Pirsig book's Zen and the Art of the Motorcycle Maintenance show us how find a different way to see the life. During the reading process he can transmit his passion to live and the better way to thing. He tried to analyze situations, the quality of these and sometimes he detailed, described and organized things so hard, such as the parts of the motorcycle.
I want to connect Pirsig life perception with Six Sigma and how Pirsig would view how Six Sigma looks at the world. But First I have to summarize what Six Sigma is about.
Six sigma is about Quality, the effect on Customer satisfaction (internal and External), common measurement, Journey, Staying in business, profitability. It is definition of processes, definition of defect; it is common languages. Facilities collaboration and encourages integrity in problem -solving. Six Sigma is two things at once: methodology and measurement.
If I analyze the way to think that Pirsig does, he is telling us to thing about processes and systems to analyze and improve it. "In cycle maintenance things are not involved, but when confusion starts it is a good idea to hold it down by making everything formal and exact. Sometimes just the act to writing down the problem straightens out your head as to what they really are" (p. 93). Pirsig really want to check, be prepared and discover the truth and the value of the things. I think that Pirsig looks Six Sigma as a formal and exact tool to fix problems. Pirsig really want to take care about quality and thinking. This is on the Six Sigma is based. .
It is opportune to say that Pirsig's thinking did not show numerical measurement on that as Six Sigma does. However, the way to think and the result that both want to get are based on the same source.
He looks a practical person that he has to do what he wants at the moment, but at the same time he show himself as a rational person who likes to think on pro and cons of situations and learn about it.