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Indian business leaders are

increasingly adopting
Gandhi's inclusive
philosophy as part of their
business strategy

Why older entrepreneurs


are more successful

Why Whistleblower Bill


fall short
september 2010

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September 2010

2
september 2010

3
What’s In >>
Cover Story 22-23
Indian business leaders revive Mahatma Gandhi’s vision of an inclusive
Vol. 8 - ISSUE 1
organization by offering products and services that are affordable by a
Printed, published and owned by Benedict Paramanand and printed majority of consumers. By Benedict Paramanand
at Rukmini Prakashana & Mudrana, 38, Behind Modi Hospital,
Nagapur, Bengaluru – 560 086; and published at Bengaluru.
Trends 5 - 8
Editor – Benedict Paramanand, # 2, Bilden Park, G M Palya, The 12-month marketing plan is dead.
Bengaluru – 560 075.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Two-thirds of the final purchase choices are made in-store
Mission US cheaper for call center than India
To be an effective resource of information, knowledge
and perspective to CEOs and aspiring CEOs Older entrepreneurs are succeeding more than the
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ young ones
Publisher & Editor Benedict Paramanand
Focusing too much on growth may slow down India’s
VP, Business Development Sumit Chatterjee
progress in innovation
Contributing Editor - Delhi Sharmila Chand
Focus on offering good products and services better
Sustainability Editor Sangeeta Mansur
than obsession with innovation
Contributing Writer - Pune Surhuda Kulkarni
Co-ordinator Ahalya Prabhakaran Execution more important than ideas: Vijay Govindarajan
Support M. Gopinath CMOSpeak 9
Illustrator Neetu Singh
Gurinder Sandhu, CMO of Tata Docomo, says Tata Docomo has
Support Sanjeev Kumar (Delhi) become a leader by inspiring its competitors
Media Consultant Ravishankar N., Media Planning Associates
Management Consultant Ranganath Iyengar, Strategic Interventions SmartReturn 10
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Rajesh Sengamedu, VP, Quantel, shares his journey of how he is
Editorial Advisors today a better employee after a brush with entrepreneurship
Ramesh Ramanathan Founder, Janaagraha
Harish Bijoor CEO, Harish Bijoor Consults MarketingMantra 12
Rishikesha T Krishnan Faculty, IIM Bengaluru Padmaja Nagarur & Jessie Paul offer a frugal marketing framework
Rajeev Gowda Faculty, IIM Bengaluru
Jessie Paul MD, Paul Writer
ViewPoint 13
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Vivek Sadhale & Vikas Agarwal argue for inclusion of all organizations in
emagazine - http://emagazine.managementnext.com the proposed whistleblower Bill
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Send to Special Issue – Disruptive Innovation 22-29
Rishabh Media Network
2, Bilden Park, G.M. Palya, Bengaluru - 560 075 Alexander Blass, America’s innovator of the year, proposes dos and don’ts
Ph: 91 80 41714161 during the innovation journey
email: benedict@managementnext.com
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Vijay Anand Raju of Innosight Ventures takes a close look at how Gandhi
Information in this publication is drawn from a variety of sources, including used disruptive innovation to surprise the British
published reports, interviews with practicing managers, academia and Vinay Dabholkar on Gandhi’s power of systematic innovation
consultants. While doing so utmost importance is given to authenticity.
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------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Swami Sukhabodhananda wants application of innovation principles to all
September 2010

Copyright © Rishabh Media Network


aspects of life
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Cover Design: Ramesh Nair, ramy1nr@gmail.com Regulars: Offbeat, BookShelf

4
Trends

The 12-month
marketing plan
is passé
The digital invasion has enabled consumers to use the internet to
aid them to make a decision on any purchase - whether it's a mobile
phone or a car. Marketers can thus get closer to consumer decisions
by creating a context that will have a positive impact on their
decision-making.
Organic buying behavior
Varley thinks a more organic manner of buying and planning is
emerging, which is different from the traditional method and
requires the development of a range of activities to engage a
consumer, with resources continuously reallocated to the most
effective ideas during a campaign, based on consumer responses.

M
“This requires flexible scheduling and budgeting and failure cannot
elanie Varley, chief strategy officer, MEC Global, the
be ruled out,” she said.
New York headquartered media agency, believes that the
days of online, offline, above the line and below-the-line
advertising are gone and it is high time brands embraced a new
blueprint for communicating with the consumer that is thoughtful In many developed countries such as the
and efficient. UK, advertising spends on digital media
Speaking to media portal afaqs recently, she said that technology, has exceeded that on television
data and digitally aware and enabled consumers have changed
the game. She said integrated communication is a key tool in
Consumers the world over have rapidly become familiar with
this proliferated communication business and balancing the
blogs, social media sites, widgets, gaming and other alternate forms
communication message across all media is essential to this concept.
of communication. India, too, is going in that direction. These
A 12-month marketing plan made out of fixed budgets must give provide marketers good content opportunities. The three-screen
way to a communication strategy that is more receptive to consumer convergence is not an alien concept today. "In Japan, mobisodes
response and market developments, Varley stated. '3-3-3' time frame often get viewers onto the television channels," Varley said.
is MEC's alternative to the annual plan, which stands for three
A certain organizational agility is required to latch on to the
minutes, three months and three years, representing short, medium
changing media landscape. Organizations, Varley said, must
and long term goals for judging success.
acknowledge that consumers, with one hand on the reins, need
Instead of weighing traditional media against digital media, one to be engaged as the value of earned media increases and develop
must look at a combination of paid, owned and earned media. Paid new behaviors, structures and approaches to strengthen active
media is conventional television, radio or any other medium; owned engagement between consumers and brands.
media could be an event, website or application; and earned media is
In many developed countries such as the UK, advertising spends
a positive feedback or review.
on digital media has exceeded that on television. For example, in
While the norm is to channel maximum monies into paid media, 2009, spends on digital in the UK was 29 per cent while that on TV
Varley said advertisers and media planners must wake up to the new was 28 per cent. In the US, spends on both are almost at par. While
choices of consumers. "Think about how the consumer uses or India's digital spends, at 4 per cent, cannot be compared to these,
september 2010

consumes media. They have shifted their attention towards earned Varley believes that with the increase in broadband penetration and
and owned channels. Hence we must understand what drives the advent of TV, this figure could double in the next two-three
effectiveness across the new media spectrum," she stated. years.

5
Trends

Retail trends in Asia


A
s organized retail is growing in size and impact, Asia, like a pack and read it for more information. When you go to a
particularly India, is witnessing interesting trends The provision store, the shopkeeper doesn’t give you time to read, hence
Eye on Asia 2010 Retail Study captures some of them. blocking space.
The trends and analysis were drawn from shopping experiences
Information drives choice
in supermarkets, pharmacies and provision stores, with a focus on
categories encompassing over-the-counter (OTC) supplements and For 40-50 percent of the customers, purchase is a routine. But a
treatments, health food and drinks, beauty and snacks. The retail bulk of 50 percent will decide based on information: promotions,
findings were based on in-home and online conversations from eight demonstrations and advice. In today’s world it is better to influence
countries – Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia consumers to get them adopt a product and get their word-of-mouth.
and Vietnam. Here’s a sample:
Advice is appreciated as long
Two-thirds of the final as the staff is non-intrusive
purchase choices are Today, in India and Asia,
made in-store customers are saying, “give me
Of the 52 percent who know assistance but don’t overcrowd me.”
what they are going to buy, a Indians in particular are looking at
whopping 73 percent make the packaging. So, how you design
their brand choice inside the the pack is very important.
store. A brand can actually Asian shoppers visit stores
win or lose at the store. For
Indians, one-third of the
not only for products, but
purchases are made inside the also for the experience
store. This marks a period of For the Indian consumer it
transition. Earlier, the Indian is exciting to shop, unlike the
customer made a list which developed market. Many Indian
is given to the retailer at the consumers enjoy going to a
beginning of the month. This hypermarket even though they are
exhibits a front-of the counter not habituated to it. They go there
and behind-the counter to experiment and see what’s going
syndrome, where there is no space to make their own choices. on, what’s new and available.
Asian shoppers take time to study products There is an Asian shopper. There is no Asian shopper.
There are so many categories coming in and the Indian customer The four factors that define the tribe are- engaged info-seekers, passive
wants to get educated. The retail space is very fertile for them. ‘Taste, value fans, loyal listeners and whim indulgers. 61 percent of Indians are
try, ask and find out’- the Indian customer loves this package. They loyal listeners because that of India's provision store heritage.

US cheaper than India for call centers


FT.com recently reported that due According to Pramod Bhasin, Chief Executive of Genpact, the
to high levels of unemployment, call company is expected to treble its workforce in the US over the
center workers are becoming cheaper next two years, from about 1,500 employees. According to Suresh
to hire in the United States as wages Vaswani, joint Chief Executive of Wipro Technologies, half of the
have come down to match the call company's 110,000-strong workforce will be non-Indians in two
center costs in India. years, from the current 39 percent.
While high unemployment levels The move to expand operations in the US has come as protectionist
have driven down wages for some low-skilled outsourcing services in rhetoric against outsourcers rises in Washington. Bhasin feels since
some parts of the U.S., particularly among the Hispanic population US businesses had helped India's outsourcing industry back on its
September 2010

wages in India's outsourcing sector have risen by 10 percent this track, Indian outsourcers should also be sympathetic to the deep
year. Also, senior outsourcing managers in India command salaries economic woes in the US. Sentiments apart, this trend indicates
above global averages. that labor is becoming like capital – goes where the returns are better.

6
Trends

Why older entrepreneurs


are more successful
Popular belief is that younger entrepreneurs have better chances of success as
entrepreneurs compared with middle-aged ones. Wrong!

V
ivek Wadhwa, the 40-year old founder of a high-tech startup, Interestingly, this trend is a big headache for venture capitalists who
who studied 549 successful technology ventures, proves that are not known to take calls from budding entrepreneurs above 40.
older entrepreneurs have higher success rates when they start
companies. This is because they are experts in their technological
fields, have deep knowledge of their customers' needs and have years
of developing a network of supporters. "Older entrepreneurs are just
India may get
able to build companies that are more advanced in their technology
and more sophisticated in the way they deal with customers,"
complacent about
Wadhwa, a Duke University scholar, told Newsweek recently. innovation
H
According to data from the Kauffman Foundation, the highest ere’s a warning. By focussing too much on the current
rate of entrepreneurship in America has shifted to the 55 to 64 growth story, Indian CEOs may ignore or postpone
age group, with people over 55 almost twice as likely to found investing in innovation. However, there is a real chance
successful companies than those between 20 and 34. And while the that India will become an innovation powerhouse in the coming
entrepreneurship rate has gone up since 1996 in most other age years, Scott D. Anthony, managing director of Innosight Ventures
brackets as well, it has actually declined among Americans under 35. wrote in his blog recently. Scott’s observations were based on his
Kauffman Foundation is among the thirty largest foundations in the recent visits to India.
United States with an asset base of approximately $2 billion.
Indian companies might have it too easy. “I made this point in
Why are the companies of older entrepreneurs not popular? Wadhwa both of my speeches. Some executives privately told me about how
says: “Part of the reason that companies started by older workers they were very sure that they would blow through their growth
don’t get much recognition is because they don’t generally produce plans. Not only can these companies continue to take advantage of
hot Web apps or other easily understood products. Instead, they factor cost advantages against Western competitors, the swelling
tend to involve more complex technologies like biotech, energy, or middle class in India is driving domestic growth.”
IT hardware. They also tend to sell products and services to other How can easy growth be bad? “The ease with which a company's
businesses, which consumers rarely see but which do most of the core business grows can mask the need to invest in innovation.
heavy lifting in powering innovation and economic growth.” Growth inevitably slows. Indian companies should be investing
in innovation now, even though they appear not to need it. If they
In fact, America’s fastest-growing tech startup, according to Forbes
don't, they will ironically leave themselves open to disruption
Magazine’s Fast Tech 500, is First Solar, founded by a 68-year-
from Western companies who find disruptive ways to compete
old serial inventor in 1984. The founders of No. 2 on the Forbes
domestically.”
list, Riverbed Technology, were 51 and 33 when they started their
networking company. Even the Internet is no longer just the Scott also wrote about how “It's hard to imagine the impact that
India's innovation energy could have if it could be focused on
province of young adults. Zynga, the company behind Farmville
pressing commercial and public problems. Today, too much of it is
and other infectiously popular games, is likely to pass a billion
dissipated in numbing bureaucracy, a creaking infrastructure, and
dollars in revenue next year. Its founder and CEO, Mark Pincus,
other challenges.”
is a stereotype-defying 44. In sectors such as biotech and energy,
Wadhwa estimates the average entrepreneur to be even older. Scott has written three books on innovation, the latest being The
Silver Lining: An Innovation Playbook for Uncertain Times. He
In India, the new entrepreneurs in the last decade have turned out wrote that the turbulence triggered by the economic shock of 2008
to be more mature. Good examples are Sunil Mittal of Bharti Airtel, constitutes the "new normal." Unfortunately, too many managers
DLF founder Col. K P Singh, Biocon founder Kiran Mazumdar have become paralyzed by it, capable only of slashing costs
Shah, Alok Kejriwal of Contest2Win, among others. indiscriminately.
Given these examples, why is the notion that older people are less Smart executives, however, continue innovating by stopping
september 2010

productive or less innovative so entrenched? “Part of it is because ineffective initiatives, changing key business processes, and
there are deep stereotypes and cultural narratives at play,” Wadha starting more productive behaviors. Such companies emerge from
says. downturns stronger than ever.

7
ViewPoint

S
cott Berkun, the best selling author of The Myths of Innovation
is convinced you can beat competitors and even dominate
markets without fancy tricks. All you need is the ability to
make things that are good consistently.
According to Berkun, the word 'innovation' is used to mean many
different things, which is part of the problem. “Executives and
consultants throw it around like magic dust, hoping to cover their
ignorance of why products and companies have done well or failed.
But it's clear most companies fail not because of their lack of
inventiveness; it's their lack of basic competence,” he recently wrote
in his column in BusinessWeek.
Berkun talks about Firefox, which rekindled innovation in Web
browsing. This was after Microsoft's near abandonment of its
Internet Explorer Web browser after the browser war with Netscape
ended. Their version 6.0 release was a major step backward, opening
the door for someone to win by merely providing something good,
which Firefox did in 2004. Google was launched a decade after
the invention of search engines; Amazon was not the first online
bookstore. But they were both the first to do a good job at selling
their good services for a good profit. "In retrospect, their successes
seem amazing, but at the time, the goals were simple and the
objective humble and clear: Be good, or at least better than the other

Obsession with
guys. For they knew that alone was hard enough," says Berkun.
His advice to those who want to start something new is this: “Start
with the important problems your customers, or your competitors'

innovation
customers, have and try to solve them. If conventional approaches
fail, you'll be forced to invent and be creative as a side effect of your
goal.”

useless When successful people are asked about their breakthrough ideas,
he says, they would normally tell us that their ambition wasn't to be
called an innovators. They weren't planning to be disruptive or game
changing. They merely had a tough problem to solve on their way to
Just being good is enough to beat competition, beating the competition in the forgotten practice of simply making
says Scott Berkun better things.

Innovation = ideas + execution


M
ost companies focus In their new book The Other Side of Innovation: Solving the
on ideas and don’t do Execution Challenge, Vijay Govindarajan & Chris Trimble
enough with execution. (Harvard Business Review, September 2010) offer a framework
This has been told to them any and an execution model for companies.
number of times, yet, the score The authors reveal how to execute an innovation initiative—
companies earn on execution is whether a simple project or a grand, gutsy gamble by drawing
two or three out of 10 compared on examples from innovators as diverse as Allstate, BMW,
with seven or eight on ideas. The Timberland, and Nucor.
big challenge facing companies They ask: “What did we learn from innovation failures of the
Vijay Govindarajan, today is how to take the execution past? Are we better prepared to convert great ideas into great
September 2010

Innovation guru score to at least five. impact? Are we ready for the other side of innovation?”

8
CMOSpeak

Tata Docomo –
competitors’ inspiration
When Tata Docomo announced its arrival in Should this be viewed purely as disruption through price or more
than that?
the telecom space, no one expected it to spring
As mentioned above, pay-per-second is the communication
a huge surprise. The ‘pay per use’ innovation shorthand for our promise to charge the consumer for only what
disrupted the market big time. The company he uses. This, in a category that is characterized by a proliferation
has emerged as a thought leader in a space of packs, offers, conditional tariffs, etc., all of which leaves the
consumer unsure of what he is being charged for, is a much stronger
where differentiation is invisible. In a chat with differentiator than just pricing.
ManagementNext, Gurinder Sandhu, CMO of What are the other disruptions that you have introduced?
Tata Docomo, shares the company’s innovation
Starting with pay-per-second and pay-per-character on SMS, we
journey have launched a slew of products and services that have enhanced our
brand’s engagement with the core TG (youth) and have enriched the

W
hat was the telecom category with new ideas. Many of these have been copied
strategy by the leading brands – reinforcing Tata Docomo’s standing as the
behind one thought-leader in the category
paise per pulse? - BuddyNet: The first CUG (closed-user-group) on pre-paid
As a new entrant with - Daily Plans: A virtual store (*141#) giving instant and
the business objective of transparent access to all offers from the brand
stimulating churn from
the incumbent operators, - MySong: India’s first reverse caller tune service – instead of
following the rules of the listening to music of some-one else’s choice, listen to music of
game as established by your own choice when you make a call
them was not an option. - Customer Care: Live chat with customer care executives on-line
We needed to create
disruption on at least - Pay-per-site: choose to pay only for the sites one uses on GPRS
one of the core reasons How does Tata Docomo ensure quality of service, since without a
that drive choice of a good service, price disruptions can back fire or will not work?
mobile services brand –
network, customer service Tata Docomo has invested in a strong customer care set-up from
and pricing. The first day one. The focus is on empowering the front-line customer care
two are areas where the staff with data about the customer as well as the authority to offer
differentiation can only resolution on-call.
become apparent over a What has been the impact of Tata Docomo's disruptions on the
period of time. Therefore, market?
we chose the way we price
our services to be the lead differentiator at the time of launch. Tata Docomo has quickly grown to be the brand of choice of the
youth in the circles where we operate. For five straight months, Tata
As a carrier of the Tata name, we wished to leverage the equity of Docomo was the leader in new acquisitions. Today, it is established
trust in the manner we deliver differentiation – therefore the idea of as the brand that creates new and innovative offerings, a brand that
charging the customer for what he uses. The pay-per-second plan is consumers aspire for and competitors take inspiration from.
actually a shorthand for communicating this larger promise of how
we propose to serve the customer. While the communication focused How has the market share of Tata Docomo grown following these
on “pay-per-second” on voice calls, the principle was delivered across disruptions.
september 2010

all legs of voice – local, national, international and roaming; data – Tata Docomo is currently being used by around 13 percent of
pay-per-day, pay-per-site, pay-per-month; SMS – pay per character, the target group defined (15-35, Sec ABC) and is in the active
pay-per-day and even on IVR services. consideration of 30 percent.

9
SmartReturn

Employee - entrepreneur
- employee
Rajesh Sengamedu shares his experience of how he is a better employee today after a stint with
entrepreneurship

M
trying to understand who
y children were proud to visit our ‘garage’ where we
is our customer and what is
were rigging up kiosks for music distribution, and asked
it that we could do for that
me several times, “When would your company become
market segment. I used to
popular?’ and ‘Who is the boss here?’ I was amused by their questions,
feel like a deer in the jungle
being an entrepreneur.
some days, being hunted. On
It was easy to answer their questions when I was employed. My some other days, I felt like a
employer was already popular and needless to say, I had a boss who tiger in the jungle, hunting
would tell me what to do! The corporate structure required my boss the deer. Entrepreneurship
to set his goals and in turn set my goals, all in line with the company is an iterative process and we
objectives. As a sales guy, I was measured on the numbers and my made terrible mistakes. Every
commissions were determined using a complicated formula which time our understanding of
changed year after year, based on business conditions. It was fairly market changed in our minds,
easy for me to predict how my day would go on any particular day. our product features changed.
Naturally, I also developed an unhealthy ego where I considered Obviously our mistakes in
myself the most important reason for winning a deal! understanding the market,
translated into mistakes in product we designed.
It was but natural for me to try my hand at entrepreneurship (My
first idea, as a seven-year-old kid was a cross-country water pipeline Entrepreneurship has made me experience this one thing – take
from Ganges to Saudi Arabia), after having spent seventeen years in responsibility, do your work as hard and as well as you can do, and
the industry as an employee with several companies and having done don’t worry about the results. I had read about this in an English
business in several parts of the world. lesson called ‘The Secret of Work’ by Swami Vivekananda, when I
was twelve. Thankfully, I could learn the true meaning of that lesson
Entrepreneur at forty!
I made two half-hearted attempts of bootstrapping a wireless gadget
idea, a travel website company, while I was still employed. Learnt a Entrepreneurship has made me experience
very important lesson that unless there is more than one hundred this one thing – take responsibility, do your
percent involvement, it is impossible to build a team or pull off any
idea successfully. Finally, I decided to take the plunge and set up my
work as hard and as well as you can do, and
own startup along with a couple of friends. We spent two and half don’t worry about the results.
years trying to build a company that distributes digital content, like
music, to small town and villages of India. Given the poor internet It is easy to answer my children’s questions now. I now have a boss
penetration in India, it was a ‘no brainer’ for us to adopt a retail music and my company is popular as well. Everything looks the same like
distribution model. earlier, excepting my outlook which has changed significantly. True,
Employee 2 my employer deposits my salary every month, but it excites me less
now. True, I have a defined role, but I no longer shirk work saying,
My business failed and I moved on recently to become an employee it is not my responsibility. I have no hang-ups now about doing ‘low
again. The learning I took away from my experience will remain all level work’ albeit I am a Vice President in the company! I continue
my life. It has changed my mindset. to put in as much energy and passion into my work now as if I am
True, we are our own bosses when we run our business. The still an entrepreneur. I no longer have the ego I used to have earlier
excitement of ‘being your own boss’ as an entrepreneur faded too and am thankful to God and to my colleagues when we win a big
business deal.
September 2010

quickly, to be replaced with a ‘positive fear’ of making things work.


Every day was a challenge. Everything was a moving target, most Rajesh works at www.qvantel.com as VP & GM - professional services.
important being the market. We spent enormous amount of time rajesh.sengamedu@qvantel.com

10
september 2010

11
MarketingMantra

Frugal marketing
framework
Frugal marketing needn’t be about thinning budgets or compromising marketing ideas - it’s an
opportunity to narrow down the space you want to own and own it creatively.
By Padmaja Nagarur & Jessie Paul

L
et us start with a disclaimer: Frugality is in spending and not
so much in time and effort. All for the love of books, Flipkart (India’s
Frugality begins with answering three simple questions -
answer to Amazon) has already found its
Who is your audience? What is the message you want to convey? community residing in 1,00,000+ fans on
And, How do you own this audience? Facebook and 1,500 followers on Twitter.
Here are a few examples we’ve come across who have followed the
philosophy of frugality and have seen success. Relevance: People join communities because they either have the
urge to contribute or intend to learn from their peers of similar
Avinash Raghava (Regional Director - NASSCOM North) realized
interests. So, it’s only fair for the members to expect that the content
that NASSCOM was considered the “Big Boys” club and was
is kept as relevant as possible. Well-orchestrated contributions and
completely missing out on the fast growing SME segment in India.
moderated discussions always help.
And he set out to build an ecosystem to fuel the SME growth
and called it the NASSCOM EMERGE. What started as a blog, Interactive: Communities tend to have their own life cycle. And until
EMERGE has grown to be a 3000+member community with active the point that the community becomes self-sustaining, members will
presence across relevant social media platforms. They also introduced continue to rely on its founders to keep the dialogue on. Therefore,
an annual conference, awards and a mentorship program to sustain what matters is not just the presence but the promptness and quality
the momentum of community’s engagement. (You can read more of the interaction.
about Nasscom Emerge’s success story on www.paulwriter.com/
Simple: Information is cheap and abundantly available but insight is
resources.)
rare. So the focus of the community’s efforts must be on providing
Another example is Dell’s recent project, Dell Go Green. The insights which are crisp and simple to comprehend.
project started as an effort to raise awareness and solicit ideas
Pervasive: If you build it they will come - is one of the best-known
on environmentally friendly product improvements and green
community fallacies. You have to make an effort much more than just
initiatives in the tech world. However, the project grew to witness
building a community. Be present across platforms and communities
an active community (with over 20,000+ fans on Facebook) of green
where you think your audience could potentially be. Participate in a
enthusiasts who not only contributed to the idea pool (600+ ideas
quality conversation to lure them into your community (follow the
posted) but were also forthcoming in evaluating the merit of entries
Hub-and-Spoke model).
received.
So, now that you have your first frugal idea, get started and see your
All for the love of books, Flipkart (India’s answer to Amazon) has
community grow!
already found its community residing in 1,00,000+ fans on Facebook
and 1500 followers on Twitter. Jessie Paul & Padmaja Nagarur work at Paul Writer, India’s largest
platform for B2B marketers, offering advisory, networkin, and
Examples such as these and more highlight the merit in building and
professional development.
owning communities - glued together by a common interest. And
what’s more, it costs close to nothing. But not all inexpensive ideas are
easy to execute. So, here’s an easy-to-remember framework (CRISP)
if you are out to build your own community.
Coherence: Communities are held together by a common interest. It
may be something that the members are passionate about, a common
September 2010

goal, a common project, or merely the preference for a similar lifestyle


or profession. Communities must address the common interest and
maintain consistency in topics posted and discussed across platforms.

12
ViewPoint

Don’t spare anyone


Why shouldn’t all companies be mandated to While enforcing these regulations, CVV should not get into long
drawn legalities. The ease of process will ultimately decide success
have a whistleblower mechanism? Why should or failure of this law. Unless the relief is immediate, it will defeat its
it be restricted to government and PSUs, ask purpose and the law will remain on paper.
Vivek Sadhale & Vikas Agarwal It is also essential that CVC, along with other law enforcing

W
agencies, work in tandem with the government bodies. CVC could
ith Union Cabinet clearing “The Public Interest
form a separate specialized unit for this which should be solely
Disclosure and Protection to Persons Making the
focused on quick resolutions. Educating and re-enforcing benefits
Disclosure Bill, 2010”, we seem to have
taken a right step, even though it is coming late in the
hour. This Bill proposes to rebuke those who expose
identity of people exposing scams / scandals. The Central
Vigilance Commission (CVC) has been given powers
of a civil court to bring to books such wrong doers.
CVC has powers to impose fines and / or punish those
found guilty with imprisonment. Similarly, CVC can
impose punishment against those who make frivolous
complaints. These measures, with very specific penal
powers entrusted to CVC, should prove to be major
deterrent against trouble creators.
The Bill, when passed by the Parliament, will protect
those reporting corruption or wilful misuse of power or
wilful misuse of discretion which causes demonstrable
loss to the government. The Bill currently applies only to
government functioning and does not cover the private
sector. Needless to mention, the law needs to protect all
whistleblowers, regardless of which stream of sector they cater to. of whistleblowers should be the focus of CVC. Government must
allocate sufficient funds for creating proper infrastructure and
Clause 49 of the Listing Agreement presently only provides for a
ecosystem for CVC to function in an effective manner. Technology
non-mandatory requirement to “establish a mechanism” to enable
must be used to the hilt. When this is viewed as a fundamental issue,
employees to report misconduct. This again applies only only for
the listed companies. What about private and unlisted companies?
Whether “establishing a mechanism” would be sufficient to have The ease of process will ultimately decide
effective whistle blower policy?
success or failure of this law. Unless
Post Enron, there were a host of Fortune 500 companies who the relief is immediate, it will defeat its
proactively committed to address the issue of insiders coming in and
helping unearth frauds and misdoings. Independent Directors were
purpose and the law will remain on paper
roped in to own the process and ensure fair and transparent process.
Effectively, in India, less than one percent of the companies (and and not necessarily a legal
that too mainly listed entities) have framed the whistle blower policy. issue, it would find mindshare of decision makers.
Why shouldn’t all companies be mandated to have a whistleblower
If used effectively, the parallel economy and corruption could be
mechanism?
curbed at minimum cost. Let us hope that the media and RTI
CVC – does it have enough teeth? activists will step in to make a noise on getting the Bill into an Act
soon. With many other things on political agenda, we do not want
Some experts argue whether CVC is the right body to administer
more Dubeys or Manjunaths for want of a law.
the whistleblower law. Without getting into this debate, or unless the
body which is entrusted with the task of being a watchdog is well Vivek Sadhale (vivek_sadhale@persistent.co.in), Company Secretary &
empowered, it may not be effective. Do we have political will to keep Head – Legal, Persistent Systems Ltd., Pune, Vikas Agarwal (vikas_
september 2010

it independent? Or, will it be used to settle political and personal agarwal@persistent.co.in), Manager – Secretarial, Persistent Systems
scores? Of course, being quasi-judicial body, it will have to follow Ltd., Pune. The views expressed in this Article are strictly the personal
certain judicial norms, which will help in natural justice process. views of the authors)

13
September 2010

14
MobilePower

Small screen,
big opportunity
U. Rajasekharan explores the immense potential
mobile phones offer as an advertising medium
ask yourself before considering the mobile as a medium for your
and offers insights on how to make it work for communication:
brands Compelling Content

T
This is the first and last criteria for mobile advertising. If there’s no
urn on the camera of your smart phone, focus on a traffic
compelling content you can offer to your customer, don’t look at
light or a road and the traffic updates along the way shows
this medium until you can build valuable content. Pushing a normal
on your mobile screen – helping you choose the best route to
display banner or offer will not get you results. There’s not much you
your destination. Or focus on the image of a Swiss watch brand on a
can communicate with the tiny banners size of 100x120, and unless
billboard, the mobile screen will show you the features of the watch,
you have strong content tied to the right environment, it would be
price tag or review with another watch brand. Essentially, digital
difficult to drive the audience to your WAP site.
information layered on a real environment – is throwing up immense
possibilities. Advertisers have been quick to realize the potential – Engagement
and we are starting to witness focused and interactive advertising
The amazing part of the mobile is, it gives you a great opportunity
around this opportunity.
to engage with the audience. Contrary to traditional media,
The 3-inch mobile screen is changing the advertising playing field. demographic profiling won’t work for mobiles (unfortunately, you
The mobile medium is a relatively new entrant in the advertising won’t find the demographic information and have to rely on handset
arena, but with growth and penetration exploding in markets like
India – this tiny handheld is all set to steal the thunder. We see
mobile advertising slowly and steadily making its way into the This small screen medium (mobile)
brand campaign plan, albeit accounting for a negligible portion of will provide more meaningful brand
advertising dollars today. But the future is where we need to train our
sights. Not too far in the horizon, this medium is going to walk away
engagement than any other traditional
with sizeable portion of the advertising dollars. medium like 40-inch television or 1700 sq
The mobile has the potential to go beyond just display and awareness cm newspaper or 800 sq ft billboard.
and drive brand engagement. The caveat here is that the medium,
the user experience and the content should be thought through with
targeting). No matter how you interpret the data, consumers are
personalized value in mind. If you do so, this small screen medium
diverse in how they use the mobile for internet and how they want
will provide more meaningful brand engagement than any other
to engage with the brands through mobile. This is where you need
traditional medium like the 40-inch television or the 1700 sq cm
to build in an engagement idea. The key fact is that there’s no secret
newspaper or the 800 sq ft billboard.
recipe to the right way of engaging with audience on mobile. The
The CEO of AT&T said in an interview in the latest issue of one-size-fits-all approach would not work for mobile; you will have
Fortune that mobile data volumes were up by 5000 percent in three to develop strategies that use what you know about your customers’
years. The mobile bandwidth issue in New York alone is expected to mobile usage and behavior - to build in a tightly integrated
grow by 40 to 60 times over the next five years. But, what is driving engagement program.
the growth for the mobile medium in India? India has 25 M to 30
M mobile internet users and according to Google, 20 percent of all
Choose the right mobile advertising
Google searches per month is on mobile i.e. 360 million searches/ Commonly used mobile advertising formats include banner/text ads
month on mobile. These facts drive home the power of mobile on mobile web sites, branded mobile website, ad placement within
campaigns quite clearly. applications or make your branded applications, text ads (SMS/SMS
2.0), video ads in pre-roll, clickable overlays etc. However, the key
Understanding the potential of the medium, we should be using
lies in using these options to create experiential advertising.
september 2010

the mobile effectively and efficiently. Otherwise, it will be a failed


skateboard jump, not just falling but failing to make an impression The author is an Advertising Strategist at IBM. These are his personal
with the audience around. Few questions you might want to views and not that of the company

15
StrategySpeak

A must-do list
on strategy
Verne Harnish studies what builddirect.com did to do well during recession and
lists seven things every company has to do to thrive

I
t’s no secret that the recession has decimated the building story, yet touch on what I call the Seven Strata of Strategy. Booth
industry the last few years. But Jeff Booth’s company, and his partner are masters’ at all seven strata – principles that every
BuildDirect.com, isn’t hurting. It sells building materials at a business must master and integrate to achieve its potential in today’s
steep discount through its website, thanks to arrangements to ship uncertain global economy. Here’s a checklist that you can use at your
directly from manufacturers. “It’s almost like an online Costco of own company.
building materials,” says Booth, president and CEO. Expecting his
Choose the words you want to own in your marketplace. If
sales to increase by more than 20% this year, Booth has increased his
you don’t know how you want your customers to find you, then
staff by about 10% to 53 people.
don’t expect them to track you down. BuildDirect.com optimizes
What makes BuildDirect.com thrive in a struggling industry is its its site to appear high in natural web searches for terms such as
growth strategy. And my recent research involving more than 3,000 “laminate flooring,” “porcelain flooring” and “hardwood flooring,”
CEOs and executives from around the world confirms that strategy which are key product areas. How? It publishes unbiased content
is their #1 focus this decade, as companies rethink their fundamental – which includes these keywords – to help site visitors tackle their
approach to changing markets. building projects.
September 2010

The challenge is balancing all the complexities of strategy while Offer a unique brand promise. This is the experience you
keeping it coherent and simple. Your strategy must tell a simple are promising your customers that differentiates you from the

16
StrategySpeak

competition. BuildDirect.com’s is simple: “Best price, best quality business differently from the competition. BuildDirect.com,
and product expertise,” says Booth. It’s normally a three-part for instance, requires a minimum order of a pallet of material. It
promise, with one of the promises – “best price” in BuildDirect. carries no name-brand products and instead creates its own. And
com’s case – that is most top-of-mind. And it’s critical that it doesn’t give anybody terms, instead requiring full payment on
you know how to measure daily whether you’re keeping your order (cash in advance). Competitors might share one or two of
promises. Booth’s team has various KPIs (Kept Promise these same actions, but it’s the unique combination of all three for
Indicators!) it monitors, like competitors’ pricing, to make sure it BuildDirect.com that truly defines its differentiation.
is keeping its promises.

Make it hurt to break your promise. There should be some pain
in your system if you let your customers down. This keeps your The challenge is balancing all the
team laser focused on keeping your promises. BuildDirect.com complexities of strategy while keeping it
has a 30-day money back guarantee that includes paying return
shipping (from $300 to $500 for a typical order), says Booth. The
coherent and simple.
company offers the policy to customers who are unhappy for any
reason. Nonetheless, says Booth, “Nobody uses it.” Why? The
company works really hard to keep quality up and prices down. Establish your “X Factor.” To establish and hold onto your
competitive edge, you need to aim for at least a 10x underlying
Create a one-PHRASE strategy. Underlying the brand promises
competitive advantage over your rivals. At his previous lawn
you express is a one-PHRASE strategy that drives your business
care company, Happy Lawn, founder Barrett Ersek reduced the
model. As you know from reading my recent column on the
typical sales process from three weeks to three minutes by using
topic (now live on Gazelles.com), this isn’t necessarily a selling
the latest digital technology and tax map data to estimate lawn
point you make to your customers, but it supports delivering on
measurements while customers were on the phone – instead
your promises. Southwest Airlines’ “Wheels Up” one-PHRASE
of having sales people visit prospects’ homes to take manual
strategy has kept every strategic and tactical decision, like no-
measurements, write up quotes and then schedule appointments.
advanced reservation seating, directed at keeping its planes in the
It’s not surprising that industry giant ServiceMaster recently
air and generating profits so it can keep airfares low. I strongly
bought the company, which had $10 million in sales, from him.
suggest you keep your one-PHRASE
At Holganix, Ersek’s new company that manufactures and
strategy relatively secret, which is why I’m
distributes organic fertilizer, he’s identified another X-Factor.
not sharing BuildDirect.com’s.
But like the one-PHRASE strategy, it’s best to keep it secret,
Support your one-PHRASE really secret.
strategy with
Measure your profit per X and BHAG. And last, there is a
differentiating actions.
key metric that defines the essence of your business model
Underlying the one-
and is tied to your long-range goal. Jim Collins calls this
PHRASE strategy
metric your Profit/X and your benchmark your Big Hairy
is a set of specific
Audacious Goal (BHAG). In the retail building supply
actions that
industry, the key metric is same-store sales growth. Most
represent
BHAGs are opening some number of stores within 10
HOW
years. At BuildDirect.com, the business model is built
you
around focusing on profit per “building product category.”
execute
And it has a specific formula for how to maximize this.
your
To reach Fortune 500 status by 2023, Booth
figures the company needs to build out
20 specific product categories, ranging
from $500 million to $2 billion in
revenue. Given its mastery of these
seven strata of strategy, I wouldn’t
be surprised to see BuildDirect.
com listed in Fortune even sooner.
Verne is the author of Mastering
the Rockefeller Habits: What You
Must Do to Increase the Value of
september 2010

Your Fast-Growth Firm. vharnish@


gazelles.com

17
A watt saved
Give someone energy for a better tomorrow

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and rarely a network to text to. There is only a daily struggle to eat, develop their
families, and improve their lives… without any meaningful access to energy and all
of its benefits.

Meanwhile, dependence on carbon-based economic growth is driving the most


climate pressure exactly on those benefiting least from new technologies. If the
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©2010 Schneider Electric Industries SAS, All Rights Reserved. Schneider Electric, EcoStruxure, Power Plant
to Plug, Active Energy Management, and Efficient Enterprise are owned by Schneider Electric, or its affiliated
companies in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.
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September
August 20102010

20
september
august 20102010

21
Strategy
InFocus: ExecutiveTravel
India Inc.
rediscovers
Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi’s vision of an equal
and poverty free India will no longer
be farfetched if a few disruptive
innovations unleashed by a bunch
of dynamic and conscientious
entrepreneurs are replicated

By Benedict Paramanand

provide vital products and services such as healthcare to


poor Indians at prices that are a fraction of the market rates
without sacrificing quality. Prominent names such as Aarvind
Eye Hospital, Shanta Biotech, Jaipur Foot belong to the first
generation of disruptive innovations.
In the last decade, a few smart Indian entrepreneurs have unleashed
waves of disruptive innovations that are enhancing the quality of life
of ordinary citizens remarkably. These innovations are in the telecom
space by Reliance and Tata DoCoMo, in healthcare by Narayana
Hrudalaya, a few microfinance outfits like SKS Microfinance, 108
ambulance services by Satyam, Computational Research Group’s
supercomputer and Bharati Airtel’s innovative business model, to

I
name a few.
t’s bizarre. When India as a country
appears to have relegated Mahatma These innovations are termed ‘Gandhian Innovation’ because their
Gandhi to history books and political basic driver is a vision of a better world for all with affordable and
symbolism, a few Indian entrepreneurs and accessible products and services. These services have been out of the
management gurus have quietly resurrected him by naming reach of more than 90 percent of the citizens since Independence.
India’s recent surge of product and service innovations as ‘Gandhian C K Prahalad’s ‘Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid’ is simply the
Innovation.’ business implication of the larger goal of greater access.
Renowned management guru, late C K Prahalad, and innovation’s It’s ironic that when an Indian innovation model – low cost
leading light, Clayton Christensen, credit Gandhi with being one
of the most imaginative and effective innovators of all times. India’s
freedom movement involving initiatives such as the Salt Sathyagraha
are named as one of the most powerful disruptive innovations of the
Gandhi’s innovation mantra
last century. Better world for all, not just a few
The concept of ‘disruptive innovation’ is being reinvented in India Making the impossible possible
September 2010

in recent years by a few conscientious entrepreneur-professionals Including the excluded


who challenged the prevalent model by daringly disrupting costs Getting more from less for more
of products and delivery of services. Through this, they are able to

22
CoverStory: DisruptiveInnovation
high quality, affordable pricing, maximum reach, is apparent, the illiteracy to near zero and improve basic infrastructure to the poor.
Manmohan Singh government announced early August 2010 the The Unique Identification project with Nandan Nilekani driving it,
setting up of an ‘innovation council’ for evolving “an Indian model of is a great start for better delivery of services.
innovation.” A significant part of the council’s policy direction should be to
This announcement should have come two decades ago. Perturbed by unleash entrepreneurial energies pent up in the country to solve
the announcement, Gandhians say that policy makers simply have to socio-economic problems. While microfinance helps those for whom
read Gandhi’s quotes, if not his books, to know that the Indian model entrepreneurship is a survival mode, the council could recommend
already exists and there is no need to reinvent the wheel. setting up of a mega innovation fund (of say Rs. 10,000 crore) to
provide seed funding, working capital to social entrepreneurs. For
Yet, the Indian ingenuity is such that it doesn’t wait for governments path-breaking innovations to happen and the country’s education
to take the lead. Many initiatives taken by enlightened entrepreneurs system needs to shift focus from rote learning to spurring creativity
are already working well. The council’s role may well be to suggest right from the school level.
ways to scale these initiatives to a level where significant impact
Signs of dynamism are already evident in several pockets in India.
could be seen and felt.
The challenge is how to take the disadvantaged along the growth
The council’s primary task should be about how to use innovation path. The roadmap gets clearer by simply giving Gandhi’s ideas a
in delivery, finance and administration to end abject poverty, reduce good look.

India’s big disruptive innovations

Mobile phones Business Model Innovation


Reliance – phone call for the cost of post card resulted in Bharti Airtel is world’s most profitable mobile company
India having world’s lowest call rates; through one second because of innovations in the way it outsources most of services
one pulse scheme Tata DoCoMo made it more accessible. and pays its equipment providers a percentage of revenue.
These telecom innovations have made India a hub of world’s The company is debt free in a high capital intensive business.
fastest growth of subscribers and world’s cheapest mobile Companies worldwide are trying to emulate this model.
handsets.
Auto
Vaccine
Tata Nano uses a collaborative model to source components
India’s first recombinant Hepatitis B vaccine by Shantha from the world’s best companies to keep input costs low to
Biotechnics Vaccine price in the US $18 per dose. In India offer a $2,500 car.
– 40 cents. Lupin’s cure for psoriasis is now affordable by
Ambulance
everyone.
Satyam’s Emergency Management and Research Institute
Foot replacement
(EMRI) – 108 Ambulance is world’s largest ambulance service
US $ 20,000 dollar a foot provider by handling about 80,000 calls a day.
India $ 28 – Jaipur Foot
It has woven together latest telecommunication, computing,
Incubator medican and transportation technologies to provide mostly
free emergency services to 360 million people in tribal, rural
US $20,000
and urban areas. The innovation here is through a highly
India $ 25 by Embrace – (no electricity, no moving parts,
successful PPP (public-private partnership) model.
safe, portable)
Computing
Eye Care
Computational Research Group (part of the Tatas) has
Dr G Venkataswamy’s vision of eradicating all needless
developed world’s fourth and Asia’s fastest supercomputer
blindness gave birth to Aarvind Eye Hospital over a decade
through new design and using Linux operating system. It is
ago. Today, number of surgeries per year: ~ 200,000. Costs: $
one of the very few to offer supercomputing as a service which
september 2010

30 to $ 300 (US costs ~$3000)


is used by top global firms.

23
DisruptiveInnovation

True
innovation
improves
the human
experience
Alexander Blass was a hardcore venture capitalist at the Wall Street in his early 30s but his
family’s suffering as Nazi Holocaust victims ensured that he didn’t forget the human element of
investing. Blass revolutionized charitable giving by directly bringing the giver and the needy on
one platform – the Web.

T
he portal www.realitycharity.com has become a big hit, which * Innovators know that regret is far worse than failure.
led to Blass winning the Daily Record’s Top Innovator of the
* If people don’t tell you your idea is crazy, it’s not that innovative.
Year Award, United States’ top recognition for innovation.
The portal was termed as ‘eBay of Giving' by Mercury News and * Innovators are optimists by nature, and think about what is
“Facebook Meets Pocketbook” by Baltimore Sun. He sold the portal possible, not what is impossible.
for a sizable sum and currently serves as president and CEO of * Innovators get input from lots of smart people. Ultimately, you
Alexander Blass International, an executive training and consulting make the call.
firm based near Washington, DC. www.alexanderblass.com. * Your innovations are useless if nobody knows about them.
Blass was in Bangalore to address IBM’s Innovate2010 event recently, * True innovation improves the human experience.
where he shared his secrets of making innovation succeed. Here are
Blass warned executives not to become obsessed with technology. He
10 secrets, which he calls Blass Axioms:
said: “It’s never about technology it’s what you do with it. Innovations
* Big ideas always begin with a tenacious innovator, but require a happen because of open minds and a big picture perspective.”
great team to be successful.
He wanted innovators to be media savvy as well. “There is a
* Your innovations reveal a lot about who you are, and your symbiotic relationship between the media and the media seeker.” He
values and passions. asked executives to craft stories based on human experience. “Make it
about people since media needs great stories to tell,” he said.
* Innovators are constantly reinventing themselves.
Alexander Blass is son of the famous social psychologist Thomas Blass who
September 2010

* Successful innovators embrace the uncomfortable and do what wrote the biography of one of world’s best-known psychologists Stanley
others are unwilling to do. Milgram titled The Man Who Shocked the World.

24
DisruptiveInnovation

Gandhi, the
disruptive innovator
By Vijay Anand Raju
The disruptive innovation framework of Clayton Christensen, Harvard
Business School Professor and Innovation Guru, can be applied to the Non-
violent Indian freedom movement led by Gandhi

T
he British Empire was the successful incumbent. Indian because they were revered for their moral courage and discipline;
National movement was the new entrant in the fight. They going to jail became an honor because they were doing it for a bigger
had to choose a product or service that would allow them to cause and it left them with no guilt instead causing the incumbent
differentiate in this fight. The product could be war, violence, guerilla to feel the guilt. Also, it gave self respect to people who otherwise
attack, suicide bombing etc. If Indians entered into the freedom would not have used their power in any other way. It is a highly
struggle with the above-mentioned products (sustaining innovation), differentiated product and for the people who believed in violence, it
it would have been a bloodier battle and it would have been easy for had strong barriers to entry.
the incumbent, who had sophisticated weapons to beat the entrant
who had nothing but swords and sticks. I think non-violence was a "New Market" disruptive innovation
because it attracted more people (non-consumers of violence or
In this case, bloodshed is the cost. Traditionally, in a battle, the more moderates), who otherwise would have avoided violence and the
blood you shed, the more you loose. Profits are the territories won. movement. Finally, it even converted the traditional consumers of
In this case, the over-served customers are the people who just want violence or extremists also to non-violence.
to retaliate only when there is a threat and otherwise are against
violence. New market disruptions are affordable and simpler to use in that they
enable a completely new population of people to begin owning and
Traditonally, the war market is segmented based on attributes such using the product. In this case, the moderates who were actually non-
as age, crime experience, brutality, number of murders etc. The war consumers in the freedom struggle, found this product convenient,
market is traditionally won based on this segmentation. But Gandhi’s affordable and easy to use.
approach can be related to the "jobs to be done " approach of Prof.
Christensen. In a “jobs to be done” approach, the chosen product Non-Violence could not be sold through the traditional distribution
should help the customer to do a job in a simpler and convenient way. methods. Big war distribution channels like Panipat, Kurukshetra,
Kalinga (famous battlefields in India) may not find this product
The “jobs to be done” for the common man who adopted the attractive as their corporate values didn’t match and the margins were
Gandhian approach could have been very poor (the entrant could not kill enemies) in the short run. So
1. People wanted to contribute to Independence but were scared of Gandhi created new channels like Satyagraha, Quit India Movement
taking weapons or were afraid of death to sell this product.

2. Their traditional value system/ religious affiliation won't allow The incumbent initially didn’t take this competition seriously. They
them to kill people thought that this was nothing before the might of the Empire.
But, disruption happened in such a way that the Empire couldn't
3. Taking the law in their own hands was not right and would leave face the dilemma whether to prepare themselves against sustaining
them with ever lasting guilt innovations (war) or the disruptive innovation (non-violence).
4. They couldn’t take the shame of going to jail Customers who would not have participated in the freedom struggle
otherwise, chose to use this product because of the convenience. Also,
5. They didn’t want to undergo military training and spend time/ the product didn’t require them to go to the big retailers (battlefields)
effort on this and instead new innovative, cost effective channels were created.
6. They wanted to contribute without doing all that was usually done How about applying this to solve many of India’s problems today?
in a freedom movement
Adapted from Vijay Anand Raju’s blog. Vijay was an MBA student at the
The Power and positioning of non-violence International University of Japan when he wrote this blog and presently,
september 2010

Gandhi chose Non-Violence as the product to beat the incumbent. is working with Clayton Christensen’s Innovation Consulting and
Non-Violence satisfied all the above and even delighted them Investment firm Innosight Ventures

25
DisruptiveInnovation

Gandhi and systematic


innovation By Dr. Vinay Dabholkar

P
eople admire Mahatma Gandhi for great example of systematic experimentation. Rata Tata says, “More
various reasons – leadership, philosophy, of this car has been made under rapid prototyping by us than you
as a freedom fighter, as a social reformer would find in standard cars.”
etc. But for me, Gandhi was systematic
innovator par excellence. In fact, his approach The power of salt
to innovation embodies what I consider If experimentation is the heart of systematic innovation then what
to be the heart and the soul of systematic is the soul? To understand the answer, we need to understand,
innovation. What is the heart of systematic “How did Gandhi think of salt for his march?” This peculiar choice
innovation? And what is the soul? Let’s confused the British and the Indian leaders alike. When Gandhi
explore these two questions with Gandhi made an official announcement of his salt march plan at Sabarmati
as the hero. Ashram, there were all kinds of reactions. The Statesman, British
Many people believe that creativity owned newspaper made fun of him; even Motilal Nehru wired a
is at the heart of innovation. question, “What will lifting a fistful of salt do?” Gandhi wired him
In fact, I have met people back, “Please lift and see!” Salt march indeed turned out to be a key
for whom creativity and milestone in the freedom movement.
innovation are synonymous.
Thomas Edison knew
it better when he said, Tata Nano is a great example of systematic
“Great ideas originate experimentation. Rata Tata says, “More
in the muscles”.
What Edison means
of this car has been made under rapid
is that only when we prototyping by us than you would find in
experiment, crude ideas standard cars.”
take meaningful shape.
Hence, I believe that
systematic experimentation Question is, “What made Gandhi see the power of salt that others
is at the heart of innovation like Motilal Nehru couldn’t?” The answer is “Immersion”. Gandhi,
process. And Mahatma Gandhi after returning from Africa, immersed himself in the real India and
was a master experimenter. It because of that he was able to connect with the problems of the
is no surprise that the title to his ordinary man. Many Vothers remained urban gurus. Thus, I believe
autobiography is – The story of my experiments with truth. He that, immersion – understanding the anxieties and aspirations of
writes in the introduction, “I claim for them [experiments] nothing more your customers / potential customers – is the soul of systematic
than does a scientist who, though he conducts his experiments with the innovation. And Mahatma Gandhi epitomized it.
utmost accuracy, forethought and minuteness, never claims any finality
Guess what Kishore Biyani mentions as his biggest fear? Losing
about his conclusions, but keeps an open mind regarding them”.
touch with the public. He says, “Our business is entirely dependent
There are two things common among great experimenters: One, they on observing people, understanding their emotions and catering to
start with small, low cost experiments (sometimes called prototyping) their needs.” This is when he discovers that the customer in Gujarat
and two, they have a great respect for failures and constantly learn is not only value-conscious but also has peculiar habits like buying
from them. Gandhi was no exception. In fact, he has dedicated two the entire year’s requirement at one go. On the other hand, the
chapters in the autobiography to articulate his early experiment of customer in Bengal looks for emotional connect and is more loyal to
Satyagraha. Chapter 29 is titled Domestic Satyagraha and chapter existing brands.
40 is titled Miniature Satyagraha. Chapter 33 titled Himalayan Many times we hear the question, "Will Gandhi's techniques work
Miscalculation narrates a failure of Satyagraha execution and how he today?" For a systematic innovator, this question is absurd. It is like
September 2010

realized what all needs to be ensured to execute a civil disobedience asking in 2030, "Will iPod work?"
movement successfully. He would find this learning useful a decade
later during his best product launch – the salt march. Tata Nano is a The author is an innovation catalyst. vinay@catalign.com

26
CaseStudy : DisruptiveInnovation

is that it equips field healthcare professionals


such as physicians, nurses, students etc., with a
smart phone that allows oral cancer detection
using automated questionnaires on the phone and
leveraging high quality pictures of lesions taken on
the phone camera.
The model involves the field staff examining the
patient and using the automated questionnaire to
probe the patient. They can then take the image

The innovation lies in leveraging


a mobile device that has
very high prevalence today
and converting it into an
effective tool to provide quality
healthcare.

Smart phone to of the lesion and leverage the phone to check with

detect cancer
pre-loaded software on the phone or the central
medical records database for detection. The device
will also enable two-way communication between
a specialist in a central location and a patient
anywhere.
Narayana Hrudayalaya and the Mazumdar Shaw
The pilot is currently being carried out at KLE
Cancer Centre, jointly with SANA, a research Dental Hospital in Bangalore and Navodaya
group at Harvard/MIT, are trying out smart Medical College in Raichur. It has already been
phone-based detection of oral cancer and other tried on 400 high-risk patients and has been used
to detect numerous lesions.
diseases in remote areas of India
The innovation lies in leveraging a mobile
device that has very high prevalence today and
converting it into an effective tool to provide

I
ndian healthcare spending as a percentage of GDP is 4.1 percent. quality healthcare. The SANA solution is a
In comparison, the worldwide average is 9.1 percent. Given this mobile platform that enables users to convert a
massive difference between the global average and the Indian spend, regular smart phone into a diagnostic device. The
the key challenge that we face today is to provide affordable high quality platform has been developed on open-source with
healthcare services anywhere. the developing markets in mind. It is very much
There are a number of innovative solutions currently piloted in the possible for us to visualize multiple such solutions
Indian market today to address this challenge through the effective use to help increase the reach of quality and affordable
of technology. One of the shining examples is an attempt at disease healthcare to a wide mass of people.
detection using smart phones. Narayana Hrudayalaya and the Mazumdar The key impact of a solution like this lies in the
Shaw Cancer Centre jointly with SANA, a research group at Harvard/ number of lives saved. Invariably, a late detection
MIT, are trying out smart phone-based detection of oral cancer and other of oral cancer results in 30 percent survival rate
diseases. involving heavy medical expenditure. Early
Early detection of cancer increases the probability to effectively treat the detection increases the probability of survival to
disease. However, given the size of the population and the vast geographic 90 percent and brings down the total medical
september 2010

spread it’s extremely difficult to have specialized medical services expenditure to a few thousand rupees.
available anywhere. The uniqueness of the NH-MSCC-SANA project Source: Zinnov Consulting. www.zinnov.com

27
DisruptiveInnovation

Innovations in
technology – sustain
or disrupt? Ranganath Iyengar

T
he term ‘Disruptive Innovation’ was first used by Clayton
Christensen in his book – “The Innovator’s dilemma – Mobile phones are a crowded market – yet
When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fall”. He companies like Samsung and LG continue
showed that organizations exited or were displaced due to a new to innovate and keep disrupting market
paradigm of customer offering – see the disruption coming but
could not do anything. This article looks at a few recent disruptive momentum
technology innovations that are challenging and changing customer
and market perceptions. is cheaper to cut panels sizes that way and the marketing pitch
conveniently changes to one of more viewing ‘real estate’ – the
Types of innovation square monitors cost more! Check out the back of televisions and
There are two types of innovation – one that creates a new market monitors – to connect with myriad devices and gadgets, you may find
by targeting non-customers or the other that competes at the low several sizes and types of adaptors – so when you are contemplating
end of the market (faster, cheaper, better, simpler etc). Disruptive buying a television or monitor or a TV/Monitor combo, you could
innovations can often challenge companies to go up market end up with as many as 20-30 decision parameters – how is that for
rather than go down market and compete which results in loss of disruptive technology? If you are buying HDMI vs. HD ready, you
market share and eventually exiting the segment. The challenge for are actually paying for a technology premium for services that will
companies is therefore to take a decision to sustain or disrupt its come 3 years later by which time you would have changed your TV
set – are you HD ready?
product when faced with such a situation.
System of products More subtle innovations
Most of us would be using a humble data card of some genre – have
Sony and Apple are good examples of ‘connected products’ that
you wondered why Reliance does not offer voice services (other than
operate as an ecosystem – e.g. Mac Book-iPod-iPhone-iPad or
low ARPU)? This is because there is a quantum leap of technology
Xperia–Viao–Cybershot -Walkman-Handycam. While these
and services expected when LTE-BWA based offerings will become
products provide independent services, they do need each other very
available as it is based on 4G while others are still rolling out 3G
often and also overlap at least 30% of the functions – this is a good
– the significant advantage would be that of high speed downloads
example of disruptive technology innovation demonstrating how at affordable costs which will also allow high quality streaming
products can connect and work together as also make you spend necessary for video based services – isn’t that disruptive technology
more on more gadgets! when the humble dongle becomes a significant mobility asset?
Breaking price barriers Innovation is all around us – most of us use only 20-30 percent of
Mobile phones are a crowded market – yet companies like the features provided by the product designer – you can check this
Samsung and LG continue to innovate and keep disrupting market by going through the technical manual most of us do not bother to
momentum – Corby, Cookie and Chocolate are good examples touch – if you want to experience innovation, learn to be a power
of how staid looking expensive touch screens became affordable, user by discovering the products around you in detail – on the lighter
colorful and resourceful and ended up creating a new category which side, there is another aspect of disruptive innovation – most of us are
the leaders are gingerly treading into – image issue, perhaps or creatures of habit and it takes almost 3-4 months for new gadgets
another good example of disruptive technology innovation? to settle down to our liking disrupting even simple tasks that were
a breeze with our old gadget! Well if you have not had enough,
Redefining product standards you could check out Blue and Me, participate in Dutch auctions of
Televisions and monitors offer insights into how a cost optimization financial products, be at the receiving end of telemedicine or read
September 2010

can impact marketing – have you wondered why monitors and Manga comics on your mobile….
televisions started looking rectangular and not square? Well – it ranga@siiplconsulting.com

28
Spirituality: DisruptiveInnovation

These concepts should be an actuality. How to make this happen into


a reality is where one has to develop process to convert concepts into
actual reality.
For example, tooth pain is not a concept but an actuality for a person
who is undergoing pain. Similarly, jargons like “can’s create success
and cant’s create failure” should be reduced to actuality and not as an
intellectual concept.
Organization strategy should constantly be alive in all and it should
be a working model rather than a concept model. Constantly
polishing one’s strategy to enhance process, knowledge management,
obstacles in execution should be a dynamic process rather than one
time static evolution.
To make it dynamic, one has to be on a mode of alertness. This
alertness is a part of organizational innovation. How to keep this
alertness alive is an important factor.
Organizational team spirit should always be on a high note so that
the source of strength should emanate from a team rather than from
an individual. The health of the organization should not be individual
based but a team based. One should not be
focused on immediate benefit of strength based
on individual but strength based on the team
that is beneficial for the organization health.

Swami Sukhabodhananda offers the big picture Organizational overall attitude and enhancing
enthusiasm must be an ongoing process. Enthusiasm is the mother
on innovation of creativity. How to keep this enthusiasm alive and not to be bogged

T
down by competition but to be charged with competition should be
o creatively handle innovation is part of wise living. Attitude
looked into.
creates altitude. To know and not to act on what you know is
equal to not knowing. One has to see this clearly that, “If you Innovation of Oneself
continue doing what you have done you will get what you have got”.
Innovation of oneself includes one’s attitude, one’s values, and one’s
Hence, there is a need for innovation in all walks of one’s life.
beliefs. Attitude is enhanced when the “state of being” is enhanced.
Reflect on this story. A ten-year old boy who had lost his left hand To enhance one’s state of being, one’s body energy and emotional
started learning judo. The master taught him only one throw. After energy should be high. Changing these two states of energies
three years of practice, he participated in a judo competition and enhances one’s attitude.
won. He asked the master what worked in his favor as others in the
The quality of one’s life is the quality of one’s consistent emotion.
competition knew many throws of judo while he had mastered only
Meditations help one to enhance right and powerful emotions.
one throw. The master answered that in spite of being physically
Emotion is nothing but energy in motion.
challenged, he had practiced one throw totally and to counter that
throw others in the competition should hold his left hand to defeat You get what you focus. Get inspired by successful role models.
him. As he was physically challenged without left hand, he could win.
A thought coming from deep hurt creates its own dysfunctional
Our weakness can become our strength. This is true innovation.
groove. To make thought free from inner hurt, stop leakage of energy.
One has to focus on innovation in different fields like organization, A thought, which is not free, loses power of innovation.
oneself, creation of wealth and wellness. All this should result in “end
For Swamiji’s tailor-made corporate interventions and seminars contact
user innovation” of being happy, being valued and feeling belonged.
99017 77006
The vision of the organization, apart from adhering to vision
statement, should also be one of innovation in all fields.
Organizational Innovation
This involves how one’s goals are not just “concepts” but an actuality.
The organization research and knowledge management wing should
september 2010

have methods to arrive whether the mission and vision statements


have just become a jargon… that is sheer intellectual concepts. If it is
so, the very purpose would be lost.

29
BookShelf

Where Good Ideas Come creators understand the world. Now in an updated and expanded
paperback edition, it's a fantastic time to explore or rediscover this
From: The Natural History powerful view of the world of ideas.
of Innovation
SuperCycles: The
by Steven Johnson, Riverhead
October 2010
New Economic
Force Transforming
With Where Good Ideas Come From,
Steven Johnson pairs the insight of his Global Markets and
bestselling Everything Bad Is Good Investment Strategy
for You and the dazzling erudition of
The Ghost Map and The Invention by Arun Motianey, McGraw-
of Air to address an urgent and Hill, February 2010
universal question: What sparks the flash of brilliance? How does
Supercycles, according to
groundbreaking innovation happen? Answering in his infectious,
international economist and
culturally omnivorous style, using his fluency in fields from
strategist, Arun Motianey, are the
neurobiology to popular culture, Johnson provides the complete,
continuous, long waves of boom
exciting and encouraging story of how we generate the ideas that
and bust that undulate through the global economic and financial
push our careers, our lives, our society, and our culture forward.
systems. More often than not, they are the result of policymakers'
Beginning with Charles Darwin's first encounter with the teeming well-intentioned but misguided attempts to achieve price stability.
ecosystem of the coral reef and drawing connections to the In Supercycles, Motianey surpasses the traditional business cycle
intellectual hyper productivity of modern mega cities and to the model ("Boom and Bust"), to provide a detailed, objective and at
instant success of YouTube, Johnson shows us that the question we times surprising explanation of global economics.
need to ask is, What kind of environment fosters the development
Drawing heavily on history and informed by cautious readings
of good ideas? His answers are never less than revelatory, convincing
of a wide range of economic thought, Motianey analyzes the way
and inspiring, as Johnson identifies the seven key principles to the
macroeconomics has been practiced by the major powers' central
genesis of such ideas, and traces them across time and disciplines.
banks through the years.
Most exhilarating is Johnson's conclusion that with today's tools
A cogent and impossible-to-ignore mixture of economics, finance,
and environment, radical innovation is extraordinarily accessible
policy, risk management and investment advice from a global
to those who know how to cultivate it. Where Good Ideas Come
perspective, Supercycles is certain to inform and inspire debate
From is essential reading for anyone who wants to know how to
among investors, academics and casual readers alike.
come up with tomorrow's great ideas.

The Myths of Innovation The Art of Non-


Conformity: Set Your
By Scott Berkun, O'Reilly
Media, August 2010
Own Rules, Live the Life
You Want, and Change
In this new paperback edition of the
classic bestseller, you'll be taken on a the World
hilarious, fast-paced ride through the by Chris Guillebeau, Perigee
history of ideas. Author Scott Berkun
will show you how to transcend the Books, Sept.2010
false stories that many business experts, Based on Chris Guillebeau's popular
scientists, and much of pop culture online manifesto "A Brief Guide
foolishly use to guide their thinking to World Domination," The Art of
about how ideas change the world. With four new chapters on Non-Conformity defies common
putting the ideas in the book to work, updated references and over assumptions about life and work while arming you with the tools
50 corrections and improvements, now is the time to get past the to live differently. You'll discover how to live on your own terms by
myths, and change the world. exploring creative self-employment, radical goal setting, contrarian
Since its initial publication, this classic bestseller has been discussed travel, and embracing life as a constant adventure.
on NPR, MSNBC, CNBC, and at Yale University, MIT, Carnegie Inspired and guided by Chris's own story and those of others who
Mellon University, Microsoft, Apple, Intel, Google, Amazon. have pursued unconventional lives, you can devise your own plan
September 2010

com and other major media, corporations and universities around for world domination-and make the world a better place at the
the world. It has changed the way thousands of leaders and same time.

30
BookShelf

Tata: the Evolution of a In Pursuit of Elegance:


corporate brand Why the Best Ideas Have
by Morgen Witzel, Penguin
Something Missing
Books India, July 2010 by Matthew E. May, Crown
A series of high-profile acquisitions, Business, Reissue edition,
including Jaguar Land Rover and Corus September 2010
Steel, together with the launch of the With Guy Kawasaki's foreword, this book
Nano, is set to change our perception explores why certain events, products,
of India and people capture our attention and
Tata, the oldest and most respected corporate brand with a major imaginations, such as: What made the Sopranos finale one of the
international presence, in a variety of areas including steel, tea, most-talked-about events in television history? Why are Sudoku so
chemicals, communications and software, now stands 65th in the addictive and the iPhone so irresistible?
world brand valuation league. Elegance is the elusive element behind so many innovative
But what is the Tata brand all about? What are its values? How do breakthroughs in fields ranging from physics and marketing
people perceive it, in India and around the world? to design and popular culture. Combining unusual simplicity
and surprising power, elegance is characterized by four key
In this absorbing and informed book Morgen Witzel digs into elements—seduction, subtraction, symmetry, and sustainability. In
the heart of the Tata enterprise, describes its origins, how Tata's a compelling, story-driven narrative that sheds light on the need
reputation and image evolved, and how the group has worked to for elegance in design, engineering, art, urban planning, sports and
transform that image into a powerful and valuable brand. The work, May offers surprising evidence that what’s “not there” often
book touches on the core of the Tata ethos to explore the unique trumps what is.
relationship between the Tata group and the Indian people, a
relationship that goes beyond the achievements of a successful
business to its social contributions for its employees and the society.
Finally, it asks how that reputation will be perceived and understood
as Tata moves into global markets.
Whether you’re an entrepreneur, a manager, a marketer or an
interested Tata loyalist, this book will help you understand the
durability of the brand and inspire you with the values it holds onto
in the global economy

Recommender Systems in E-Commerce


by Prof. Bharat Bhasker & K. Srikumar, Tata
McGraw-Hill, August 2010
Internet technologies are the mainstay of today's world. To
cater to the burgeoning technologies in the segment, Dr. Bharat
Bhasker, Professor of Information Technology and Systems, at
IIM Lucknow, and K Srikumar have released a book on Internet
technologies called "Recommender Systems in E-Commerce". Prof.
Bharat Bhasker is a seasoned IT expert with extensive research and
industry experience and K. Srikumar holds a doctoral degree in IT
& Systems from IIM Lucknow.
Enriched with illustrative diagrams and examples, the book covers:
Processes, characteristics and classification of recommendation
systems, Basic techniques used in recommendation systems:
Collaborative Filtering, Data Mining, Information Retrieval/
Content Filtering, Design, development and evaluation of
recommendation system for low-involvement and high-involvement
products and Applications of recommendation systems. The book
will be useful for professionals working in e-commerce industry,
september 2010

management students, faculty and researchers.

31
Offbeat

Enough of ‘jugaad’ evaluate your life as a whole, you see a pretty strong correlation
around the world between income and happiness," he said. "On the
Of late, Indian professors, consultants and their understudies seem other hand it's pretty shocking how small the correlation is with
to use the term ‘jugaad’ with an air of triumph. There have been a positive feelings and enjoyment of yourself."
few books and several papers in recent months on the subject. What
they would like us believe is that Indians have been able to break
the shackles of control, rules and their inability to afford expensive
eBay founder was a software
equipment using native intelligence and inventiveness. Granted! engineer
However, the real meaning of ‘jugaad’ is "somehow get it done or It’s interesting how big inventions of recent times were by people
just make it work, not necessarly what means you use.” While it may who knew little about the fields which they disrupted. They were
be a way of looking at it as a spirit innovation, the turth is, in nine typically good at what they had learnt but were able to see beyond
out of 10 cases, it implies short cuts detrimental to the end result. It the obvious. Here are a few examples to illustrate the point - Jeff
really means that work will get done somehow, so why hurry. Bezos, founder of Amazon had no experience in publishing or
book distribution or retailing. He had a degree in computer science
The big question is – when will India move from jugaad to real
and electrical engineering and worked at Wall Street. For Pierre
innovation? A beginning has been made but the pace will pick up
Omidyar, eBay was an unexpected success. His interest was in
only when jugaad gives way to real creativity.
software, not selling. It was the same with Alexander Blass, founder
of www.realitycharity.com, a people-to-people donations portal.
Blass was a venture capitalist. The lesson – opportunity is normally
outside your domain. Keep your eyes open!

Get ready for group buying


Group buying is a trend that is
fast catching up in the US. In
India, it is about three months
old. Group buying means a
group of online consumers get
together offline to go to a store
or a restaurant to get a good
bargain. Sites promoting this
trend are hoping to make it big
even as marketers are figuring out
ways of reaching out to this new
consumer segment.
Money buys satisfaction, not
happiness Bosses who sack more, earn
A worldwide survey of more than 136,000 people in 132 countries
more
included questions about happiness and income, and the results This is more than the proverbial rubbing salt on the wound. While
reveal that while life satisfaction usually rises with income, positive sacked employees face uncertain future, CEOs who laid them off,
feelings don't necessarily follow. are earning more. This was revealed by a survey which found that
bosses of the 50 US companies that sacked the most staff during
The findings, from an analysis of data gathered in the first Gallup
the recession earned 42 per cent more than their peers. A report
World Poll in June 2010 found that life satisfaction and enjoyment
by the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington concluded that
of life are two components of happiness. Life satisfaction is more
chief executives shared little of the pain felt further down their
closely associated with income, while positive feelings also depend
workforces as unemployment peaked at 10.2 per cent last year.
on other factors, such as feeling respected and connected to others.

"The public always wonders: Does money make you happy?" said For example, the average chief executive compensation of such
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign professor emeritus organizations was US dollar 12 million, the research noted. The
of psychology Ed Diener, a senior scientist with the Gallup highest-paid "lay-off leader" was Fred Hassan, former head of the
September 2010

Organization. "This study shows that it all depends on how you drugs company Schering-Plough, who earned US 49.7 million
define happiness, because if you look at life satisfaction, how you dollars. This may well be the worst face of Western Capitalism.

32
Join us in the Workshops
facilitated by world class
trainers from NTL Institute!

With a focus on personal growth and Workshop # 5: Be Big


Dates: Saturday/Sunday, 2/3 October 2010
professional development, the NTL Fes-
tival of Learning 2010 that will be held In this Workshop, you will understand better the many, some-
in Singapore from 1-6 October at the times subtle, ways you make yourself and others small—cre-
ating small teams and small organizations. We will present
Orchid Country Club will offer the work- some specific mindsets and behaviours that enable each of
shops briefly described below. Register us to be BIG as individuals, with those we relate with, and
by 31 August to ensure a place! Email working on teams. We will challenge you to show up more
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leadership style that is based on honesty, transparency, and
openness to the people of the organization.
Workshop # 1: The Human Interaction Laboratory: An
International T-Group Experience! Based on the Trainers’ book, Be BIG: Step Up, Step Out, Be
Dates: Friday to Wednesday, 1-6 October 2010 Bold (Berrett-Koehler, 2008), which has been favourably re-
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The T-Group (T for Training) was a ground breaking learn- ment experts, including:
ing methodology developed by the NTL Institute more than
— Elizabeth Lesser, Co-founder, Omega Institute
60 years ago. This is an intensive small-group experience
“There exist hundreds of books that aim to coach the indi-
conducted in an informal atmosphere of shared learning,
vidual (ME) in the workplace; even more are written to help
and provides the participant an opportunity for behavioural
managers and leaders bring the best out of their employees
feedback and self assessment. The workshop will provide
(YOU). And a few books touch on the subject of the WE of a
an opportunity to learn and enhance your interpersonal and
company, organization, or group. The gem you are holding
leadership effectiveness, and leave with a strong foundation
brings ME, YOU, and WE together into one small miracle of
for personal and professional success. The following com-
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workplace. I recommend Be BIG to anyone ready to step into
a livelier, more fulfilling, and more generous way of being.”
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and enabled me to understand and use my personal power — Ken Blanchard, Co-author of The One Minute Manager®
in more constructive ways in which I benefited as well as and The One Minute Entrepreneur™
those around me. It also helped me appreciate differences “‘Think big, act big, be big’ is advice I was given by Norman
in others and value my own difference more.” Vincent Peale. Now Judith Katz and Fred Miller have brought
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Trainers: Sushma Sharma, Walt Hopkins, Feng Yanjun, day. Read it and Be Big!”
Vikram Bhatt
Fee: S$2,600/- Trainers: Fred Miller, Judith Katz
Fee: S$900/-

Workshop # 3: The NTL Global Lab Workshop #15: Creative Approaches to Leadership
Dates: Sunday to Wednesday, 3-6 October 2010 Dates: Monday to Wednesday, 4-6 October 2010

Those of you who are leading and collaborating with oth- This workshop is designed for leaders interested in devel-
ers in today’s global organisations may find a need to build oping an increased capacity for innovative thinking and ac-
understanding, attitudes and behaviours that will support cessing creativity, building and maintaining effective relation-
meaningful, productive and satisfying relationships across ships, and developing heightened self-awareness to connect
differences. In this workshop, you will focus on both your authentically with others. The unique and holistic approach
leadership and followership and how these are different and to self-learning features leadership and organizational narra-
similar to your fellow participants from other cultural, social, tives as a vehicle for accessing core priorities and forming
and business contexts. Supported by the introduction of authentic relationships. You will find, hear, and value your own
concepts from the applied behavioural sciences, you will and others’ voices, enabling you to be not only more effective
translate your learning into more effective collaboration in at connecting with others, but also at accessing the core of
september 2010

global business settings and in the global community. your creativity and innovation.

Trainers: Ted Tschudy, Argentine Craig, Yeo Keng Choo Trainers: Deborah Howard, Yvette Hyater-Adams
Fee: S$1,700/- Fee: $1,200/
33
September 2010

34
september 2010

35
September 2010 ManagementNext - English Monthly September 2010 Regn. No. MAG(3)/NPP/192/2004-05

36
Printed, published and owned by Benedict Paramanand, Printed at Rukmini Prakashana & Mudrana, 38, Behind Modi Hospital, Nagpur, Bengaluru - 5660 086;
and published at Bengaluru. Editor- Benedict Paramanand, #2, Bilden Park, G M Palaya, Bengaluru - 560 075

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