Innovation, Now!

The continuing financial Tsunami has ceased to make waves. We ought to have seen it coming but were too scared to open our eyes. Like we’ve done in the past – all we’ve ever learnt to do is to solve problems based on ‘fitting historical patterns’ – we believe that we’re at the bottom of the economic downturn and things will look up from here on. Anybody noticed that the slide has been going on since September 11, 2001? And we’re satisfied waiting. The time for innovation is here and is urging us to do something – differently.

Talk to technology and business people and they will tell you that innovation is a tool. Therefore researching a need and then developing a solution to address it is called innovation. Then why call it innovation, why not keep calling it R&D? Are we simply using the word because it sounds nicer?

Innovation 101 – Cost vs. Quality. Deuce.

To me it doesn’t matter whether India will be able to maintain its cost advantage. What does is sustainable and long-term value as a combination of cost and quality. In my view we are seeing the end of the traditional benefits of outsourcing. In whichever way customers were disguising their need to leverage lower costs, the only reason for outsourcing was cost arbitrage. We have seen that gap closing especially in the case of Indian talent. Squeezing benefit from outsourcing purely on a cost basis is clearly the last remnants of Industrial age thinking, which besides all other untenable factors, seems to think of human beings as alternatives to machines. I suggest for this reason alone, that we delete ‘outsourcing’ from business lexicon.

Joel Delman, Los Angeles design director for Product Development Technologies(PDT) points out

Having already gained the lion’s share of  manufacturing work, countries like China and India are now focusing on building  their capabilities in the innovation and design phases of product development.  While some may dismiss the seriousness of this trend, we’d be naive to believe  that the United States has a monopoly on a creative workforce.

(read Cost vs. Quality: The Dangers of Outsourcing Design Overseas)

Innovation – SMS voting for Nature’s Reality Shows

Reality Shows: Attractive NEW business opportunity for Television News channels.

According to a survey on early 2009, Reality Shows attracted 45 million sms votes. (April 21, 2009 — See Graphic)

The PM’s Relief Fund has promised Rs. 125 crores for Leh. The floods in Pakistan are begging for aid fuzzily estimated to be of the order of USD 1 billion. I, like many others, would like to do my bit.

Nature’s reality shows are far more ruthless than “The moment of truth” on TV. As a matter of fact, her reality shows are the moment of truth for those in the line of fire. So much for philosophy — let me get straight to the point.

My idea is simple –  ‘SMS your vote for Aid’ - and I’m not even asking for any credit; just let’s do it!

This is how it works –

Innovation 101 – The Jugaad phenomenon

This post is meant for those of you who have set up automated alerts for the new magic word ‘Jugaad’, the most fashionable innovation thread about India these days. Several innovation ‘gurus’, management experts, authors have latched on. The common thread – they’re mostly based in the US and are of Indian origin. The more equal of us. Keith Sawyer calls it a ‘fad from India’ and that’s exactly what  it is.

Business Week* reports on a management fad from India, that goes by a Hindi slang word, jugaad (say joo-gaardh). It means “an improvisational style of innovation”. It’s “inexpensive invention on the fly”. It sometimes has negative connotations, like cutting corners. The idea is that it doesn’t have to be perfect or fancy; it’s just good enough to satisfy immediate needs.

>>*See the comments at the end of the article.

Don’t be fooled – Jugaad is jugaad and innovation is innovation. Jugaad is a dangerous mindset – you heard right, a mindset. You ‘fix’ things by simply putting together bits and pieces, never mind that they don’t fit or that the final product is unreliable, unsafe, whatever. When something goes wrong, you can always use the excuse of not having time, resources, skills, etc. After all you did achieve ‘cheap’, didn’t you.

Maruti Gypsy 2020?

Anti-Globalization Bill 2010 passed by America

Dear Mr. President,

Congratulations on the passing of the landmark Anti-Globalization Bill, 2010. I quote from the first 30 minutes of your The 2010 State of the Union Address on 27th January 2010.

Obama - 0:17:45 – 0:17:55 “… to encourage businesses to stay within our borders, it is time to finally slash the taxbreaks to companies that ship jobs overseas and give tax breaks to companies that create those jobs right here in America.”
Sure Mr. Presidunk. But where will you get the skills you need. I believe you exported these to us lesser mortals for mercenary reasons 2 decades ago. Give us a shout if you need us to re-skill your workers.

Obama - 0:20:47-0:20:52 “… they [India and China] are making serious investments in clean energy because they want those [our] jobs.”
Yeah, we all know that there’s a larger world outside America, but do you? C’mon Obama, India has more important issues to think of and things to do than to think of America’s jobs. And guess what, the job market is much larger (and unfortunately for your ilk) and growing in our part of the world. Hey we don’t need your jobs. We actually have jobs on offer. Interested? Only we don’t have your ’Bogus Bonus’ plans.

Obama – 0:25:53-0:26:04 ” … because the nation that leads the clean energy economy will be the nation that leads the Global economy. And America must be that nation.”
And why Mr. President, should everything be a race? Why must America always want to be the leader? Why is it always America vs. the rest of the World? The issues of Climate Change & Environment and clean energy are humanity’s collective problem and can be solved better through cooperation than competition. But you can’t understand this even if you tried.

So much duality – us and them all the way. And there’s much applause punctuating your speech, I wonder why.

Yours sincerely etc. etc.,
PS: BTW  “In this new decade, it’s time the American people get a government that matches their decency; …”  What new decade??? Like 2000 was the new millennium?? Haha … 2011 is still 11 months away!!!