Hoon Kwak, Frank T. Anbari
S.No Constructs/ Elements/Tools 1 2 3 4 5
37.1 Management commitment and involvement
37.2
Understanding of six sigma methodology,tools, and
techniques
37.3 Linking six sigma to business strategy
37.4 Linking six sigma to customers
37.5 Project selection, reviews and tracking
37.6 Organizational infrastructure
37.7 Cultural change
37.8 Project management skills
37.9 Liking six sigma to suppliers
37.10 Training
37.11 Linking six sigma to human resources
Framework 38: Archana Shukla,R. Srinivasan
S.No Constructs/ Elements/Tools 1 2 3 4 5
38.1 Customer satisfaction
38.2 Black belts availability
38.3 Training
38.4 Change in Attitude
38.5 Proper Communication to employees
38.6 Teamwork
Framework 39: Jaideep Motwani, Ashok Kumar and Jiju Antony
S.No Constructs/ Elements/Tools 1 2 3 4 5
39.1 Strategic initiatives
39.2 Learning capacity
39.3 Cultural readiness
39.4
Information technology leverageability and knowledge-
sharing capability
39.5 Network relationships
39.6 Change management practice
39.7 Process management practice
Framework 40: Ricardo Banuelas and Jiju Antony
S.No Constructs/ Elements/Tools 1 2 3 4 5
40.1 Management involvement and commitment
40.2 Cultural Change
40.3 Communication
40.4 Organisation Infrastructure
40.5 Training
Appendix-B
B-15
40.6 Linking six sigma to business strategy
40.7 Linking six sigma to customer
40.8 Linking six sigma to human resources
40.9 Linking six sigma to suppliers
40.10 Understanding tools and techniques within six sigma
40.11 Project managements skills
40.12 Project prioritisation and selection
Framework 41: Taina Savolainen and Arto Haikonen
S.No Constructs/ Elements/Tools 1 2 3 4 5
41.1 Top management commitment
41.2 Creating the six sigma council
41.3 Organizing and resource allocation
41.4 Education and training
41.5 Definition of the organization’s key processes and their measurement
41.6 Training of experts and operators
41.7 Clarity of the roles of different actors involved
Framework 42: Pande et al. and George
S.No Constructs/ Elements/Tools 1 2 3 4 5
42.1 Customer focus
42.2 Project feasibility of the projects in a limited timeframe
42.3 Evaluation of responsility of profitability
42.4 Consequent agreement on objectives and controlling of results
42.5 Focus on the essential business processes
42.6 Application of an approved toolset
42.7
Consequent enabling of employees and provision of
resources
Framework 43: Ricardo Banuelas, Charles Tennant, Ian Tuersley and Shao Tang
S.No Constructs/ Elements/Tools 1 2 3 4 5
43.1 Customer focus
43.2 Financial impact
43.3 Top management commitment
43.4 Measurable and feasible
43.5 Learning and growth
43.6 Connected to business strategy and core competence
Framework 44: Godecke Wessel and Peter Burcher
S.No Constructs/ Elements/Tools 1 2 3 4 5
44.1 Vision and strategy
44.2 Control level ( e.g. Balanced score card)
Appendix-B
B-16
44.3 Operational level (six sigma methods and Tools)
44.4 Process management
44.5 Cultural imlementation tools
44.6 Profitability improvement
44.7 Project tracking period
44.8 Training
44.9 Cultural implementation element
44.10 Role of project leader
44.11 Willingness to change the organisational culture
Framework 45: Chao-Ton Su,Tai-Lin Chiang,Che-Ming Chang
S.No Constructs/ Elements/Tools 1 2 3 4 5
45.1 Emphasis on statistical science and measurement
45.2 Rigorous and structured training deployment plan
45.3
Project-focused approach with a single set of problem-solving
techniques such as DMAIC
45.4
Reinforcement of Juran’s tents of top management leadership,
continuous education and an annual savings plan.
Framework 46: Leila Jannesari Ladani and Diganta Das,Jerry L. Cartwright,Robert Yenkner, Jafar
Razmi
S.No Constructs/ Elements/Tools 1 2 3 4 5
46.1 Availability of necessary resources
46.2 Training
46.3 Number of black belts in the company
46.4 Chang in culture
46.5 Six sigma tools and techniques
Framework 47: Jiju Antony
S.No Constructs/ Elements/Tools 1 2 3 4 5
47.1 Strong leadership and management commitment
47.2 Organisational culture change
47.3 Aligning six sigma projects to corporate business objectives
47.4 Selection of team members and teamwork
47.5 Six sigma training
47.6 Understanding the DMAIC methodology
47.7 Use of statastical tools
47.8 Techniques and key metrics
47.9 Selection of projects and project management skills
47.10 Linking six sigma to customers
47.11 Accountability (tying results in financial terms to the bottom-line)
Appendix-B
B-17
Framework 48: Savolainen and Haikonen
S.No Constructs/ Elements/Tools 1 2 3 4 5
48.1 Top management education and training
48.2
Definition of the organization’s key processes and their
measurement
48.3 The experts and operators training
48.4
The clarity of the roles of different actors involved in the
improvement process
Framework 49: Geroge Elliott
S.No Constructs/ Elements/Tools 1 2 3 4 5
49.1 To establish Leadership commitment
49.2
Focus on most important of aspects of performance and
customer satisfaction
49.3 Ensure high level of technical knowledge
49.4 Establiish an "in control" operating mandate for all processes
49.5
Verify and commit to enforcing the discipline of standard
operating "should run" procedures
49.6 Provide a six six sigma process capability
49.7 Creat a culture of visible performance measurement
49.8 Design for manufacturability
49.9
Reward and sustain a culture of uncompermising excellence
and daily process discipline
49.10 Keep other initiatives out
Framework 50: Arto Haikonen,Taina Savolainen,Pekka Jarvinen
S.No Constructs/ Elements/Tools 1 2 3 4 5
50.1 Clear Six Sigma implementation strategy
50.2 Superiors’ commitment
50.3
A leading advocate (“cheerleader”) a full-time worker who is
enthusiastic and capable of promoting Six Sigma in the
organizational culture
50.4 Leadership
50.5 Utilization of results
50.6 Use of methdology
50.7 Measurement and data Collection
Framework 51: Ayon Chakrabarty and Kay Chuan Tan
S.No Constructs/ Elements/Tools 1 2 3 4 5
51.1 Top management commitment
51.2 Education and training
51.3 Cultural change
51.4 Financial benefits
51.5 Understanding of process
Appendix-B
B-18
51.6 Performance metrics
51.7 Customer focus
Framework 52: Rhonda L. Hensley and Kathryn Dobie
S.No Constructs/ Elements/Tools 1 2 3 4 5
52.1 Managerial commitment and involvement
52.2 Organization’s willingness to make cultural changes
52.3 Patience from management and employees
52.4 Development of change agents within the organization
52.5
Incorporation of six sigma efforts into the company’s
strategic plans and the plans of its customers and suppliers
52.6 Well developed understanding of the tools in six sigma
52.7 Ability and skills necessary to handle projects
Framework 53: Rupa Mahanti,Jiju Antony
S.No Constructs/ Elements/Tools 1 2 3 4 5
53.1 Management commitment and involvement
53.2 Linking Six Sigma to business strategies
53.3 Project planning and management
53.4 Understanding the Six Sigma methodology
53.5 Project prioritization and selection
53.6 Training and education
53.7 Employees’ commitment
53.8 Integrating Six Sigma with the financial infrastructure
53.9 Organizational infrastructure
53.10 Customers involvement
53.11 Cultural change
53.12 Linking Six Sigma to process improvement
53.13 Knowledge Sharing
53.14 Team communication
53.15 Risk management
53.16 Linking Six Sigma to input quality
53.17 Productivity Improvement
53.18 Document management
53.19 Suppliers involvement
Framework 54: Maneesh Kumar and Jiju Antony, Alex Douglas
S.No Constructs/ Elements/Tools 1 2 3 4 5
54.1 Management involvement and commitment
54.2 Communication
54.3 Link quality initiatives to employee
54.4 Cultural change
54.5 Education and training
54.6 Link quality initiatives to customer
Appendix-B
B-19
54.7 Project selection
54.8 Link quality initiatives to business
54.9 Link quality initiatives to supplier
54.10 Project management skill
54.11 Organizational infrastructure
54.12 Vision and plan
54.13 IT and innovation
Framework 55: Kim M. Henderson,James R. Evans
S.No Constructs/ Elements/Tools 1 2 3 4 5
55.1 Upper management support/involvement
55.2 Organizational infrastructure
55.3 Training
55.4 Tools
55.5
Link to human resources-based actions (promotions,
bonuses, etc.)
Framework 56: Mark Goldstein
S.No Constructs/ Elements/Tools 1 2 3 4 5
56.1 Deployment plan
56.2 Active participation of the senior executives
56.3 Project reviews
56.4 Technical support (Master Black Belts)
56.5 Full-time resources
56.6 Training
56.7 Communications
56.8 Project selection
56.9 Project tracking
56.10 Incentive program
56.11 Safe environment
56.12 Supplier plan
56.13 Customer satisfaction
Framework 57: Hemant Urdhwareshe
S.No Constructs/ Elements/Tools 1 2 3 4 5
57.1 Management commitment
57.2 Existence of basic system such as QS-9000
57.3 Implementation partner
57.4 Number of black and green belts
57.5 Project selection and scoping
57.6 Software used for analysis
57.7
Linkage of successful project leadership and team support to
recognition and reward system
57.8 Accountability for sponsors/champions
Appendix-B
B-20
57.9 Co-location of belts
57.10 Publishing success stories
Framework 58: Coronado and Antony Jiju Antony and Ricardo Banuelas (2002)
S.No Constructs/ Elements/Tools 1 2 3 4 5
58.1 Management involvement and commitment
58.2 Cultural change
58.3 Communication
58.4 Organization infrastructure
58.5 Training
58.6 Linking Six Sigma to business strategy
58.7 Linking Six Sigma to customer
58.8 Linking Six Sigma to human resources
58.9 Linking Six Sigma to suppliers,
58.10 Understanding tools and techniques within Six Sigma
58.11 Project management skills
58.12 Project prioritization and selection
Framework 59: Burton and Sams (2005)
S.No Constructs/ Elements/Tools 1 2 3 4 5
59.1 Establish recognition of the need
59.2 Provide leadership commitment and support
59.3 Develop Six Sigma strategy and a deployment plan
59.4 Incorporate enterprise wide scope
59.5 Mandate linkage to the business plan
59.6 Make proper investment in resources
59.7 Develop communication and awareness effort
59.8 Focus on customer and results
59.9 Structure around the organization’s needs
59.10 Implement regulated program management
59.11 Build a teaming and employee involvement culture
59.12 Manage controversy and confrontation
59.13 Demand frequent measurement and feedback
59.14 Implement a structured project closeout process
59.15 Provide recognition and rewards
59.16 Leverage successes
Framework 60: Hayes
S.No Constructs/ Elements/Tools 1 2 3 4 5
60.1 Executive engagement
60.2 Management involvement
60.3 Communications
60.4 Resources
60.5 Projects
60.6 Disciplines and consequences
Appendix-B
B-21
Framework 61:Furterer
S.No Constructs/ Elements/Tools 1 2 3 4 5
61.1 Costomer focus
61.2 Culture and change management
61.3 Human Resource management
61.4 Infrastructure and Methodology
61.5 Use of Quality tools
61.6 Measurements (metrics)
Framework 62: Chang
S.No Constructs/ Elements/Tools 1 2 3 4 5
62.1 Process management
62.2 Human resource management
62.3 Education and training
62.4 Use of quality tools
62.5 Information and analysis
62.6 Supplier management
62.7 Customer management
62.8 Leadership
Framework 63: Park
S.No Constructs/ Elements/Tools 1 2 3 4 5
63.1 Top management commitment
63.2 Training scheme
63.3 Project team activities
63.4 Measurement system
63.5 Stakeholder involvement
Framework 64: Frank T. Anbari and Young Hoon Kwak
S.No Constructs/ Elements/Tools 1 2 3 4 5
64.1 Management commitment and involvement
64.2 Understanding of Six Sigma methodology, tool, and
techniques
64.3 Linking Six sigma to business strategy
64.4 Linking Six sigma to customers
64.5 Project selection, reviews and tracking
64.6 Organizational infrastructure
64.7 Cultural change
64.8 Project management skills
64.9 Liking Six Sigma to suppliers
64.10 Training
64.11 Linking Six Sigma to human resources
Appendix-B
B-22
Framework 65:Xingxing Zu,Lawrence D. Fredendall,Tina L. Robbins
S.No Constructs/ Elements/Tools 1 2 3 4 5
65.1 Top management support
65.2 Customer relationship
65.3 Supplier relationship
65.4 Workforce management
65.5 Quality information
65.6 Product/service design
65.7 Process management
65.8 Six Sigma role structure
65.9 Structured procedure
65.10 Focus on metrics
65.11 Group culture
65.12 Developmental culture
65.13 Rational culture
65.14 Hierarchical culture
Framework 66:Wenny Chandra and T N Goh
S.No Constructs/ Elements/Tools 1 2 3 4 5
66.1 Upper management involvement and commitment
66.2 Strategy coupled with the right people
66.3 Highly trained and cross-functional personnel in teamwork
66.4 Project orientation, with clear and defined goals
66.5 Striving for better quality , not just meeting minimum
standards
Framework 67:Daniel Alejandro Firka
S.No Constructs/ Elements/Tools 1 2 3 4 5
67.1 Management involvement and commitment
67.2 Cultural change
67.3 Communication
67.4 Organization infrastructure
67.5 Training
67.6 Linking Six Sigma to business strategy
67.7 Linking Six Sigma to customers
67.8 Linking Six Sigma to human resources
67.9 Linking Six Sigma to suppliers
67.10 Understanding tools and techniques within six sigma
67.11 Project management skills
67.12 Project prioritization and selection
C-1
Appendix-C: Selected results from Chapter 4 and Chapter 6
Component Matrix
a
Component
1 2
F1.1 -.462 .753
F1.2 .477 -.250
F1.3 .680 .610
F1.4 .747 .412
F1.5 .841 -.303
Extraction Method: Principal
Component Analysis.
a. 2 components extracted.
Rotated Component Matrix
a
Component
1 2
F1.1 .179 -.865
F1.2 .176 .509
F1.3 .913 .021
F1.4 .826 .212
F1.5 .405 .797
Extraction Method: Principal
Component Analysis.
Rotation Method: Varimax with
Kaiser Normalization.
a. Rotation converged in 3
iterations.
Appendix-C
C-2
Component Matrixa
Component
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
F2.1 .333 -.348 -.441 .035 -.353 -.124 .489
F2.2 .358 -.362 .028 -.392 .078 .494 .073
F2.3 .264 .260 -.434 -.287 .368 .522 .061
F2.4 -.543 .524 .330 -.066 -.026 .225 -.118
F2.5 .819 -.060 -.169 -.056 -.167 -.038 -.104
F2.6 .661 .175 -.527 .028 -.058 -.216 -.230
F2.7 .341 -.441 .200 .506 .147 .205 -.298
F2.8 .312 -.453 .174 .491 .401 .107 .297
F2.9 .044 .310 -.018 .493 -.593 .012 -.313
F2.10 -.058 .067 -.490 .311 .385 -.376 -.012
F2.11 .454 -.026 .474 -.308 .363 -.129 -.472
F2.12 .519 .295 -.036 -.546 -.195 -.201 -.028
F2.13 .169 .546 -.070 .020 .542 -.381 -.096
F2.14 .738 .042 .285 .085 .260 .048 .239
F2.15 .327 .705 -.095 .401 .052 .060 .126
F2.16 .307 .400 -.334 .119 -.157 .597 -.201
F2.17 -.281 .739 .071 .024 .191 .134 .411
F2.18 .477 .254 .475 -.218 -.297 -.241 .294
F2.19 .519 .278 .578 .322 -.181 .076 .104
Extraction Method: Principal Component Analysis. a. 7 components extracted.
Appendix-C
C-3
Rotated Component Matrixa
Component
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
F2.1 .605 .087 .011 -.041 -.117 -.106 -.638
F2.2 .233 .086 .124 .364 -.516 -.424 .116
F2.3 .066 -.067 -.083 .823 .102 -.339 .014
F2.4 -.775 -.010 -.276 .081 -.017 .207 .143
F2.5 .731 .351 .021 .254 -.035 .083 .124
F2.6 .739 .078 -.138 .325 .357 .199 .076
F2.7 .226 .010 .762 .011 -.146 .186 .267
F2.8 .124 .190 .837 -.057 .057 -.255 -.108
F2.9 .031 .086 -.023 .036 -.009 .880 -.084
F2.10 .177 -.327 .127 -.036 .678 -.031 -.132
F2.11 .166 .286 .051 -.041 .003 -.195 .864
F2.12 .407 .414 -.569 .153 .006 -.093 .206
F2.13 -.040 .155 -.128 .106 .788 -.107 .306
F2.14 .260 .674 .342 .193 .113 -.225 .148
F2.15 -.082 .430 .030 .434 .525 .349 -.131
F2.16 .076 .033 -.022 .808 -.051 .373 -.023
F2.17 -.653 .266 -.243 .281 .391 -.056 -.253
F2.18 .119 .823 -.264 -.168 -.086 -.007 .042
F2.19 -.044 .805 .255 .041 -.041 .318 .123
Extraction Method: Principal Component Analysis. Rotation Method: Varimax with Kaiser Normalization. a. Rotation converged in 9 iterations.
Component Matrixa
Component
1
F4.1 .802
F4.2 .800
F4.3 .842
F4.4 .640
Extraction Method:
Principal Component
Analysis.
a. 1 components
extracted.
Appendix-C
C-4
Component Matrixa
Component
1 2 3
F5.1 -.265 .721 .450
F5.2 .530 .325 .630
F5.3 .452 .090 -.068
F5.4 .472 -.598 .469
F5.5 .785 -.008 -.339
F5.6 .914 .016 .002
F5.7 .380 .662 -.370
Extraction Method: Principal Component
Analysis.
a. 3 components extracted.
Rotated Component Matrixa
Component
1 2 3
F5.1 -.274 -.351 .771
F5.2 .384 .271 .750
F5.3 .461 .014 .060
F5.4 .246 .859 .031
F5.5 .838 .017 -.169
F5.6 .875 .237 .121
F5.7 .550 -.619 .187
Extraction Method: Principal Component
Analysis.
Rotation Method: Varimax with Kaiser
Normalization.
a. Rotation converged in 5 iterations.
Appendix-C
C-5
Component Matrixa
Component
1
F6.1 .711
F6.2 .721
F6.3 .761
F6.4 .796
F6.5 .771
F6.6 .785
Extraction Method:
Principal Component
Analysis.
a. 1 components
extracted.
Component Matrixa
Component
1
F7.1 .754
F7.2 .744
F7.3 .727
F7.4 .841
Extraction Method:
Principal Component
Analysis.
a. 1 components
extracted.
Appendix-C
C-6
Component Matrixa
Component
1 2
F8.1 .904 -.134
F8.2 .854 .329
F8.3 -.007 .891
F8.4 -.343 .791
F8.5 .694 .169
Extraction Method: Principal
Component Analysis.
a. 2 components extracted.
Rotated Component Matrixa
Component
1 2
F8.1 .861 -.306
F8.2 .901 .158
F8.3 .166 .875
F8.4 -.184 .843
F8.5 .714 .032
Extraction Method: Principal
Component Analysis.
Rotation Method: Varimax with
Kaiser Normalization.
a. Rotation converged in 3
iterations.
Appendix-C
C-7
Component Matrixa
Component
1
F9.1 .793
F9.2 .685
F9.3 .788
F9.4 .804
F9.5 .763
Extraction Method:
Principal Component
Analysis.
a. 1 components
extracted.
Component Matrixa
Component
1
F10.1 .711
F10.2 .721
F10.3 .761
F10.4 .796
F10.5 .771
F10.6 .785
Extraction Method:
Principal Component
Analysis.
a. 1 components
extracted.
Appendix-C
C-8
Component Matrixa
Component
1 2
F11.1 .409 -.861
F11.2 .800 -.234
F11.3 .626 .603
F11.4 .797 .158
F11.5 .085 .425
Extraction Method: Principal
Component Analysis.
a. 2 components extracted.
Rotated Component Matrixa
Component
1 2
F11.1 .378 .876
F11.2 .791 .263
F11.3 .648 -.580
F11.4 .802 -.128
F11.5 .100 -.422
Extraction Method: Principal
Component Analysis.
Rotation Method: Varimax with
Kaiser Normalization.
a. Rotation converged in 3
iterations.
Appendix-C
C-9
Component Matrixa
Component
1 2
F12.1 .640 -.432
F12.2 .559 -.072
F12.3 .880 -.038
F12.4 .828 .000
F12.5 .284 .711
F12.6 .912 -.063
F12.7 .276 .744
Extraction Method: Principal
Component Analysis.
a. 2 components extracted.
Rotated Component Matrixa
Component
1 2
F12.1 .729 -.255
F12.2 .559 .073
F12.3 .861 .187
F12.4 .801 .211
F12.5 .094 .760
F12.6 .897 .171
F12.7 .078 .790
Extraction Method: Principal
Component Analysis.
Rotation Method: Varimax with
Kaiser Normalization.
a. Rotation converged in 3
iterations.
Appendix-C
C-10
Component Matrixa
Component
1
F13.1 .711
F13.2 .721
F13.3 .761
F13.4 .796
F13.5 .771
F13.6 .785
Extraction Method:
Principal Component
Analysis.
a. 1 components
extracted.
Component Matrixa
Component
1
F14.1 .778
F14.2 .855
F14.3 .874
F14.4 .861
F14.5 .817
F14.6 .733
Extraction Method:
Principal Component
Analysis.
a. 1 components
extracted.
Appendix-C
C-11
Component Matrixa
Component
1
F15.1 .743
F15.2 .877
F15.3 .853
F15.4 .825
F15.5 .791
F15.6 .651
Extraction Method:
Principal Component
Analysis.
a. 1 components
extracted.
Component Matrixa
Component
1
F16.1 .796
F16.2 .793
F16.3 .721
F16.4 .878
F16.5 .701
F16.6 .567
Extraction Method:
Principal Component
Analysis.
a. 1 components
extracted.
Appendix-C
C-12
Component Matrixa
Component
1
F17.1 .822
F17.2 .762
F17.3 .868
F17.4 .708
F17.5 .844
F17.6 .771
Extraction Method:
Principal Component
Analysis.
a. 1 components
extracted.
Component Matrixa
Component
1 2 3 4 5
F18.1 .212 .875 -.144 -.024 .082
F18.2 .353 .805 .213 -.052 -.158
F18.3 .511 .111 -.619 -.162 .289
F18.4 .310 -.022 .737 .240 .105
F18.5 .337 -.115 .098 -.036 .884
F18.6 .746 -.372 .161 -.215 -.107
F18.7 .733 -.329 -.080 -.395 -.276
F18.8 .758 .016 -.019 -.473 -.008
F18.9 .861 .253 .175 .046 -.030
F18.10 .463 -.117 -.504 .581 -.047
F18.11 .785 -.049 -.101 .409 -.214
F18.12 .721 -.139 .173 .310 .088
Extraction Method: Principal Component Analysis.
a. 5 components extracted.
Appendix-C
C-13
Rotated Component Matrixa
Component
1 2 3 4 5
F18.1 -.092 .055 .890 -.167 .089
F18.2 .121 .007 .886 .185 -.107
F18.3 .341 .342 .230 -.557 .412
F18.4 .114 .062 .081 .813 .157
F18.5 .103 .040 -.029 .127 .943
F18.6 .809 .224 -.116 .224 .105
F18.7 .916 .185 -.074 -.062 -.051
F18.8 .826 .057 .264 -.054 .200
F18.9 .559 .406 .495 .300 .162
F18.10 .029 .885 -.035 -.188 .045
F18.11 .406 .787 .155 .177 -.037
F18.12 .384 .556 .061 .389 .247
Extraction Method: Principal Component Analysis.
Rotation Method: Varimax with Kaiser Normalization.
a. Rotation converged in 5 iterations.
Component Matrixa
Component
1 2 3
F19.1 -.293 -.194 .904
F19.2 .838 -.147 .316
F19.3 .861 -.208 .264
F19.4 .895 .098 -.213
F19.5 .817 -.277 .029
F19.6 .864 -.250 .144
F19.7 .829 -.057 -.340
F19.8 .232 .849 .050
F19.9 .144 .885 .229
F19.10 .473 .680 .114
Extraction Method: Principal Component
Analysis.
a. 3 components extracted.
Appendix-C
C-14
Rotated Component Matrixa
Component
1 2 3
F19.1 -.014 -.075 -.967
F19.2 .894 .125 -.094
F19.3 .921 .062 -.046
F19.4 .759 .266 .459
F19.5 .846 -.061 .158
F19.6 .909 -.001 .064
F19.7 .713 .078 .541
F19.8 -.012 .872 .127
F19.9 -.065 .921 -.063
F19.10 .274 .783 .108
Extraction Method: Principal Component
Analysis.
Rotation Method: Varimax with Kaiser
Normalization.
a. Rotation converged in 4 iterations.
Component Matrixa
Component
1 2
F20.1 .062 .840
F20.2 .889 -.019
F20.3 .324 .753
F20.4 .882 -.048
F20.5 .853 -.277
Extraction Method: Principal
Component Analysis.
a. 2 components extracted.
Appendix-C
C-15
Rotated Component Matrixa
Component
1 2
F20.1 -.090 .837
F20.2 .878 .141
F20.3 .183 .799
F20.4 .876 .112
F20.5 .889 -.119
Extraction Method: Principal
Component Analysis.
Rotation Method: Varimax with
Kaiser Normalization.
a. Rotation converged in 3
iterations.
TMCL
Item Statistics
Mean Std. Deviation N
TMCL 1 3.5667 .68829 200
TMCL 2 36000 .74444 200
TMCL 3 4.0222 .83201 200
TMCL 4 4.1778 .79913 200
TMCL 5 4.0889 .75701 200
TMCL 6 3.9778 .77644 200
TMCL 7 4.0889 .66256 200
TMCL 8 4.0000 .73233 200
Appendix-C
C-16
Component Matrixa
Component
1
TMCL 1 .708
TMCL 2 .577
TMCL 3 .850
TMCL 4 .857
TMCL 5 .830
TMCL 6 .815
TMCL 7 .888
TMCL8 .806
Extraction Method:
Principal Component
Analysis.
a. 1 components extracted.
Correlations
TMCL 1 TMCL 2 TMCL 3 TMCL 4 TMCL 5 TMCL 6 TMCL 7 TMCL 8
TMCL 1 1 .541**
.528**
.458**
.477**
.479**
.546**
.576**
TMCL 2 .541**
1 .483**
.346**
.539**
.255**
.390**
.328**
TMCL 3 .528**
.483**
1 .834**
.706**
.554**
.767**
.477**
TMCL 4 .458**
.346**
.834**
1 .749**
.655**
.730**
.573**
TMCL 5 .477**
.539**
.706**
.749**
1 .574**
.608**
.605**
TMCL 6 .479**
.255**
.554** .655** .574** 1 .786** .786**
TMCL 7 .546**
.390**
.767** .730** .608** .786** 1 .737**
TMCL 8 .576**
.328**
.477**
.573**
.605**
.786**
.737**
1
**. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).
Appendix-C
C-17
PSE
Descriptive Statistics
Mean
Std.
Deviation
Analysis
N
PSE 1 3.8667 .90560 200
PSE 2 4.1333 .82827 200
PSE 3 4.1333 .88690 200
PSE 4 4.0500 .88611 200
PSE 5 4.0167 1.01097 200
PSE 6 4.2167 .84082 200
PSE 7 4.0667 .91297 200
PSE 8 4.1167 .84082 200
Component Matrixa
Component
1
PSE 1 .457
PSE 2 .853
PSE 3 .730
PSE 4 .877
PSE 5 .854
PSE 6 .801
PSE 7 .830
PSE 8 .836
Extraction Method: Principal Component
Analysis.
a. 1 components extracted.
Correlations
PSE 1 PSE 2 PSE 3 PSE 4 PSE 5 PSE 6 PSE 7 PSE 8
PSE 1 1 .448**
.314**
.343**
.350**
.258**
.274**
.219**
PSE 2 .448**
1 .592**
.790**
.638**
.608**
.631**
.627**
PSE 3 .314**
.592**
1 .695**
.558**
.366**
.527**
.541**
PSE 4 .343**
.790**
.695**
1 .673**
.705**
.638**
.599**
PSE 5 .350**
.638**
.558**
.673**
1 .666**
.671**
.747**
PSE 6 .258**
.608**
.366**
.705**
.666**
1 .658**
.675**
PSE 7 .274**
.631**
.527**
.638**
.671**
.658**
1 .732**
PSE 8 .219**
.627**
.541**
.599**
.747**
.675**
.732**
1
** Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).
Appendix-C
C-18
ECS
Item Statistics
Mean Std. Deviation N
ECS 1 3.4444 .83380 200
ECS 2 3.2444 .82301 200
ECS 3 3.5778 .95692 200
ECS 4 3.8000 .86134 200
ECS 5 3.7333 .82962 200
ECS 6 3.7111 .86191 200
ECS 7 3.1778 .92848 200
Component Matrixa
Component
1
ECS 1 .791
ECS 2 .639
ECS 3 .819
ECS 4 .807
ECS 5 .879
ECS 6 .750
ECS 7 .666
Extraction Method: Principal
Component Analysis.
a. 1 components extracted.
Correlations
ECS 1 ECS 2 ECS 3 ECS 4 ECS 5 ECS 6 ECS 7
ECS 1 1 .622**
.629**
.467**
.560**
.397**
.532**
ECS 2 .622**
1 .359**
.290**
.489**
.478**
.206**
ECS 3 .629**
.359**
1 .656**
.730**
.447**
.412**
ECS 4 .467**
.290**
.656**
1 .738**
.674**
.324**
ECS 5 .560**
.489**
.730**
.738**
1 .642**
.381**
ECS 6 .397**
.478**
.447**
.674**
.642**
1 .288**
ECS 7 .532**
.206**
.412**
.324**
.381**
.288**
1
**. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).
Appendix-C
C-19
CRM
Item Statistics
Mean Std. Deviation N
CRM 1 3.4444 .83380 200
CRM 2 3.2444 .82301 200
CRM 3 3.5778 .95692 200
CRM 4 3.8000 .86134 200
CRM 5 3.7333 .82962 200
CRM 6 3.7111 .86191 200
CRM 7 3.1778 .92848 200
Component Matrixa
Component
1
CRM 1 .791
CRM 2 .639
CRM 3 .819
CRM 4 .807
CRM 5 .879
CRM 6 .750
CRM 7 .666
Extraction Method: Principal
Component Analysis.
a. 1 components extracted.
Correlations
CRM 1 CRM 2 CRM 3 CRM 4 CRM 5 CRM 6 CRM 7
CRM 1 1 .622**
.629**
.467**
.560**
.397**
.532**
CRM 2 .622**
1 .359**
.290**
.489**
.478**
.206**
CRM 3 .629**
.359**
1 .656**
.730**
.447**
.412**
CRM 4 .467**
.290**
.656**
1 .738**
.674**
.324**
CRM 5 .560**
.489**
.730**
.738**
1 .642**
.381**
CRM 6 .397**
.478**
.447**
.674**
.642**
1 .288**
CRM 7 .532**
.206**
.412**
.324**
.381**
.288**
1
** Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).
Appendix-C
C-20
SCM
Item Statistics
Mean Std.
Deviation
N
SCM 1 3.9500 .67082 200
SCM 2 4.0500 .59114 200
SCM 3 4.2000 .60167 200
SCM 4 4.2500 .83147 200
SCM 5 4.1000 .62624 200
SCM 6 4.0000 .63422 200
SCM 7 3.9500 .74200 200
Component Matrixa
Component
1
SCM 1 .915
SCM 2 .883
SCM 3 .698
SCM 4 .723
SCM 5 .480
SCM 6 .671
SCM 7 .851
Extraction Method: Principal
Component Analysis.
a. 1 components extracted.
SCM 1 SCM 2 SCM 3 SCM 4 SCM 5 SCM 6 SCM 7
SCM 1 1 .452**
.434**
.256**
.359**
.420**
.365**
SCM 2 .452**
1 .405**
.448**
.379**
.387**
.416**
SCM 3 .434**
.405**
1 .618**
.436**
.463**
.467**
SCM 4 .256**
.448**
.618**
1 .547**
.601**
.560**
SCM 5 .359**
.379**
.436**
.547**
1 .750**
.740**
SCM 6 .420**
.387**
.463**
.601**
.750**
1 .690**
SCM 7 .365**
.416**
.467**
.560**
.740**
.690**
1
Appendix-C
C-21
TRE
Descriptive Statistics
Mean Std. Deviation Analysis N
TRE 1 3.6667 .90929 180
TRE 2 3.8000 .89318 180
TRE 3 3.7333 .94898 180
TRE 4 3.9167 .99088 180
TRE 5 3.9833 .80830 180
Component Matrixa
Component
1
TRE 1 .753
TRE 2 .764
TRE 3 .721
TRE 4 .756
TRE 5 .695
Extraction Method: Principal Component
Analysis.
a. 1 components extracted.
TRE 1 TRE 2 TRE 3 TRE 4 TRE 5
TRE 1 1 .681**
.518**
.434**
.357**
TRE 2 .681**
1 .411**
.530**
.413**
TRE3 .518**
.411**
1 .582**
.366**
TRE 4 .434**
.530**
.582**
1 .417**
TRE 5 .357**
.413**
.366**
.417**
1
** Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed)
Appendix-C
C-22
STD
Descriptive Statistics
Mean Std. Deviation Analysis N
STD 1 3.8000 .89318 200
STD 2 3.8667 .76516 200
STD 3 3.7000 .82489 200
STD 4 3.6833 .88737 200
STD 5 3.7000 .88375 200
STD 6 4.1667 .88121 200
STD 7 4.0167 .92438 200
Component Matrixa
Component
1
STD 1 .778
STD 2 .871
STD 3 .759
STD 4 .819
STD 5 .853
STD 6 .723
STD 7 .699
Extraction Method: Principal
Component Analysis.
a. 1 components extracted.
STD 1 STD 2 STD 3 STD 4 STD 5 STD 6 STD 7
STD 1 1 .696**
.487**
.575**
.624**
.468**
.430**
STD 2 .696**
1 .680**
.678**
.634**
.530**
.548**
STD 3 .487**
.680**
1 .648**
.589**
.415**
.380**
STD 4 .575**
.678**
.648**
1 .776**
.432**
.395**
STD 5 .624**
.634**
.589**
.776**
1 .517**
.540**
STD 6 .468**
.530**
.415**
.432**
.517**
1 .696**
STD 7 .430**
.548**
.380**
.395**
.540**
.696**
1
Appendix-C
C-23
HRM
Descriptive Statistics
Mean
Std.
Deviation
Analysis
N
HRM 1 3.7833 .79997 200
HRM 2 3.8333 .91846 200
HRM 3 3.8667 .97683 200
HRM 4 3.9833 .84876 200
HRM 5 3.9667 .79734 200
HRM 6 3.8333 .88121 200
HRM 7 3.7833 .84082 200
Component Matrixa
Component
1
HRM 1 .681
HRM 2 .705
HRM 3 .729
HRM 4 .833
HRM 5 .818
HRM 6 .827
HRM 7 .727
Extraction Method:
Principal Component
Analysis.
a. 1 components extracted.
HRM 1 HRM 2 HRM 3 HRM 4 HRM 5 HRM 6 HRM 7
HRM 1 1 .544**
.413**
.513**
.540**
.400**
.378**
HRM 2 .544**
1 .386**
.491**
.381**
.628**
.409**
HRM 3 .413**
.386**
1 .644**
.532**
.578**
.434**
HRM 4 .513**
.491**
.644**
1 .668**
.646**
.535**
HRM 5 .540**
.381**
.532**
.668**
1 .708**
.614**
HRM 6 .400**
.628**
.578**
.646**
.708**
1 .675**
HRM 7 .378**
.409**
.434**
.535**
.614**
.675**
1
Appendix-C
C-24
QIT
Descriptive Statistics
Mean Std. Deviation Analysis N
QIT 1 3.8333 .84232 200
QIT 2 3.8333 .84232 200
QIT 3 3.8667 .92392 200
QIT 4 3.8833 .91709 200
Component Matrixa
Component
1
QIT 1 .803
QIT 2 .782
QIT 3 .732
QIT 4 .713
Extraction Method: Principal
Component Analysis.
a. 1 components extracted.
QIT 1 QIT 2 QIT 3 QIT 4
QIT 1 1 .717**
.617**
.517**
QIT 2 .717**
1 .596**
.495**
QIT 3 .617**
.596**
1 .436**
QIT 4 .517**
.495**
.436**
1
** Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).
D-1
Appendix-D: List of elements identified from six sigma frameworks
Constructs / Elements / Tools F4
F6
F7
F9
F10
F13
F14
F15
F16
F17
F22
F25
F27
F30
F31
F32
F33
F34
F38
F41
F45
F46
F48
F51
F55
F60
F61
F62
F63
Fre
qu
ency
%
Top management
commitment/Support/involvement/leadership/Stron
g leadership and management
commitment/Executive commitment /Executive
engagement/Active participation of the senior
executives/Proactive management/Vision of top
management/Demonstration of management
commitment to quality/Role of management/Senior
management commitment/Superiors’
commitment/Managerial commitment and
involvement
2 1 1 1 1
1
1
1 1 1 2
1 1
1 4
1 1
1
,
2
1 20 68.95
Training and education /Good training in
tools/Practical and hands on training to
managers/The experts and operators
training/Comprehensive training
programme/Investment and training framework for
trainers and mentors/Rigorous and structured
training deployment plan/Education of
management in the philosophy, methods,
applications, and their roles/Training of experts and
operators/Six sigma training/Top management
education and training/Training scheme
4 3
4
3 3 5
2
3
4
,
6
2 2
1
,
3
2 3
3 2 18 62.06
D-2
Constructs / Elements / Tools F4
F6
F7
F9
F10
F13
F14
F15
F16
F17
F22
F25
F27
F30
F31
F32
F33
F34
F38
F41
F45
F46
F48
F51
F55
F60
F61
F62
F63
Fre
qu
ency
%
strong Customer focus/A genuine focus on the
customer/Customer management/Customer
relationship/requirements/satisfaction/Customer
involvement/Focus on customer and results/Focus
on most important of aspects of performance and
customer satisfaction/Translation of internal
objectives to external customer values/An explicit
focus on internal and external customers/Business
strategy based on customer demands/Six sigma
initiative must be focused on the customer
3
5
2 3 5
5 4 1
4 3 1
7
1 7
14 48.27
Cultural change/Company’s culture and
values/Culture & change
management/Developmental culture/Group
culture/Hierarchical culture/Organisational culture
change/Rational culture/Willingness to change the
organisational culture/Workforce culture /Cultural
acceptance/Cultural readiness/Cultural
transformation /Good cultural fit/Build a teaming
and employee involvement culture/Creat a culture
of visible performance measurement/Management
of cultural change/Cultural implementation
tools/Cultural implementation element
4
6
2 2
6 3
4
3
2
9 31.03
Project execution and follow-up of the
results/Project feasibility of the projects in a limited
timeframe/Project managements skills /Project
meshes with company’s business strategy/Project
orientation, with clear and defined goals/Project
planning and management/Project prioritization
and selection /Project selection, reviews and
tracking/proper selection of Six Sigma
projects/Project progress tracking and
3
2
2
,
4
3
5
3 7 24.13
D-3
Constructs / Elements / Tools F4
F6
F7
F9
F10
F13
F14
F15
F16
F17
F22
F25
F27
F30
F31
F32
F33
F34
F38
F41
F45
F46
F48
F51
F55
F60
F61
F62
F63
Fre
qu
ency
%
monitoring/Selection of projects and project
management skills/Project-focused approach with a
single set of problem-solving techniques such as
DMAIC/Project reviews/Project selection and
scoping/Project team activities
Availability of necessary resources/Consequent
enabling of employees and provision of
resources/Investment of essential resources/Make
proper investment in resources/Necessary
resources/Resource allocation/Resources (such as
training facilities and computing software
facilities)/Organizing and resource allocation
1
2 4
3
3
1
4
7 24.13
Communication/Proper Communication to
employees/Team communication/Cooperation and
communication/Develop communication and
awareness effort/External
Communication/Integration of all concurrent
initiatives and communication throughout the
organization/Internal communication Plan/Methods
of communicating to all employees
6
3
,
4
5
3
5 17.24
Team selection/Teamwork/Highly trained and
cross-functional personnel in teamwork/Selection
of team members and teamwork/Participative
management (team approach)/Form cross-
functional improvement team/work force
improvement teams/Motivation and teamwork from
managers
6
2
2 1
6
5 17.24
D-4
Constructs / Elements / Tools F4
F6
F7
F9
F10
F13
F14
F15
F16
F17
F22
F25
F27
F30
F31
F32
F33
F34
F38
F41
F45
F46
F48
F51
F55
F60
F61
F62
F63
Fre
qu
ency
%
Organizational infrastructure /
readiness/Organizational infrastructure and
culture/Establishment of the Six Sigma framework
OR an effective organizational infrastructure
should be in place/Infrastructure
management/Infrastructure and Methodology
3 5
2
4
4 13.79
Leadership/Leadership engagement/Leadership for
Six Sigma/Leadership of quality which demands
effective accountability/Leadership triad/Provide
leadership commitment and support/Enlightened
leadership/Strategic leadership/A committed leader
is needed to ensure a successful Six-Sigma
implementation/Role of project leader/To establish
Leadership commitment
5
1
2
8
4 13.79
Full-time resources/Full-time specialist ( such as
black belt)/Full-time versus part-time resources
/Number of black and green belts/Hierarchy of
expertise and execution (champions, Black Belts,
etc.)/Black belts availability/Co-location of
belts/Finding best Six Sigma Master Black Belt or
consultant/Technical support (Master Black
Belts)/Well-trained full-time team leaders, who are
known as Champions, Master Black Belts, Black
Belts, and Green Belts, must lead six-Sigma
projects/Number of black belts in the company/A
leading advocate (“cheerleader”) a full-time worker
who is enthusiastic and capable of promoting Six
Sigma in the organizational culture
2
6
2
3
4 13.79
D-5
Constructs / Elements / Tools F4
F6
F7
F9
F10
F13
F14
F15
F16
F17
F22
F25
F27
F30
F31
F32
F33
F34
F38
F41
F45
F46
F48
F51
F55
F60
F61
F62
F63
Fre
qu
ency
%
Use of quality tools/Use of statistical tools/Use of
statistical tools and the statistical design of
experiments (DoE)/Utilization of Six Sigma tools
/Six sigma tools and techniques/Use of
methodology/Understanding tools and techniques
within Six Sigma
5
5
5 4
4 13.79
Process focus, management, and
improvement/Process approach/Process
performance issues/Process management practice
3
2
1
3 10.34
Knowledge acquisition/Knowledge
dissemination/Knowledge
responsiveness/Knowledge Sharing/Coordination
with a knowledge management system/Ensure high
level of technical knowledge
2
,
3
,
4
3 10.34
Understanding of Six Sigma methodology, tool,
and techniques/Understanding of
process/Understanding the DMAIC
methodology/Well developed understanding of the
tools in six sigma
5 4
2 6.89
Incentive/reward system/Incentive
program/Provide recognition and rewards/Reward
and sustain a culture of uncompermising excellence
and daily process discipline/Reward system/Link to
human resources-based actions (promotions,
bonuses, etc.)
6
5
2 6.89
Six Sigma focus on metrics / Techniques and key
metrics/Focus on metrics/Measurements
(metrics)/Performance metrics/Clear performance
metric
6
6
2 6.89
D-6
Constructs / Elements / Tools F4
F6
F7
F9
F10
F13
F14
F15
F16
F17
F22
F25
F27
F30
F31
F32
F33
F34
F38
F41
F45
F46
F48
F51
F55
F60
F61
F62
F63
Fre
qu
ency
%
Employee empowerment /Employee
fulfillment/Employee participation/Employee
commitment/Empowerment, reward and co-
operation/Elevated employee involvement
2
7
2 6.89
Measurable and feasible/Measurement and data
Collection/Measurement and
feedback/Measurement performance of operational
activities/Measurement system/Demand frequent
measurement and feedback
4
4 2 6.89
Structured method/Structured procedure /Structured
method of process improvement/Linking Six Sigma
to process improvement/process improvement
4
6
2 6.89
Focus on financial and non-financial
results/Financial benefits/Financial
impact/Accountability (tying results in financial
terms to the bottom-line)/Business oriented
(achievements often required to be expressed in
financial terms)
3
4
2 6.89
Human Resource management
3 2
2 6.89
Definition of the organization’s key processes and
their measurement 5
2
2 6.89
Stakeholder involvement/Stakeholder and
technical requirements 1
5 2 6.89
Statistical thinking/Emphasis on statistical science
and measurement 3
1
2 6.89
Supplier relationship/involvement/Supplier
management/Supplier plan 6
1 3.44
D-7
Constructs / Elements / Tools F4
F6
F7
F9
F10
F13
F14
F15
F16
F17
F22
F25
F27
F30
F31
F32
F33
F34
F38
F41
F45
F46
F48
F51
F55
F60
F61
F62
F63
Fre
qu
ency
%
Quality programme results (such as customer
satisfaction, net cost savings and reduction of
errors)/Result oriented (project by project; three to
six months project duration makes progress
tangible)/Consequent agreement on objectives and
controlling of results/Utilization of results
5
1 3.44
Company-wide Commitment
6
1 3.44
Information and analysis systems/Information
technology leverageability and knowledge-sharing
capability
5
1 3.44
Continuous improvement
4
1 3.44
Data-and fact-driven management/Data-driven
decision making 3
1 3.44
Strategic initiatives/Strategic thinking
4
1 3.44
Strategic process selection/Strategic project
selection 5
1 3.44
Appropriate strategies based on experiences
2
1 3.44
Change in Attitude
4
1 3.44
Changing the organization structure to better
identify and improve processes 4
1 3.44
Choose improvement tools
3
1 3.44
Clarity of the roles of different actors involved
7
1 3.44
Creating the six sigma council
2
1 3.44
Develop detailed implementation plan
5
1 3.44
Disciplines and consequences
6
1 3.44
Effective coordination through proper project
management in the first 1–2 years 4
1 3.44
D-8
Constructs / Elements / Tools F4
F6
F7
F9
F10
F13
F14
F15
F16
F17
F22
F25
F27
F30
F31
F32
F33
F34
F38
F41
F45
F46
F48
F51
F55
F60
F61
F62
F63
Fre
qu
ency
%
Establishment of an ERP system that is focused on
process analysis and quality 5
1 3.44
Execute high-level process mapping and prioritize
improvement 4
1 3.44
Implement, document and revise
6
1 3.44
Linked to organisational strategy
6
1 3.44
Organization Performance
4
1 3.44
Perform strategic analysis
1
1 3.44
Shared vision
3
1 3.44
Six Sigma initiatives
1
1 3.44
Statistical Process Control
2
1 3.44
Strictly following the DMAIC methodology
4
1 3.44
Sustainable competitive advantage
6
1 3.44
System capabilities
5
1 3.44
The clarity of the roles of different actors involved
in the improvement process 4
1 3.44
E-1
Appendix-E: Survey questionnaires
==============================================================
Survey Questionnaire-II
==============================================================
PART A: Company Particulars
Name of the Company
Address
Website
Number of employees a) 100 or less b) 101 - 500 c) 501-1000
d) 1000 - 3000 e) 3001-5000 f) more than 5000
Name of the respondent
Designation
Email ID
Experience in years
1. Does your organization have a vision in six sigma?
2. Please write the vision and mission statements of your organization.
3. Please indicate the growth of your organization in the last 5 years:
a) Increase more than 30% b) Increase between 10 – 20% c) Increase between 0 - 10%
d) Decrease between 0 - 10% e) Decrease between 10 - 20% f) Decrease between 20 -30%
4. What is the average time taken for developing a new product in your organization?
a) 0 to 1.5 years b) 1.5 to 3 years c) 3 to 4.5 years
d) 4.5 to 6 years e) 6 to 7.5 years f) more than 7.5 years
5. Increase in the number of customers in the last 5 years: (in percentage)
___________________________________________________________________
Appendix-E
E-2
6. No. of training programmes conducted in the last 5 years:
a) 25 or less b) 25-50 c) 50-100 d) 100 – 200 e) 200-300 f) more than 300
7. Number of new products launched in the last 5 years:
____________________________________________________________________
8. List of certifications your organization have (e.g. ISO 9000, QS9000, ISO 14000
etc):
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
9. Name the various awards the organization have won since last 5 years (Deming
prize, TPM Prize, Rajiv Gandhi National Quality Award etc.):
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
10. Are you conducting supplier training programs? YES/ NO
11. Do you conduct supplier evaluation and rating programs? YES/ NO
12. Does your organization have technical/ marketing/ any other collaboration with other
company: YES/ NO
if yes (name of the company and type of collaboration):
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
13. Please indicate using a tick (√√√√), your company’s annual sales:
a) 0.25 – 1.25 million US$ b) 1.25 – 2.5million US$ c) 2.5 – 12.5 million US$
d) 12.5 – 25 million US$ e) greater than 25 million US$
14. Please indicate using a tick (√√√√), your company’s annual sales turnover during the last
5 years:
a) decreased more than 10% b) decreased up to 10% c) no change
d) increased up to 10% e) increased more than 10%
Appendix-E
E-3
15. Please indicate using a tick (√√√√), your company’s market share during last 5 years:
a) decreased more than 10% b) decreased up to 10% c) no change
d) increased up to 10% e) increased more than 10%
16. Please indicate using a tick (√√√√), your company’s profits during the last 5 years:
a) decreased more than 10% b) decreased up to 10% c) no change
d) increased up to 10% e) increased more than 10%
Appendix-E
E-4
PART B: Six sigma Pillars and Elements
Instruction: You are requested to rate the degree or extent of practice of each item with
reference to the respective factors in the scale of 1 to 5.
An Example:
CRM 4 Customer Enrichment 1 2 3 4 5
Top Management Commitment and Leadership
1: Not Important 2: Less Important 3: Important 4: More Important 5: Most Important
TMCL1 Six sigma vision & mission 1 2 3 4 5
TMCL2 Strong leadership 1 2 3 4 5
TMCL3 Participative management 1 2 3 4 5
TMCL4 Long term strategy development 1 2 3 4 5
TMCL5 Continuous learning & development culture
1 2 3 4 5
TMCL6 Policy deployment 1 2 3 4 5
TMCL7 Appropriate resource allocation 1 2 3 4 5
TMCL8 Holistic strategy for integrating system
1 2 3 4 5
Project selection and execution methodology
1: Not Important 2: Less Important 3: Important 4: More Important 5: Most Important
PSE1 Brainstorming 1 2 3 4 5
PSE2 Benchmarking 1 2 3 4 5
PSE3 Risk management 1 2 3 4 5
PSE4 Project review teams 1 2 3 4 5
PSE5 Process capability 1 2 3 4 5
PSE6 Project Mgt skills 1 2 3 4 5
PSE7 Project prioritization and selection 1 2 3 4 5
PSE8 Project orientation with clear & defined goals
1 2 3 4 5
Appendix-E
E-5
Training and Education
1: Not Important 2: Less Important 3: Important 4: More Important 5: Most Important
TRE1 Comprehensive six sigma training programme
1 2 3 4 5
TRE2 Investment and training framework for trainers and mentors
1 2 3 4 5
TRE3 Rigorous and structured training deployment plan
1 2 3 4 5
TRE4 Education of management in the philosophy, methods, applications, and their roles
1 2 3 4 5
TRE5 Training scheme 1 2 3 4 5
Customer Relationship Management
1: Not Important 2: Less Important 3: Important 4: More Important 5: Most Important
CRM 1 Business strategy based on customer demand
1 2 3 4 5
CRM 2 Delivery performance improvement
1 2 3 4 5
CRM 3 Continuous evaluation of customer feedback
1 2 3 4 5
CRM 4 Customer enrichment 1 2 3 4 5
CRM 5 Post sale service to customer 1 2 3 4 5
CRM 6 Linking six sigma to customers 1 2 3 4 5
CRM 7 Customer involvement in design process
1 2 3 4 5
Effective Information Technology and Communication System
1: Not Important 2: Less Important 3: Important 4: More Important 5: Most Important
EC 1 Effective communication systems with customers & suppliers
1 2 3 4 5
EC 2 Use of EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) to communicate between departments
1 2 3 4 5
EC 3 Use of barcoding & scanners in logistic systems
1 2 3 4 5
EC 4 Enterprise resource planning system
1 2 3 4 5
EC 5 Information technology employed at customer base
1 2 3 4 5
EC 6 Centralize database for documentation
1 2 3 4 5
EC 7 Methods of communicating to all employees
1 2 3 4 5
Appendix-E
E-6
Quality Improvement Tools & Techniques
1: Not Important 2: Less Important 3: Important 4: More Important 5: Most Important
QIT 1 Understanding tools and techniques within six sigma
1 2 3 4 5
QIT 2 Understanding the DMAIC methodology
1 2 3 4 5
QIT 3 Link quality initiatives to business 1 2 3 4 5
QIT 4 Use of statistical tools and the statistical design of experiments (DoE)
1 2 3 4 5
Supply Chain Management
1: Not Important 2: Less Important 3: Important 4: More Important 5: Most Important SCM 1 Linking six sigma to suppliers 1 2 3 4 5
SCM 2 Long term supplier relationship 1 2 3 4 5
SCM 3 Supplier feedback 1 2 3 4 5
SCM 4 Supplier training and development activities
1 2 3 4 5
SCM 5 Supplier evaluation and certification 1 2 3 4 5
SCM 6 Supplier proximity 1 2 3 4 5
SCM 7 Supplier involvement in design process
1 2 3 4 5
Human Resource Management
1: Not Important 2: Less Important 3: Important 4: More Important 5: Most Important
HRM 1 Linking six sigma to employees 1 2 3 4 5
HRM 2 Availability of well-trained full-time team leaders (Champions, Master Black Belts)
1 2 3 4 5
HRM 3 Multi skilled employees 1 2 3 4 5
HRM 4 Employee involvement in every stage of organization
1 2 3 4 5
HRM 5 Suggestion scheme 1 2 3 4 5
HRM 6 Stable or long term employment 1 2 3 4 5
HRM 7 Fair rewards and recognition 1 2 3 4 5
Standardization
1: Not Important 2: Less Important 3: Important 4: More Important 5: Most Important
STD 1 Standardized work procedures 1 2 3 4 5
STD 2 Standardized products 1 2 3 4 5
STD 3 Standardized tools and equipment 1 2 3 4 5
STD 4 Standardize materials for specific products families
1 2 3 4 5
STD 5 Group technology 1 2 3 4 5
STD 6 Visual control boards 1 2 3 4 5
STD 7 Standardize the quality check methods
1 2 3 4 5
F-1
Appendix-F: List of respondent companies
List of companies for the automobile sector
S.No. Company Product Address
1 Asahi India Glass Ltd. Automotive Safety Glass Global Business Park,
Tower - B, 5th floor,
Mehrauli - Gurgaon Road,
Gurgaon, Haryana
2 Ashok Leyland Ltd. Commercial Vehicles Medium &
Heavy; Marine diesel engines;
Industrial genset
Tej Building, 8 - B,
Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg,
New Delhi
3 Automotive Axles Ltd. Rear Drive axles for heavy &
light commercial vehicles,
drakes, gear, sets & components
thereof; Rear Drive Axles, Axle
Housing, Gear Sets
Hootagalli
Industrial Area,
Off Hunsur Road,
Mysore, Karnataka
4 Axles India Ltd. Axle housings Singaperumal Koil Road,
Kancheepuram,
Sriperumbadur, Tamil Nadu
5 Bajaj Auto Ltd. Scooters, scooterettes,
motorcycles, 3 wheeler passenger
taxi vehicles & 3 wheeler goods
carriers of pay load upto 775 kgs
Bombay Pune Raod,
Akurdi, Pune, Maharashtra
6 Bajaj Motors Ltd. Auto Components 39 - 40, KM Stone,
Delhi - Jaipur Highway,
Village Narsinghpur,
Gurgaon, Haryana
7 Best & Crompton
Engineering Ltd.
Centrifugal pumps, valves;
Electrical contracting
(transmission and distribution of
power); Consultancy services;
Automotive components; Mini -
hydro turbines; Busducts,
industrial plugs & sockets,
control panels, EHV powerline
accessories, train lighting
alternators; Busducts, Plug &
Socket, Actuators; Train Lighting
Generator; Pumps; Casting
39, Industrial Estate (North),
Ambattur,
Chennai, Tamil Nadu
8 Bharat Earth Movers
Ltd.
Bull Dozers, Dump Trucks,
Excavator; Mining Shovel,
Walking Dragline; Defence
eqpt/aggregates; Rail Coaches;
Armoured Recovery Vehicles,
Heavy Recovery Vehicles, Army
Truck; Metro Rail Coaches
No. 23/1, 4th Main,
Sampangirama Nagar, Bangalore,
Karnataka
9 Brakes India Ltd. Complete brake systems and
parts thereof and brake fluid;
Grey Iron and ductile Iron sand
castings; Engineering plastics;
Special purpose machines
Padi, Chennai,
Tamil Nadu
10 Bharat Forge Ltd. Automotive crankshafts ,
Axles,forging componenets
Mundhwa, Pune
Appendix-F
F-2
S.No. Company Product Address
11 Bridge & Roof Co
(India) Ltd.
Truck mounted container; All
types of civil, mechanical, piping,
tankage, structural work, baily
bridge; Marine freight container,
bunk house; Project export;
Equipment fabrication; Wagons;
LSTK, EPC; Turnkey Project
Kankaria Center,
5th Floor, 2/1,
Russel Street,
Kolkata, West Bengal
12. Daimlerchrysler India
Pvt Ltd.
Passenger cars, MB vans Chikhali Village,
Sector 15 - A,
Pimpri, Pune, Maharashtra
13 Divgi Warner Ltd. Automotive components,
Transfer Cases
75, General Block,
MIDC, Bhosari, Pune-411026
14 Dgp Hinoday
Industries Ltd.
Ferrite core; Automotive castings Bhosari Industrial Estate,
Pune, Maharashtra
15 Eicher Ltd. Tractors; Motorcycles; M
Engineering; Engines; Gears;
Commercial Vehicles
12 Eicher House,
Commercial Complex,
Greater Kailash - II,
Masjid Moth, New Delhi
16 Eicher Motors Ltd. 10.50 (5 Ton Comm Veh ),
10.70 (7 Ton Comm Veh),
10.90 (9 Ton Comm Veh),
11.10 (11 ton Comm Veh),
20.16 (20 Ton Comm Veh),
30.25
Plot 102, Industrial Area No 1,
Pithampur,
Dhar,
Madhya Pradesh
17 Escorts Ltd. Tractors; Shock Absorbers;
Railway Parts
Corporate Centre, 15/5,
Mathura Road,
Faridabad, Haryana
18 Fiat India Pvt Ltd. Motor vehicles L B Shastri Marg,
Kurla (West),
Mumbai, Maharashtra
19 Force Motors Ltd. Light commercial vehicles; LCV
& diesel engines; Tractors
(Formerly Bajaj Tempo Ltd.),
Bombay - Pune Road,
Akurdi, Pune, Maharashtra
20 Ford India Pvt Ltd. Automobile, Parts & Accessories;
Ford Ikon, Ford Fusion, Ford
Fiesta, Ford Endeavour; Cars
(Passenger)
S P Koil Post,
Chengalpattu, Tamil Nadu
21 Gabriel India Ltd. Shock Absorbers, Struts, Bimetal
Strips; Bimetal Bearing
29 Milestone,
Pune - Nashik Highway
Tal Khed, Village Kurulli,
Chakan, Pune , Maharashtra
22 Gajra Gears Pvt Ltd. Automotive gears for heavy &
light vehicles
Station Road,
Dewas, Madhya Pradesh
23 Gkn Driveline (India)
Ltd.
Drive axle assemblies with
constant velocity joints
Plot No 270,
Sector 24, Faridabad, Haryana
24 Gkn Sinter Metals Ltd. Parts & accessories for motor
vehicles & their engines
146, Mumbai Pune Road,
Pimpri, Pune.
25 Gkw Ltd. Rolled/heat treated black bars and
bright bars of: Special carbon
steels, through hardening low
alloy steels, case hardening low
alloy steels, spring steels, free
cutting and semi - cutting steels
of sulpherised/leaded variety, tool
& high speed steels; Mild steel
pressed components; Mild steel,
commercial, semiprecision bolts
97, Andul Road,
Howrah 711 103,
West Bengal
Appendix-F
F-3
S.No. Company Product Address
& nuts, mild steel galvanised
structural bolts & nuts, HT rivets,
HT semiprecision bolts & nuts;
High strength friction grip bolts
& nuts in black, hot dip
galvanised finish, HT bolts &
nuts to customers drawing and
specification; Top arms for high
drafting system, jig, fixture,
workshop gauges and tools,
tungsten carbide tools,
woodscrews, machines screws
and self tapping screws, cotter
pins and screw eyes, safety pins;
Tubular rivets, tinmen`s rivets,
rail clips and modified loose
jaws, elastic rail spikes; Special
purpose machine tools; Car, jeep
and truck wheels, tractor, bogie
wheels, earthmover wheels;
Magnetic strip wound cores, fan
motor and generator stampings,
transformer laminations, radio
choke and meter laminations;
Leather processing machinery
26 Goetze (India) Ltd. Cylinder liners; Piston rings;
Vegetable oil; Leather garments;
Light Alloy Products
A 26/3,
Mohan Co-Operative Indl Estate,
Mathura Road, New Delhi
27 Hero Honda Motors
Ltd.
Motorcycles/two wheelers 34, Community Centre,
Basant Lok,
Vasant Vihar, New Delhi
28 Hero Motors Ltd. Two Wheelers and Automotive
Segements
601 International Trade Tower,
Nehru Place, New Delhi
29 Hindustan Motors Ltd. Project management &
consultancy services;
Automobiles & transport
equipments; Power shift
transmissions
Birla Buildiing,
9/1, R N Mukherjee Road,
Kolkata, West Bengal
30 Hindustan Powerplus
Ltd.
Heavy duty diesel engines;
Generator Sets; Earth Moving
equipments
Mathagondapalli,
Hosur, Tamil Nadu
31 Honda Motorcycle &
Scooter India Pvt Ltd.
Motor Vehicles; Parts &
Accessories for Motor Vehicles
& Engines; After Sales Service
for Scooters
Plot No 1, Sector 3,
IMT Manesar, Gurgaon, Haryana
32 Honda Siel Cars India
Ltd.
Passenger cars Plot No A - 1,
Sector 40/41, Surajpur - Kasna
Road, Greater Noida,
Industrial Development Area,
Gautam Budh Nagar, Uttar Pradesh
33 Hyundai Motor India
Ltd.
Motor car and spare parts thereof Plot No H - 1,
SIPCOT Industrial Park,
Irrungattukotai,
Sriperumbadur Taluk,
Kancheepuram, Tamil Nadu
34 India Pistons Ltd. Piston, Piston Rings, Gudgeon
Pins; Non - ferrous castings;
Ferrous
24 College Road, Chennai,
Tamil Nadu
Appendix-F
F-4
S.No. Company Product Address
35 Indian Seamless Metal
Tubes Ltd. (The)
Products: Seamless tubes and
pipes, pressure tubing for boilers
and casings, line pipes for all oil
sector.; Cold rolled rings; Added
Value components for
Automotive, General Engineering
Industry
Lunkad Towers, 1st Floor,
S No 199, Lohegaon,
Plot No3, Viman Nagar,
Pune, Maharashtra
36 Jay Bharat Maruti Ltd. Sheet metal parts for motor
vehicles, welded assemblies and
exhaust system (domestic
supplies to OEMs in the
automotive industry)
Neel House, Lado Sarai,
Opp. Qutab Minar, New Delhi
37 Kalyani Steels Ltd. Seamless tubes & pipes, pressure
tubing for boilers & casings, line
pipes for oil sector services;
Precision tubing for auto industry
Mundhwa, Pune, Maharashtra
38 Kinetic Motor
Company Ltd.
Motorised two wheelers -
Scooters & spare parts
Neeta Towers,
Dapodi, Pune, Maharashtra
39 Klt Automotive And
Tubular Products Ltd.
Automobiles chassis and tubular
products
B - 1/1, Mayur Ma - Krupa
Society, Opp Gokhale School,
Shimpoli Road,
Borivali (W), Mumbai
40 Krishna Maruti Ltd. Seating system, moulded door
trims, Moulded head liners,
Moulded carpets & Injection
moulded components
40 Km, Delhi Jaipur Highway,
Village Narsingpur,
Gurgaon, Haryana
41 LML Ltd. Two wheelers (Scooters /
Motorcycles)
C - 10, Panki Industrial Estate,
Site II, Kanpur,
42 Lucas-Tvs Ltd. Lamps, wiping systems,
generators, headlamps,
distributors, flashers, screen
wipers, sol switches, horns & fuel
injection equipment; Starters,
alternators, dynamos &
regulators; Ignition systems
Aalim Centre,
82 Dr. Radhakrishnan Salai,
Chennai.
43 Mahindra & Mahindra
Ltd.
Implements; Multi - utility
vehicles, light commercial
vehicles; Agricultural tractors
Gateway Building,
Apollo Bunder,
Mumbai, Maharashtra
44 Mark Auto Industries
Ltd.
Fuel Tanks, Housings, Mufflers;
Axle Housings, Exhaust
Mufflers, Mount Ings,
Suspension Parts
Plot No 2,
MUL Joint Venture Complex,
Gurgaon, Haryana
45 Maruti Udyog Ltd. Passenger Cars 11th Floor, Jeevan Prakash
Building, 25,
Kasturba Gandhi Road, New Delhi
46 Minda Huf Ltd. Mechanical & electrical
Automotive locking system
D - 6 - 11, Sector 59,
Noida, Uttar Pradesh
47 Minda Industries Ltd. Locksets, door handles, ignition
switches; Locks, lockswitches
Village Nawada Fatehpur, PO
Sikanderpur Badda,
Manesar, Gurgaon, Haryana
48 Motor Industries Co
Ltd.
Shock absorbers and front forks
for two wheelers and window
balancers and struts for four
wheelers
SP - 663,
Sitapura Industrial Area,
Sanganer, Jaipur, Rajasthan
49 Motorola India Pvt
Ltd.
Telecommunications; Domestic
Appliances; Radio, Television &
415/2, Mehrauli Gurgaon Road,
Sector 14, Gurgaon, Haryana
Appendix-F
F-5
S.No. Company Product Address
Communication Equipment &
apparatus; Transport Equipment;
Computer & Related Activities
50 Munjal Showa Ltd. 9 - 11, Maruti Industrial Area,
Gurgaon, Haryana
51 Napino Auto
Electronics Ltd.
Switch assembly winker, resistor
assembly, capacitor discharge
ignitor, regulator/rectifier, cap
assy noise suppressor; Wiring
harness
Plot No 753 - 754,
Phase V, Udyog Vihar,
Gurgaon, Haryana
52 Omax Autos Ltd. Sheet metal Tubular, machined,
welded & fabricated components
5/13, Sohna Road,
Village Tikri, Gurgaon, Haryana
53 Piaggio Vehicles Pvt
Ltd.
Three wheeled passenger & cargo
vehicles; Bodies for Motor
Vehicles; Trailers and semi
trailors
''Trade World'', ''B'' Wing,
4th Floor, Unit No. 5,
Kamala Mills Compound,
Senapati Bapat Marg,
Lower Parel, Mumbai, Maharashtra
54 Premier Instruments &
Controls Ltd.
Dashboard Instruments, Flexible
Cables, Switches, Guages,
Sensors, Cigarette Lighters,
Heater Ventilation, Air Control
Panel & Accessoriesfor on & off
road vehicles; Electronic
Counters & Controllers for
Textile Machinery, Auto & Taxi
Fare meters & industrial
equipment; Oil Pumps for 2
wheelers & stationery engines,
Speedo drive components for 2
wheelers, Auto fuel cock, valves,
gears, Chain Tensioners & Disc
Brake System for 2 wheelers.;
Ideal Speed Control value for
Multi Point Fuel Injection
(MPFI) System; Instrument
panels for Defence Vehicles;
Manufacturing & servicing of
Dash Board Instruments &
Accessories like cable, Switches,
Temperature & Pressure sensors,
Oil & Fuel Sensors, Cigarette
Lighters , Idle Speed Control
Knobs, Heater Ventilation
Control Unit
P B No 6331,
No 1087 - A,
Avanashi Road,
Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu
55 Purolator India Ltd. Automotive filters & elements Khandsa Plant, 38th Milestone,
NH - 8, Village Khandsa,
Gurgaon, Haryana
56 Rane (Madras) Ltd. Manual steering & suspension
systems, RCB steering gears,
manual rack and pinion
Ganapathil Buildings,
P B No 2628,
61 Velacherry Road,
Chennai, Tamil Nadu
57 Rane Brake Linings
Ltd.
Railway brake blocks; Brake
linings, clutch facings, disc pads
"Maithri" 132,
Cathedral Road,
Chennai, Tamil Nadu
58 Royal Enfield Two - wheeler Motorcycles
(Bullets)
A Unit of Eicher Motors Ltd.,
Thiruvottiyur High Road,
Thiruvottiyur,
Chennai, Tamil Nadu
Appendix-F
F-6
S.No. Company Product Address
59 Sansera Engineering
Pvt Ltd.
High precision automotive
components rocker arms for
internal combustion engines, gear
shifter forks, Crank shafts and
connecting rods; Forging &
Machining
261/C, Bommasandra Industrial
Area, Bommasandra Post,
Bangalore, Karnataka
60 Spicer India Ltd. Manufacturer of automotive axles 29 Milestone, Pune - Nashik
Highway Tal Khed,.
Village Kurulli,Chakan Pune
61 Skoda Auto India Pvt
Ltd.
Cars Plot No A - 1/1, Five Star
Industrial Area, MIDC Shendra,
Aurangabad, Maharashtra
62 Subros Ltd. Parts and accessories for
Automotive Air - conditioning
Systems and ventilators &
Heaters
Lower Ground Floor,
World Trade Centre,
Barakhamba Lane, New Delhi
63 Sunbeam Auto Ltd. Aluminium die - casted
components; Automobile pistons
38/6 K M Stone, Delhi - Jaipur
Highway, Narsingpur,
Gurgaon, Haryana
64 Sundaram Brake
Linings Ltd.
Friction material for automotive
and non - automotive application
in Asbestos & Asbestos - free
grades
Padi, Chennai, Tamil Nadu
65 Sundaram-Clayton
Ltd.
Air & air assisted braking system
for medium / heavy commercial
vehicles, vacuum product for
light commercial vehicle and
aluminium pressure and gravity
die castings
Jayalakshmi Estates", 8,
Haddows Road, Chennai
600 006, Tamil Nadu
66 Sundram Fasteners
Ltd.
Precision formed gears; Radiator
caps & metal form components;
High tensile fasteners;
Automotive Pumps & Rocker
Lever Assemblies; Cold Extruded
Parts; Iron Powder; Hot & Warm
forged parts; Gear Shifter, Tyre
Carriers; Powder Metal Parts;
Radiator Caps; Spare wheel
carrier & Hot forged parts
98 A, 7th Floor
Dr. Radhakrishnan Salai,
Mylapore, Chennai, Tamil Nadu
67 Tata Auto Plastic
Systems Ltd.
Plastic Interiors and Exteriors of
Automobiles
Survey No 235/245,
Village Hinjewadi, Taluka -
Mulshi, Pune, Maharashtra
68 Tata Cummins Ltd. B series diesel engines & their
parts for automotive industrial &
genset application
TELCO Township,
Jamshedpur, Jharkhand
69 Tata Johnson Controls
Automotive Ltd.
Automotive System Design Hinjewadi, Phase-I
Pune
70 Tata Motors Ltd. Medium & heavy commercial
vehicles, light
Pimpri, Pune
71 Toyota Kirloskar
Motor Pvt Ltd.
Motor Vehicles C/o Kirloskar Systems Ltd.,
Embassy Star, 8, Palace Road,
Vasanthnagar, Bangalore
72 TVS Motor Company
Ltd.
Mopeds, motorcycles, scooters P B No 4, Harita,
Hosur, Tamil Nadu
73 Uc74al Fuel Systems
Ltd.
Carburetors for 2 & 4 wheelers,
oil pumps
A - 98, 100, 107,
PIPDIC Industrial Estate,
Mettupalayalam, Pondicherry
Appendix-F
F-7
S.No. Company Product Address
74 Ucal Machine Tools
Ltd.
Dies, depression chamber
assemblies; Castings; Special
purpose machine; Fuel Filter
Assy., Diecasting Assy., Piston
Valve Choke Opener, Pressure
Die Casting; Dies, Moulds, Jigs,
Fixture
Raheja Towers,
7th Floor, Sigma Wing,
177 Anna Salai,
Chennai, Tamil Nadu
75 Unitech Machines Ltd. Automobile lighting components 344/3, Oshu House,
Lado Sarai, New Delhi
76 Wheels India Ltd. Wheels for commercical vehicles,
passenger cars, jeeps, tractors,
Defence requirements and
fitment of Air suspension system
for commercial vehicles
Padi, Chennai,
Tamil Nadu
List of companies for the machinery and equipment sector
S.No. Company Product Address
1 Abb Ltd. Electrical engineering equipment
for power generation,
transmission & distribution,
industrial & building systems and
environmental applications;
Khanija Bhavan,
2nd Fl, East Wing, 49,
Race Course Road, Bangalore
2 Ace Designers Ltd. CNC lathes; Auto lathes Plot No 533, 10th Main Road,
4th Phase,
Peenya Industrial Area, Bangalore.
3 Ador Welding Ltd. Manufacturing of welding
consumable & equipment
Ador House, 4th Floor,
6 K Dubash Marg, Fort,
Mumbai, Maharashtra
4 Atlas Copco (India)
Ltd.
Rock drilling equipment & tools,
mining equipment, construction
tools, air & gas compressors
Mahatma Gandhi Memorial
Buildiing, Netaji Subhas Road,
Mumbai, Maharashtra
5 Audco India Ltd. Industrial valves; Actuator &
Accessories; Safety Systems and
equipment
Mount Poonamallee Road,
Manapakkam, Chennai,
Kancheepuram, Tamil Nadu
6 Best & Crompton
Engineering Ltd.
Centrifugal pumps, valves;
Electrical contracting
(transmission and distribution of
power); Consultancy services;
Automotive components; Mini -
hydro turbines; Busducts,
industrial plugs & sockets,
control panels, EHV powerline
accessories, train lighting
alternators; Busducts, Plug &
Socket, Actuators; Train Lighting
Generator; Pumps; Casting
39, Industrial Estate (North),
Ambattur,
Chennai, Tamil Nadu
7 Earth Movers Ltd. Bull Dozers, Dump Trucks,
Excavator; Mining Shovel,
Walking Dragline; Defence
eqpt/aggregates; Rail Coaches;
Armoured Recovery Vehicles,
Heavy Recovery Vehicles, Army
Truck; Metro Rail Coaches
No. 23/1, 4th Main,
Sampangirama Nagar,
Bangalore, Karnataka
8 Blue Star Ltd. Screw Chillers, Centrifugal
Chillers, Air Handling unit, Cold
unit, Mortuary Chambers;
Kasturi Building,
Mohan T Advani Chowk,
Jamshedji Tata Road,
Appendix-F
F-8
S.No. Company Product Address
Vapour Absorption Chillers;
Packeged Airconditioners,
Packaged Liquid Chillers, Recipe
Chillers; Split Airconditioners,
Ducted Split Airconditioners; Fan
Coil units; Ice Cuber Machines,
Deep Freezers; Water Coolers;
Kitchen & Laundry Equipment;
Mineral Water Dispensers;
Communication Equipment;
Medical Electronics Equipment;
Material Testing Equipment,
Industrial Products; Analytical
Instruments
Mumbai, Maharashtra
9 Boc India Ltd. Medical Appliances such as
Oxygen Concentrators,
Nebulizers; Air separation unit
plants; Industrial Medical &
Special Gases; Cryogenic Plants
and Vessels
Oxygen House, P - 43,
Taratala Road,
Kolkata, West Bengal
10 Bosch Rexroth (India)
Ltd.
Hydraulic components, cylinders,
power packs, manifold blocks
and controls. Pneumatic products,
linear motion guides & drives;
Hydraulic equipments; Servo
drives & controls
Opp. Vatva Railway Station,
Vatva,
Taluka Dascroi,
Ahmedabad, Gujarat
11 Brakes India Ltd. Complete brake systems and
parts thereof and brake fluid;
Grey Iron and ductile Iron sand
castings; Engineering plastics;
Special purpose machines
Padi, Chennai, Tamil Nadu
12 Caterpillar India Pvt
Ltd.
Mining & Construction
Equipment
PO Melnallathur, Thiruvallur
13 Eicher Ltd. Tractors; Motorcycles; M
Engineering; Engines; Gears;
Commercial Vehicles
12 Eicher House,
Commercial Complex,
Greater Kailash - II,
Masjid Moth, New Delhi
14 Electrolux Kelvinator
Ltd.
Household Appliances;
Refrigerators; Microwave
Owens, Cooking Range, Dish
Washer; Air - Conditioner, Chest
Freezers; Washing Machine
1410A, Beverley Park II,
DLF City, Phase II,
Mehrauli - Gurgaon Road,
Gurgaon, Haryana
15 Fl Smidth Ltd. Machinery & Equipments -
Cement; Basic Iron & Steel, C.
Machinery Parts; Casting of
Metal; Engineering; Technical
Activities
180, Kodambakkam High Road,
Chennai, Tamil Nadu
16 Force Motors Ltd. Light commercial vehicles; LCV
& diesel engines; Tractors
(Formerly Bajaj Tempo Ltd.),
Bombay - Pune Road, Akurdi,
Pune
17 Gabriel India Ltd. Shock Absorbers, Struts, Bimetal
Strips; Bimetal
S - 304, L B S Marg,
Mulund, Mumbai
18 Gannon Dunkerley &
Co Ltd.
Electronic instrument, electronic
goods; Building construction
industry(civil and mechanical
engineers); Traders of engg &
electronic goods; Rubber
Chartered Bank Building,
M G Road, Fort,
PB No. 1547, Mumbai
Appendix-F
F-9
S.No. Company Product Address
blankets; Brazing bottom
machinery
19 Grasim Industries Ltd. Basic chemicals; Manmade fiber;
Rubber products; Plastic
products; Fabricated metal
products; General purpose
machinery; Special purpose
machinery; Sponge iron, cement;
Erection & commissioning,
consultancy; Managerial
services; Software consultancy
Birlagram, Nagda,
Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh
20 Greaves Cotton Ltd. Diesel engines, Generating Sets,
Petrol Engines, Industrial Gear
Boxes, Fluid Couplings,
Vibratory Compactors, Tandem
Rollers, Concrete Pumps, CIFA
Pumps, Transit Mixers, Batching
Plants, Rock Roller Bits; Fluid
couplings, rock roller bits;
Pumps, concrete pumps; Gensets;
Industrial gearboxes; Silicon
carbide crucibles, Clay Graphites
crucibles; Pneumatic Tyre
Rollers, Plate Compactors,
Concrete Mixers, Truck Mounted
pumps and power Tillers,
Soilmec & other Agency
Products; Greaves Concrete
Pump; Cifa Concrete Pump;
Drillings Rigs; Truck Mounted
Boom Pump; Spritz; Formwork;
Defence Equipment
Industry Manor,
Appasaheb Marathe Marg,
Mumbai, Maharashtra
21 Hindustan Powerplus
Ltd.
Heavy duty diesel engines;
Generator Sets; Earth Moving
equipments
Mathagondapalli,
Hosur, Tamil Nadu
22 Honda Siel Power
Products Ltd.
Gensets; Engines; Water Pump Plot No 5, Sector 41 (Kasna),
Greater Noida Industrial
Development Area,
Greater Noida, UP
23 Hyderabad Industries
Ltd.
Technical & management
services; Engineering products;
Earth moving equipment; Fibre
cement products; Insulation
products; Asbestos cement
sheets, A A C Blocks, Aerocon
Panels and heavy engineering
Equipment''s; Building Products,
A A C Blocks, Aerocon Panels,
Plant & Machinary, Jointings
Sanathnagar,
Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh
24 Ingersoll Rand (India)
Ltd.
Air & gas compressors & pumps;
Construction and mining
equipment, road machinery
equipment
Phase 1, Peenya Industrial Estate,
Peenya, Bangalore, Karnataka
25 International Tractors
Ltd.
Tractors Village Chuck Gujran,
P.O. Pipanwala, Jallandhar Road,
Hoshiarpur, Punjab
Appendix-F
F-10
S.No. Company Product Address
26 Kirloskar Oil Engines
Ltd.
Diesel engines 5 - 20 HP engines,
pump sets spares; 19 - 300 HP
Water cooled engines, DG sets
both powered with air cooled and
water cooled engines
13, Laxmanrao Kirloskar Road,
Khadki, Pune, Maharashtra
27 Kirloskar Pneumatic
Co Ltd.
Pneumatic systems viz.
Compressed air, air conditioning,
refrigeration and hydraulic power
transmission equipment;
Erection, commissioning and
servicing of our products;
Refrigeration compressors &
systems, air compressors
transmission products and spares
thereof
Hadapsar Industrial Estate,
Pune, Maharashtra
28 Ordnance Factory
(Gun & Shell)
Guns & shells for defence forces Cossipore, Kolkata, West Bengal
29 Sandvik Asia Ltd. Metal cutting & forming tools;
Rock excavation tools; Rock
excavation equipments; Bulk
material handling equipments;
Stainless steels & special alloys;
Cobalt powder & salts; Process
systems
Mumbai - Pune Road,
Pune, Maharashtra
30 Skf Bearings India
Ltd.
Textile machinery components;
Selection of bearings for various
applications training on
mounting, dismounting, running
& maintenance of bearings to get
optimum machine / equipment
service life & trouble free
operation; Ball and roller
bearings; Tapered Roller Bearing
Mahatma Gandhi Memorial
Building, Netaji Subhash Road,
Mumbai, Maharashtra
31 Suzlon Energy Ltd. Wind turbine generators - "wind
mills"
Godrej Millennium, 5th Floor,
9, Koregaon Park Road,
Pune, Maharashtra
32 Tata Steel Ltd. Ferro alloys, bars, rods, strips;
Bearings; Tubes; Steel;
Engineering products; Minerals;
Structurals
General Office Building,
1st floor, Jamshedpur, Jharkhand
33 Tetra Pak India Pvt
Ltd.
Aseptic packaging material;
Machinery for processing fruit
juice/dairy products
Mayfair Towers, Ground Floor,
Wakdewadi,
Shivajinagar, Pune.
34 Zenith Ltd. Basic Iron & Steel ( Galvanised
& Black Steel Pipes); Cutting
tools; Dye intermediates;
Industrial knives & tools; Man -
made fibre yarn
1st Floor, Dalamal House,
Nariman Point,
Mumbai, Maharashtra
Appendix-F
F-11
S.No. Company Product Address
List of companies for the electrical and electronics sector
1 Bharat Electronics
Ltd.
Television & Commn
equipments; Electronic
Components; Medical appliances
and instruments; Software
Nagavara, Outer Ring Road,
Bangalore, Karnataka
2 Continental Device
India Ltd.
Discrete semiconductor devices,
chips, dice; Wound components;
Contract manufacturing of
electronic PCB Assembly;
Electronic contract
manufacturing
C – 120, Naraina Industrial Area,
New Delhi
3 Crompton Greaves
Ltd.
Electrical products; Motors;
Electronic products; Turnkey
projects / designing and
implementation of computer
networking, servicing of software
for 11pecialized applications;
Software solutions; Fans
CG House, 6th
floor,
Dr Annie Besant Road,
Prabhadevi, Mumbai,
4 Gannon Dunkerley &
Co Ltd.
Electronic instrument, electronic
goods; Building construction
industry(civil and mechanical
engineers); Traders of engg &
electronic goods; Rubber
blankets; Brazing bottom
machinery etc
Chartered Bank Building,
M G Road, Fort, PB No. 1547,
Mumbai
5 Godrej & Boyce Mfg
Co Ltd.
Office & home furniture, Office
equipment; Storage systems,
Safes & Security equipment;
Energy conservation &
envirotech consultancy;
Furniture; Tools & Dies; Material
handling equipment; Process
equipment for chemical,
petrochemical, refineries and
allied industries; Manual &
electronic typewriters; Dot matrix
printers; Machine tools;
Pirojshanagar, Vikhroli (West),
Mumbai, Maharashtra
6 Hbl Nife Power
Systems Ltd.
Specialised Batteries; Power
Electronic products, Railway
electronics products
8 – 2 – 601, Road No 10,
Banjara Hills,
Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh
7 JCT Electronics Ltd. Colour picture tubes “Thapar House”, 124, Janpath,
New Delhi
8 Kirloskar Electric Co
Ltd.
Alternators, controls for
alternators / generators;
Switchgear; Motors;
Transformers; Variable speed
drives, industrial heating
equipments, industrial voltage
regulators; Printed circuit boards
P B No 5555,
Malleswaram (W),
Bangalore, Karnataka
9 Lg Electronics India
Pvt Ltd.
Washing Machines; Video
Equipments; Colour televisions;
Window & split air –
conditioners; Refrigerators;
Microware ovens; Colour
monitors; Audio equipment;
Vacum Cleaner
Plot No 51, Udyog Vihar,
Surajpur, Kasna Road,
Greater Noida,
Gautam Budh Nagar, UP
Appendix-F
F-12
S.No. Company Product Address
10 Motorola India Pvt
Ltd.
Telecommunications; Domestic
Appliances; Radio, Television &
Communication Equipment &
apparatus; Transport Equipment;
Computer & Related Activities;
Software Consultancy & Supply
415/2, Mehrauli Gurgaon Road,
Sector 14, Gurgaon, Haryana
11 Philips India Ltd. Televisions; Electronic
components; Lamps, Luminaires,
Lighting Electronics & Gear,
Automotive Lamps; Irons,
Ovens, Toasters, Hair Dryers,
Mixer & Grinders, Philishave,
Satinelle; Ics, Discrete
Semiconductors; Cellphones;
Manufacture and supply of
plastic parts; High Technology
Products; Audio Systems, Tapes
& Accessories; Monitors,
Computer Peripherals; DVDs;
Metal Parts
Technopolis Knowledge Park,
2nd Floor, Nelco Complex,
Mahakali Caves Road,
Chakala, Andheri (E), Mumbai,
12 Samcor Glass Ltd. Glass for Color Funnels 7KM stone, Kota – Baran Road,
Kota, Rajasthan
13 Samtel Color Ltd. Color picture tubes (14”, 20”, 21”
FST & 21” F & FST); 29” True
Flat, 29” True flat
52, Community Centre,
New Friends Colony, New Delhi
14 Siemens Ltd. Installation and other services;
EPABX/EPAX/Intercom and key
telephone systems; Switchgear
items, Switchboards, control
boards and miscellaneous
accessories; Electric motors;
Railway signaling equipment;
Medical electronic diagnostic
equipment, X – Ray equipment;
Generators; Measuring and
control instruments; Variable
speed AC/DC drive systems;
Protection systems; Data
acquisition, logging and control
systems; Motor control modules
and programmable control
systems
130, Padurang Budhkar Marg,
Worli, Mumbai, Maharashtra
15 Sony India Pvt Ltd. Electronic Products A – 31, Mohan Co-operative
Industrial Estate,
Mathura Road, New Delhi
16 Tyco Electronics
Corporation India Ltd.
Wire harness, fibre optic, RF and
wireless interconnection systems,
application, tooling and other
electro mechanical components;
Electrical & electronic
connectors, cable systems
No 4, Maruthi Industrial Estate,
Hoody Rajapalya,
Whitefield Main Road,
Mahadevapura Post, Bangalore.
17 Vishay Components
India Pvt Ltd.
Film capacitors, electrolytic
capacitors, variable capacitors;
Potentiometers; Resistors
Loni – Kalbhor,
(Central Railway),
Pune, Maharashtra
18 General Industrial
Controls Pvt Ltd.
Time delay relays / timers –
electromechanical (synchronous)
and time switches, hour counters,
motor protection relays; Timers,
T- 107, MIDC,
Bhosari, Pune, Maharashtra
Appendix-F
F-13
S.No. Company Product Address
time switches, hour counters;
Moulds; Injection moulded
plastic components and moulds
thereof; Marketing of
electromechinical / electronic
instruments
19 Gujarat Poly-Avx
Electronics Ltd.
Single Layer Ceramic capacitors;
Multiple Layer Ceramic
Capacitor; Metal Oxide Varistor
7, J Tata Road,
Churchgate Reclamation,
Mumbai, Maharashtra
20 Honeywell
International (India)
Pvt Ltd.
Amorphous Metals – Electronic
Cores and Other Products; Basic
chemicals, Other chemical
products; Man – made fibers;
Rubber products; Plastic
products; Aircraft and spacecraft
equipment; Electronic valves &
tubes & other Electronic
equipment; Software & Engg.
Centre
4th
floor, Nirlac House,
B- 25, Qutab Institutional Area,
New Delhi
21 Incap Ltd. Aluminium Electrolytic
Capacitors
1-58, Nidamanur,
Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh
22 Isk Raemeco Seahorse
Ltd.
Energy meters; Defence
electronic systems
96, Meter Factory Road,
Trichy, Tamil Nadu
23 Peerless Fabrikkerne
(India) Ltd.
Loudspeakers & IT Components;
Hi – Fi Loudspeakers & Speaker
Systems
18- 19, SDF1,
SEEPZ, Andheri (E), Mumbai
24 Precision Electronics
Ltd.
Digital Microwave Radios,
Multiplexers, DVDR`s &
communication system for armed
forces; Design & Proto Type
Manufacture; Printed Circuit
boards
D- 10, Sector - 3,
Noida, Uttar Pradesh
25 Prem Conductors Pvt
Ltd.
AAA and ACSR Conductors G/11, 12 Swapna Complex,
Nr A K Patel Hous,
Mithakhali Six Road, Ahmedabad
26 Solectron Centum
Electronics Ltd.
Electronic components 44, KHB Industrial Area,
Yelahanka New Township,
Bangalore, Karnataka
27 Speck Systems Ltd. Manufacture of Digital film,
Recorders for Strategic
applications, Digital Lazer Writer
for commercial Graphics; GIS,
Mapping, Photogrammetry &
Degitisation of analog data /
Drawings / Maps; Linear
Positioner, Shaft Encoder, Arc
Lamp, Power supply, Lazer
Diode Mount, Analog Driver etc.
B – 49, Electronics Complex,
Kushaiguda,
Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh
28 Texas Instruments
(India) Pvt Ltd.
Semiconductor Design &
Software
Golf View Homes,
Wind Tunnel Road,
Murgeshpalya, Bangalore
29 Tvs Cherry Pvt Ltd. Electromechnical precision
switches; Hall effect sensors
(magnetic); Advance
performance keyboards; Reed
Relays, Proximity Switches
Madurai Melur Road, V
ellaripatti, Madurai, Tamil Nadu
30 Udhaya Energy Photo Solar Modules & Solar Cells 1/279/Z, Mudalipalayam,
Appendix-F
F-14
S.No. Company Product Address
Voltaics Pvt Ltd. Arasur Post, Coimbatore,
Tamil Nadu
31 Vetal Textiles &
Electronics Pvt Ltd.
Textiles; Agro Products;
Electronic products
Plot No 1, Industrial Estate,
Civil Aero PO, Coimbatore,
Tamil Nadu
32 Webel Power
Electronics Ltd.
Power Electronic Items;
Supervisory Control & Data
Acquisition Syst–m
p - 1, Taratolla Road,
Kolkata, West Bengal
33 West Bengal
Electronics Indl
Development Corpn
Ltd.
Components, equipment, system
in electronics & telecom;
Development of electronics
industry in West Bengal,
developing industry specific
infrastructure system engineering
& services in electronics &
telecom
Webel Bhawan,
Block EP & GP, Sector V,
Salt Lake, Kolkata, West Bengal
List of companies for the process sector
1 Ace Refractories Ltd.
Refractories; Castable, Plastic,
Gunning Material, High Alumina
cement, Catalyst Bed Support,
Basic Bricks; High Alumina
Bricks
Pushpkunj, 4th Floor,
26 Central Bazaar Road,
Ramdaspeth,
Nagpur, Maharashtra
2 Agro Industrial
Packaging India Ltd.
Corrugated fibre board cartons,
Non metal waste & scrap
Nigam Vihar,
Shimla, Himachal Pradesh
3 Amrutanjan Ltd.
Pain Balm and allied products
42 - 45, Luz Church Road,
Mylapore, Chennai, Tamil Nadu
4 Andhra Pradesh Paper
Mills Ltd.
Paper & paperboards, newsprint
501 - 509, Swapnalok Complex,
92/93, Sarojini Devi Road,
Secunderabad
5 Asian Paints (India)
Ltd.
Paints & enamels; Penta
erythritol; Phthalic anhydride
6A, Shantinagar,
Vakola, Santacruz (East),
Mumbai, Maharashtra
6 Associated Cement
Companies Ltd.
Cement; Engineering &
consultancy, Project Exports;
Refractories
Cement House, 121,
Maharshi Karve Road,
Mumbai, Maharashtra
7 Aurobindo Pharma
Ltd.
Bulk Drugs, Sterile Bulk Drugs,
Drug Intermediates,
Formulations, Sterile
Formulations; Bulk Drugs &
Formulations
Certifications Anvisa, Brazil,
Health Canada, ISO 9001 : 2000,
MCC, South Africa, MHRA,
Ministry of Health, USFDA,
WHO
Plot No 2, Maitri Vihar,
Ameerpet,
Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh
8 Aventis Pharma Ltd.
Pharmaceuticals; Drugs &
Pharmaceuticals
Aventis House, 54/A,
Sir Mathuradas Vasanji Road,
Andheri (East),
Mumbai, Maharashtra
9 Ballarpur Industries
Ltd.
Paper; Chemicals; Agri products;
Writing & Printing paper and
Coated Wood - Free Paper
First India Place, Tower C,
Block A, Sushant Lok - I,
Mehrauli - Gurgaon Road,
Appendix-F
F-15
S.No. Company Product Address
Gurgaon
10 Biostadt India Ltd.
Agro chemical, pharmaceuticals,
aqua products, hybrid seeds
Poonam Chambers, A Wing,
6th Floor, Dr Annie Besant Road,
Worli, Mumbai.
11 Chambal Fertilisers
And Chemicals Ltd.
Urea Fertilisers
International Trade Tower,
F - Block, 3rd Floor, Nehru Place,
New Delhi
12 Claris Lifesciences
Ltd.
Blood Products, Nutritional
Products, Renal Care Products,
Anesthetics, Antibiotics,
Common I.V. Solutions
Corporate Towers,
Near Parimal Railway Crossing,
Ellisbridge, Ahmedabad, Gujarat
13 Coromandel Fertilisers
Ltd.
N P fertilizer - grade 28:28:0; N
P K fertilizer - grade 14:35:14; N
P fertilizer - grade 20:20:0;
Phosphotic Fertilizers
Coromandel House, 1 - 2 - 10,
Sardar Patel
14 Dabur India Ltd.
Ayurvedic medicines;
Pharmaceuticals; Herbal
healthcare & personal care,
cosmetics; Foods
3, Factory Road,
Near Safdarjang Hospital, Ring
Road, New Delhi
15 Dalmia Cement
(Bharat) Ltd.
Cement; Deadburnt Magnesite;
Sugar; Electronic Goods
Dalmiapuram, Trichy,
Tamil Nadu
16 Dcm Shriram
Consolidated Ltd.
Textile spinning; Urea; Caustic
soda, Chlorine; Stable Bleaching
Powder, Poly Aluminium
Chloride, Calcium Carbide; PVC
resin & compounds; Agricultural
products - MOP/DAP/SSP;
Environment & Waste
Management; Energy Services;
Cement; Sugar; Pesticides
5th Floor, Kanchenjunga Building,
18, Barakhamba Road,
New Delhi
17 Dcm Shriram
Industries Ltd.
Sugar, sugar cubes / satchets;
Yarn / fabric, processed yarn;
Shipping containers; Drug
intermediates; Alcohol, aromatic
chemicals; Liquor; Rayon
tyrecord; Nylon chafer / fabric
Kanchenjunga Building,
18, Barakhamba Road, New Delhi
18 Deepak Fertilisers
And Petrochemicals
Corporation Ltd.
Fertilizers and petrochemicals;
Liquified Carbon Dioxide;
Methanol; Nitric Acid;
Ammonium Nitrate; Ammonium
Sulphate; DAP / MOP
Opp Golf Course,
Shastri Nagar, Yerawada,
Pune, Maharashtra
19 Elder Pharmaceuticals
Ltd.
Pharmaceutical formulations,
bulk drugs; OTC products
Elder House, C - 9,
Dalia Industrial Estate, Off New
Lind Road, Andheri (W), Mumbai.
20 Emcure
Pharmaceuticals Ltd.
Pharmaceutical formulations
Emcure House, T - 184,
MIDC, Bhosari, Pune, Maharashtra
21 Khanna Paper Mills
Pvt Ltd.
Paper & Paper Boards
Fatehpur Road,
Amritsar, Punjab
22 Kirloskar Bros Ltd.
Power driven pumps; Industrail
Valves; Commercial castings;
Anti corrosion coating;
Centrifugal pump; Hemetic
Sealed Compressors
Udyog Bhavan, Tilak Road,
Pune, Maharashtra
23 Lafarge India Pvt Ltd. Cement; Building Materials 101 B, Sunny Towers,
Appendix-F
F-16
S.No. Company Product Address
43, Ashutosh Choudhari Avenue,
Kolkata, West Bengal
24 Lanco Industries Ltd.
Pig iron; Cement
Rachagunneri Village,
Srikalahasthi Mandal,
Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh
25 Larsen & Toubro Ltd.
Information technology and
communications; Cement;
Switchgear - standard and
tailormade, metering &
protection systems; Heat transfer
equipment; Construction of
buildings & factories, property
development; Pressure vessels;
Refinary and cracker plant
equipment; Foundry; Rubber &
plastic processing machinery;
Glass manufacturing; Eutectic
and Industrial products, Industrial
Valves, Valves, Packaging; EPC
projects - Hydrocarbons,
fertilizer, petrochemical,
chemical, oil & natural gas, food
processing, power; Roads,
railways, airports, harbours,
tunnels & bridges; Power plants;
Water supply; Transmission;
Earth moving, hydraulic and
construct equipment;
Construction Equipment; Medical
Electronics Equipment;
Earthmoving Equipments;
Medical Electronics Equipments,
Eutectic; Switch gears, Valves
L & T House,
Ballard Estate,
Mumbai, Maharashtra
26 Lupin Ltd.
Bulk drugs and formulations.
(ANTI TB & cephalosporins)
4th Floor, World Trade Towers,
Barakhamba Avenue, Connaught
Place, New Delhi
27 Madras Cements Ltd. Cement; Ready Mix Concrete,
Dry Mix
98 - A, Dr. Radhakrishnan Salai,
Mylapore, Chenna
28 Malayala Manorama
Company Ltd.
Publications, Media, Newspaper
& periodicals; News Print,
Consumables; Capital Goods
Manorama Building,
KK Road, PR No. 26,
Kottayam, Kerala
29 Max India Ltd.
Drugs; Allopathic Pharmaceutical
Drugs
Max House (3rd Floor),
1, Dr Jha Marg,
Okhla - III, New Delhi
30 Orient Paper &
Industries
Portland cement; Technical know
- how to paper industry; Paper &
paper board; Electric fans,
components; Metallic precision
springs; Air pollution control
equipment
9/1, R N Mukherjee Road,
Birla Building,
Kolkata, West Bengal
31 Ranbaxy Laboratories
Ltd.
API`s & dosage forms
Plot No. 90, Institutional Area,
Sector 32, Gurgaon, Haryana
32 Raymond Ltd. -
Cement Division
Aviation; Cement & Clinker Mahindra Towers, B Wing,
3rd Floor, P B Marg,
Worli, Mumbai
Appendix-F
F-17
S.No. Company Product Address
33 Reckitt Benckiser
(India) Ltd.
Food products; Pharmaceuticals;
Laundry products, household
products, toiletries; Liquids,
tablets
Enkay Center, 2nd Floor,
Vanijay Nikunj, Udyog Vihar,
Phase - 5, Gurgaon, Haryana
List of companies for the textile sector
1 Abhishek Industries
Ltd.
Cotton yarn, Acrylic yarn,
Polyester yarn
Raikot Road,
Barnala, Punjab
2 Alps Industries Ltd.
Venetian & vertical blinds; False
ceilings; Cotton fabrics, cotton
yarn; Made - ups; Natural dyes;
Yarn Fabric, Madeups;
Garments; Dyes
57/2, Site IV, Industrial Area,
Ghaziabad,
Sahibabad, Uttar Pradesh
3 Arvind Mills Ltd.
(The)
Denim Fabric; Shirting Fabric;
Knits Fabric; Knits Garments;
Shirts; Yarns
Naroda Road,
Ahmedabad
4 Ashima Ltd.
100% Cotton Textiles / Yarn
Dyed Fabrics, Denim, Grey
Fabrics; Ready to Stitch Fabrics;
Garments
Texcellence Complex,
Khokhra Mehmedabad,
Ahmedabad
5 Bombay Dyeing &
Mfg Co Ltd. (The)
Yarn, textile fabrics, textile piece
goods; Leasing; Textile made -
ups; Di - methyl terephthalate
Neville House,
J N Heredia Marg, Ballard Estate,
Mumbai.
6 Dcm Shriram
Consolidated Ltd.
Textile spinning; Urea; Caustic
soda, Chlorine; Stable Bleaching
Powder, Poly Aluminium
Chloride, Calcium Carbide; PVC
resin & compounds; Agricultural
products - MOP/DAP/SSP;
Environment & Waste
Management; Energy Services;
Cement; Sugar; Pesticides
5th Floor,
Kanchenjunga Building,
18, Barakhamba Road, New Delhi
7 Dcm Shriram
Industries Ltd.
Sugar, sugar cubes / satchets;
Yarn / fabric, processed yarn;
Shipping containers; Drug
intermediates; Alcohol, aromatic
chemicals; Liquor; Rayon
tyrecord; Nylon chafer / fabric
Kanchenjunga Building,
18, Barakhamba Road, New Delhi
8 Eurotex Industries
And Exports Ltd.
Cotton yarn; Knitted fabric
Raheja Chambers, 12th Floor,
213, Nariman Point, Mumbai.
9 Fenner (India) Ltd.
Transmission Belts, Oil Seals;
Conveyor belting (PVC); Other
fabricated metal products;
Spinning, Weaving, finishing of
textiles
Khivraj Complex - II,
5th Floor, 480, Anna Salai,
Nandanam, Chennai
10 Indo Rama Synthetics
(India) Ltd.
Man - made fibers (PSF. POY,
Chips, FDY & DTY); Spinning,
Weaving & Finishing of Textiles
Dr Gopal Das Bhawan,
28, Barakhamba Road, New Delhi
11 Jct Ltd.
Textile fabrics, nylon & fibre
yarn
Thapar House, 124,
Janpath, New Delhi
Appendix-F
F-18
S.No. Company Product Address
12 Kanoria Chemicals &
Industries Ltd.
Heavy chemicals; Jute & jute
goods; Textiles; Pesticides; Paint
intermediates; Indenting agent of
various multinationals; Caustic
Soda, Liquid Chlorine, Stable
Bleaching Powder, Lindane,
Anhydrous Aluminum Chloride,
Hydrogen, Tri - chloro benezene,
Chlorinated Paraffins, Poly
Aluminium chloride;
Pentaerythritol, Di -
pentaerthritol, Acetaldehyde,
Formaldehyde, Sodium Formate,
Hexamine, Industrial Alcohol,
Carbon di - oxide, Acetic Acid,
Ethyl Acetate; Hydrochloric Acid
Park Plaza, 71,
Park Street, Kolkata, West Bengal
13 Kurlon Ltd. Rubberised coir mattresses &
polyester fibre pillows; Knitted
and crocheted .Fabric and
articles; Manufacturing n.e.c;
Polyester fibre pillows, latex
Pillows; Coir doormats
Admn Office, N - 301,
South Block, Manipal Centre,
47, Dickenson Road, Bangalore.
14 Lg Balakrishnan &
Bros Ltd.
Rollon automotive timing chains,
transmission chains, conveyor
chains, power transmission
chains, card chains etc; Bicycle
chains; Textile Yarn
6/16/13, Krishnarayapuram Road,
P.O Box No. 2003,
Ganapathy Post,
Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu
15 Loyal Textile Mills
Ltd.
Cotton Yarn, Fabric, Garments
21/4, Mill Street, Kovilpatti,
Kovilpatti, Tamil Nadu
16 Malwa Cotton
Spinning Mills Ltd.
Hand knitting yarn and various
worsted yarn (both grey and
dyed); Charitable cancer hospital
with 300 bed capacity at
Ludhiana; Cotton yarn, cotton
acrylic yarn, polyester yarn,
polyester - cotton yarn, acrylic
yarn, cotton - viscose yarn,
polyester - viscose yarn, sewing
threads
D - 52, East of Kailash, New Delhi
17 Mahavir Spinning
Mills Ltd.
Spinning, weaving & finishing of
textiles; Other textiles; Yarn;
Fabrics
Vardhaman Group Corporate
Office, Chandigarh Road,
Ludhiana, Punjab
18 Patspin India Ltd.
Cotton Yarn
3rd Floor, Palal Towers,
Ravipuram,
M G Road, Kochi,
Ernakulam, Kerala
19 Pioneer Embroideries
Ltd.
Embroidered fabric; Laces and
motifs
Hakoba Compound, Western
Express Highway, Borivali (East),
Mumbai, Maharashtra
20 Precot Mills Ltd.
Cotton Yarn, Blended Yarn Supreme, P B 7161,
Green Fields, 737, Puliakulam
Road, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu
21 Premier Mills Pvt Ltd.
Yarn, Grey & Processed Fabrics
244 ATD Street, Race Course,
Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu
22 Rajshree Sugars &
Chemicals Ltd.
Sugar; Industrial Alcohol;
Organic Manure; Electricity;
Real Estate Activity; Yarn
338, Avanashi Road,
Peelamedu,
Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu
Appendix-F
F-19
S.No. Company Product Address
23 Shri Ramalinga Mills
Ltd.
Cotton yarn "Theerth", 8 - 12, Nethaji Road,
Pappanaickenpalayam,
Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu
24 Siyaram Silk Mills
Ltd.
Fabrics & Yarns B - 5, Trade World, Kamala City,
Senapati Bapat Marg,
Lower Parel, Mumbai
25 SRF Ltd.
Nylon tyre yarn/nylon tyre cord
fabric; Refrigant gases;
Chloromethanes, nylon
engineering polymers; Polyester
films; Industrial fabrics
Block - C, Sector - 45,
9 - 10, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg,
Gurgaon, Haryana
26 Supreme Yarns Ltd.
Yarns
Village Kanganwal,
P O Jugiana, Ludhiana, Punjab
27 Suryalata Spinning
Mills Ltd.
Polyester / Viscose / PV Yarn
Surya Towers, 1st Floor,
105, SP Road, Secunderabad, AP
28 Thiagarajar Mills Ltd. Cotton yarn & fabrics Kappalur,
Madurai, Tamil Nadu
29 Vardhman Acrylics
Ltd.
Acrylic fibre & tow
755, GIDC,
Jhagadia Mega Estate,
Jhagadia, Bharuch, Gujarat
30 Visaka Industries Ltd.
Spinning; Building materials:
Asbestos cement sheet
Visaka Towers, 69/3,
S P Road, Secunderabad,
Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh
31 Welspun India Ltd.
Home Textile Products
Trade World,
B Wing, 8th Floor,
Kamala Mills Compound,
Lower Parel (W),
Mumbai, Maharashtra
32 Winsome Yarns Ltd.
100% cotton raw white, melange
yarns, cotton blended yarns,
100% acrylic, yarns
SCO 144 - 145,
Sector 34 - A,
Chandigarh
List of publications
International journal articles (peer-reviewed)
[1] Ravi S. Reosekar and Sanjay D. Pohekar, (2014), "Six Sigma methodology: a
structured review", International Journal of Lean Six Sigma, Vol. 5 No. 4,
pp.392-422. (Awarded as 2015 outstanding paper award from Emerald Group
Publishing Limited)
[2] Ravi S. Reosekar and Sanjay D. Pohekar, (2013), “Design and Development of
Six Sigma Implementation Framework for Indian Industries”, International
Journal of Engineering, Business and Enterprises Applications, Vol. 2 No. 5,
pp.147-152.
[3] Ravi Reosekar, (2011), “Quality Improvement Through Systematic Approach-Six
Sigma”, The Journal of Engineering Education, Vol. 24 No. 3, pp.1-7, (ISSN
0971-5843).
[4] Ravi Reosekar, (2011),”Engineering Education-Present Scenario and Need for
Research”, The Journal of Engineering Education, Vol. 25 No. 2, pp.58-76,
(ISSN 0971-5843).
[5] Ravi Reosekar, (2013), “Application of Six Sigma for Higher Productivity”,
Bulletin of Marine Science and Technology, Vol. 8 No.1, pp.8-14,2013,
(ISSN:0974-8474).
[6] Ravi Reosekar (2009), “Six Sigma-Systematic Methodology for Process
Improvement”, Bulletin of Marine Science and Technology, Vol. 5, No.1,23-
27,2009 (ISSN:0974-8474)
[7] Ravi Reosekar (2015), “Structural model for Six Sigma implementation in an
Indian auto ancillary company”, Benchmarking: An International Journal,
Manuscript ID BIJ-11-2015-0108 (Under Review)
[8] Jasti, N.V.K, Suresh, K. and Ravi Reosekar, (2015), “An empirical investigation
on lean supply chain management frameworks in Indian manufacturing industry”,
Engineering Management Journal (Under Review)
List of publications
International conference articles (peer-reviewed)
[1] Ravi Reosekar, (2013), “Critical Success Factors for Six Sigma Implementation”,
International Conference on Industrial Engineering (ICIE-2013), SVNIT
Surat, 20-22 November 2013.
Brief biography of the candidate
Ravi Shrikrishna Reosekar did his B.E.(Mech.) from Govt. College of Engineering,
Amrarvati University and M.E Mechanical from Birla Institute of Technology &
Science (BITS), Pilani. He is presently working as Assistant Professor with
Department of Mechanical Engineering, BITS-Pilani, Pilani Campus, Pilani, India.
He is also in-charge for BITS, Work Integrated Learning Programs (WILP) in Pune
with various industries like Wipro, IGATE and Tolani Maritime Institute. He has
teaching experience of more than 13 years at under graduate and graduate levels. His
research areas are Manufacturing management and six sigma.
Brief biography of the supervisor
Dr. Sanjay Pohekar graduated in Mechanical Engineering in 1989, did Master of
Technology in Energy Management in 1994 and MBA (HR) in 2000. He obtained his
doctorate degree in Mechanical Engineering in 2004 from Birla Institute of Technology
and Science (BITS) Pilani, India.
He has 25 years of experience in teaching, research and industry. He has taught in
Amravati, Nagpur and Pune University affiliated institutions for 5 years. He has also
taught in various capacities at BITS, Pilani for 9 years and Tolani Maritime Institute,
Pune (Off Campus Center for BITS, Pilani) for 7 years. He was also looking after the
entire Ph.D programme of BITS, Pilani. He has taught in various continuing education
programmes of National Thermal Power Corporation, Bharat Forge, Reliance Energy,
Eaton Corporation, Lupin Laboratories etc.
He has conducted management development programmes for the officers of Ministry
of New and Renewable Energy Sources, India and process steam engineers. He has
also convened two national level conferences on energy management at Pilani and
Pune. He has organized workshops on passive solar architecture, patent awareness and
convergence of technologies. He has given several talks on energy engineering topics,
technical paper writing etc.
He has 22 international journal publications to his credit in addition to several
conference proceedings. He was on reviewer board of Elsevier Science, Inder-science,
Interscience, IACSIT, Desalination Society USA, Nova Science Publishers and Wiley-
VCH, UK. He was guest editor for Energy and Fuel Users Journal in 2004 and is editor
for Bulletin of Marine Science and Technology. He was referee for scientific awards of
Turkish and Japanese governments. His papers have attracted more than 1101
citations, with h index of 9 as on date.
He has successfully guided two doctoral students and two National Renewable Energy
fellowships. He is presently guiding five Ph.D. candidates in the areas of energy
engineering, heat transfer and computational fluid dynamics. He was examiner for
Ph.D. theses in Amravati University, Manipal University, Anna University, Mumbai
University and BITS, Pilani for Mechanical, Chemical and Electrical Engineering
areas.
He is member of Indian Society of Tech Education, Solar Energy Society of India,
Fellow of Institution of Engineers (India), International Society on Multiple Criteria
Decision Making, Senior Member of International Association of Computer Science
and Information Technology and Fellow Maritime Research Network, Singapore.
Dr. Pohekar is presently Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Presidency
University, Yelahanka, Bengaluru.