tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78669566563089193612024-03-19T01:48:50.772-07:00From Jugaad to Systematic InnovationRishikesha Krishnanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07450841047810068098noreply@blogger.comBlogger247125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7866956656308919361.post-36687110476933275772019-07-10T23:37:00.003-07:002019-07-10T23:38:56.654-07:00Strategy for the Digital Era<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-size: large;">To what extent are existing strategy frameworks adequate for the digital era?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">How do we need to look at strategy differently now?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">For my findings, after reading a number of books on the subject read <a href="https://www.foundingfuel.com/article/three-mustread-books-on-strategy-for-the-digital-era/">this</a></span><br />
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Rishikesha Krishnanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07450841047810068098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7866956656308919361.post-53452064475060646322019-06-26T09:41:00.001-07:002019-06-26T09:42:06.191-07:00The Changing Contours of Innovation in India<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: large;">What are the recent trends in innovation in India?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Where is the innovation originating from?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">How are the formal and informal systems of innovation different? How are they related to each other?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">For answers to these and other questions on innovation in India, please read my <a href="http://isbinsight.isb.edu/the-changing-contours-of-innovation-in-india/">recent article</a> in <i>ISB Insights. </i></span><br />
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Rishikesha Krishnanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07450841047810068098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7866956656308919361.post-54681526754783329542019-06-25T20:15:00.000-07:002019-06-25T20:15:11.704-07:00Key Issues in Management of Technology<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-size: large;">What are the key issues in the management of technology?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">And how do these differ across industries?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">For my perspective on this, check out this <a href="https://www.catalign.in/2019/06/mot-chat-2-master-class-with-rishikesha.html">discussion</a> with Vinay Dabholkar. </span><br />
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Rishikesha Krishnanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07450841047810068098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7866956656308919361.post-5848197828713510342019-06-24T21:21:00.003-07:002019-06-25T20:16:10.898-07:00Can Innovation Lift Nations out of Poverty?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Can innovation lift nations out of poverty?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Clayton Christensen thinks so in his new book...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Read my <a href="http://www.businessworld.in/article/In-Search-Of-Sustainable-Solutions/14-05-2019-170497/">review</a> in <i>Businessworld</i> for a critical perspective! The review is at:</span><br />
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Rishikesha Krishnanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07450841047810068098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7866956656308919361.post-18129613378795521622016-05-15T20:35:00.001-07:002016-05-15T20:35:13.061-07:00The Jump to BS6 and what it means for innovation<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
A recent conference on innovation in the automotive industry points to the significant impact of regulatory changes such as new emission norms. For more click <a href="http://www.foundingfuel.com/article/the-jump-to-bsvi-and-what-it-means-for-innovation/">here</a><br />
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Rishikesha Krishnanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07450841047810068098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7866956656308919361.post-64119969895413535832016-05-15T20:31:00.001-07:002016-05-15T20:31:37.235-07:00The Status of Cancer Research<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
A recent conference organised by the Tata Memorial Centre at Mumbai offered several insights into the status of cancer research - click <a href="http://www.foundingfuel.com/article/the-state-of-cancer-research-and-the-future-of-innovation/">here</a> for more...<br />
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Rishikesha Krishnanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07450841047810068098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7866956656308919361.post-73833887406687435072016-03-19T23:59:00.001-07:002016-03-19T23:59:20.728-07:00Sam Pitroda and the Indian Telecom Revolution<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Sam Pitroda can take pride in the fact that he laid the foundation for India's telecom revolution. To learn more, click <a href="http://www.foundingfuel.com/article/sam-pitroda-the-big-dreamer/">here</a><br />
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Rishikesha Krishnanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07450841047810068098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7866956656308919361.post-4263090472900415282016-03-19T23:54:00.002-07:002016-03-19T23:54:42.818-07:00How should we track the progress of Indian Innovation?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
India is ranked #45 out of 50 countries in the recently announced Bloomberg Innovation Index. But, we need to look for more relevant ways of measuring India's innovation progress. For more details, click <a href="http://www.foundingfuel.com/article/tracking-the-progress-of-innovation-in-india/">here</a><br />
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Rishikesha Krishnanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07450841047810068098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7866956656308919361.post-42605956721616127652016-03-19T23:51:00.001-07:002016-03-19T23:51:15.514-07:00Transformers: How to give your company a creative DNA<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Deepak Loomba has written a thought-provoking account of how he made innovation a part of his company's DNA....for more, click <a href="http://www.foundingfuel.com/article/transformers-the-dna-of-an-innovative-company/">here</a><br />
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Rishikesha Krishnanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07450841047810068098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7866956656308919361.post-79662637547550118422016-01-17T04:28:00.000-08:002016-01-17T04:28:32.718-08:00Idealistic, Innovative Entrepreneurship has the potential to transform Indian higher education<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Pranjal Dubey and his team at the Sant Singaji Institute of Science and Management show how. <b><a href="http://www.foundingfuel.com/article/idealistic-innovative-entrepreneurship-to-change-indian-higher-education/">Read more here....</a></b><br />
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Rishikesha Krishnanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07450841047810068098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7866956656308919361.post-23441538703980709492016-01-17T04:25:00.002-08:002016-01-17T04:25:46.569-08:00Tech-savvy Entrepreneurs: Can you put India on the Global Innovation Map?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It's time we have a set of entrepreneurs who are pushing the technological frontier in their businesses and products. <b><a href="http://www.foundingfuel.com/article/techsavvy-entrepreneurs-can-you-put-india-on-the-global-innovation-map/">Read more here....</a></b><br />
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Rishikesha Krishnanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07450841047810068098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7866956656308919361.post-88644934286769782842016-01-17T04:21:00.002-08:002016-01-17T04:21:54.863-08:00Revisiting Innovation at the Bottom of the Pyramid<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
To make innovation at the BoP successful, there is a need for "disruptive differentiators." To identify these, <a href="http://www.foundingfuel.com/article/revisiting-innovation-at-the-bottom-of-the-pyramid/">read more here</a><br />
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Rishikesha Krishnanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07450841047810068098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7866956656308919361.post-77140932509787351182015-11-20T17:15:00.001-08:002015-11-20T17:15:39.216-08:00The Future of Manufacturing - and what it means for "Make in India"<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Manufacturing is changing fast, with important implications for India's "Make in India" programme. <a href="http://www.foundingfuel.com/article/the-future-of-manufacturingand-what-it-means-for-make-in-india/"><b>Read more</b></a><br />
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Rishikesha Krishnanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07450841047810068098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7866956656308919361.post-1722870734990682032015-11-20T17:06:00.001-08:002015-11-20T17:06:59.730-08:00The Dragon Mellows - Reflections from a recent visit to China<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Visiting China after almost a decade gave me a chance to see first-hand some of the recent trends in that country. <a href="http://www.foundingfuel.com/article/the-dragon-mellows/"><b>Read more</b></a><br />
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Rishikesha Krishnanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07450841047810068098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7866956656308919361.post-26616753803765333132015-11-20T17:01:00.001-08:002015-11-20T17:01:23.885-08:00The Challenge of Silos<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Silos pose a challenge in any organization, and more so in this analytics and data<b>-</b>driven age. <a href="http://www.foundingfuel.com/article/the-challenge-of-silos/"><b>Read more</b></a><br />
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<b> </b></div>
Rishikesha Krishnanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07450841047810068098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7866956656308919361.post-67835746270492404202015-11-20T16:56:00.001-08:002015-11-20T16:56:03.472-08:00Getting the Funding Piece Right<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Creative inventors with creative ideas need creative capital... <a href="http://www.foundingfuel.com/article/getting-the-funding-piece-right/">Read more</a></div>
Rishikesha Krishnanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07450841047810068098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7866956656308919361.post-50226230956437625532015-08-27T07:22:00.000-07:002015-08-27T07:23:58.771-07:00InMobi's miip may be more important than Pichai becoming the CEO of Google!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The emergence of a tech giant from India would have much more impact than having several Indians at the helm of large global corporations.... <a href="http://www.foundingfuel.com/article/inmobis-miip-may-be-more-important-to-india-than-pichai/">http://www.foundingfuel.com/article/inmobis-miip-may-be-more-important-to-india-than-pichai/</a><br />
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Rishikesha Krishnanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07450841047810068098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7866956656308919361.post-37726037690785598122015-07-18T19:59:00.001-07:002015-07-18T19:59:46.115-07:00Understanding China: Insights from Hank Paulson's New Book<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Thanks to his intensive interaction with China over the last two decades, Hank Paulson has some unique insights to offer in his new book, <a href="http://www.amazon.in/Dealing-China-Hank-Paulson/dp/1472228723/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1437274747&sr=8-1&keywords=dealing+with+china">Dealing with China</a>. Here's <a href="http://www.foundingfuel.com/article/understanding-china-insights-from-henry-paulsons-book-dealing-with-china/">my take</a> on this important book.<br />
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Rishikesha Krishnanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07450841047810068098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7866956656308919361.post-575546102480832232015-06-19T19:14:00.002-07:002015-06-19T19:14:27.250-07:00Scale and Impact: Lessons from Ronnie Screwvala's Entrepreneurial Journey<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Ronnie Screwvala’s entrepreneurial journey has traversed
many paths. Starting from what seems very mundane by his standards –
manufacturing toothbrushes – Ronnie has been into cable television and
tele-shopping and, most successfully, into the media and film production. <o:p></o:p></div>
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From being a major provider of content to other channels
with pioneering shows like India’s first daily soap opera <i>Shanti</i>, Ronnie’s UTV evolved into a media player in its own right
through successful channels like Hungama and Bindass. While I knew that UTV had
made many memorable films, it’s only after reading Ronnie’s entrepreneurial
autobiography <i>Dream with your Eyes Open</i>
(Rupa, 2015) that I realized the extent of their range, and how successful they
had been.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Ronnie has been on a break between ventures (it’s impossible
to contemplate him sitting still!) and he has put this time to good use by
sharing with all of us some of the key insights from his life as an
entrepreneur in India!</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Just Another
Entrepreneurship book….or something more?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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There are, of course, many books written by entrepreneurs about
what it takes to succeed as one. So, it’s natural to ask is there anything
special about Ronnie’s book? Are there any unique insights that he has to share
with us?<o:p></o:p></div>
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What I liked best about this book is that its told
first-person, direct, and with very little digression. As a result, it’s short,
pithy and eminently readable, and packs a lot into its 160+ page core. It is
motivating (just look at the range of things Ronnie has done starting with not
too much money in his pocket), yet realistic in that it does not gloss over
failures or pretend that everything happened according to plan.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The main message I got from this book is what I would call
the importance of determined execution. Once you have identified an
opportunity, made reasonable checks to verify that the opportunity is for real,
and decided to address the opportunity, put everything into it to make it
happen. That’s a characteristic Ronnie displayed from his first venture into
making toothbrushes with second-hand, automated machines imported from Europe,
through his creation of the infrastructure to produce a daily soap opera, and
into his becoming one of the biggest film producers in India with several films
simultaneously under production. <o:p></o:p></div>
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An integral part of this “determined execution” is Ronnie’s
belief that it’s better not to have a “Plan B.” His rationale is that the very
existence of a Plan B acts as a temptation to give up as soon as one hits
(inevitable) obstacles. Instead, one has to be determined to make Plan A work.<o:p></o:p></div>
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So, how does one make Plan A work? What I understood from
Ronnie’s book is that this happens essentially by planning, frugal innovation,
having the right team and clear communication. The right partnerships also
help. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>What do you need to
be a successful entrepreneur?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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One of the points in Ronnie’s book that resonated very
strongly with me is to never start or run an enterprise with exit as the
objective. Instead, focus on building the enterprise’s brand, franchise and
growth potential. This is not a commandment against exits – it can’t be, for
Ronnie has exited several businesses over his career – but simply a caution
that running an enterprise with exit in mind is very likely to make you take
wrong decisions that could jeopardise the future of the company. Exits make
sense when the future of the company would be better assured in someone else’s
hands. For example, Ronnie justifies his sell-out of his TV channels to Disney
by the fact that he and Disney had a very similar approach and philosophy to
youth channels, and the future of the channels would be safe with a
well-endowed player like Disney.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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One important point that Ronnie has underlined is the need
to focus on spotting emerging trends and maintaining continuous contact with
present and prospective customers. The former is important both to identify
emerging opportunities as well as get out of the way of trucks and trains that
could knock down your business. This resonated well with the pain-wave-waste
framework we proposed in <i>8 Steps to
Innovation</i> – a company’s challenge book emerges from feeling the pain (of
customers, users), sensing the wave and seeing the waste (of human effort,
material and energy). <o:p></o:p></div>
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An important element of Ronnie’s managerial style that
emerges from this book is getting into detail, continuous motivation of the
team, and frequent communication. He is unequivocal about his dislike of long
Powerpoint presentations that don’t come to the point and provide an
opportunity for everyone to mentally disengage and start playing with their
phones instead. This made me wonder how Ronnie deals with Newgen employees who
are hooked to multi-tasking with one eye always on their smartphone!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Ronnie dwells quite a bit on failure and the importance of
looking failure in the face, learning one’s lessons, and moving on. Clearly, in
Ronnie’s case, this ability came from a strong sense of self-belief and
self-confidence. How do you build that confidence? Well, in Ronnie’s case it
appears to have come from his involvement with the theatre. The ability to
appear before an audience, emote your lines as planned, and hold the audience’s
attention was, I am sure, helpful in building this confidence. Though he
doesn’t dwell too much on his family, I get a sense that his family gave him
that confidence too – while I am sure his family wasn’t pleased by his failing
in his college exams, they gave him the space and encouragement to start again.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Like many entrepreneurs, Ronnie alludes to what is commonly
called the affordable loss approach to risk management. He is willing to take
big bets as long as he will be able to survive the downside. This simple
heuristic is invaluable to entrepreneurs, particularly in India where so many
things seem outside one’s control.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I found one of Ronnie’s observations particularly
insightful. We often find businesspeople complaining about regulation and how
it impedes business. But, based on his experience in the then fledgling cable
TV business, Ronnie argues that some regulation is important to ensure that ground
rules are in place and that there is orderly development of the industry. Here
I might add that it’s not only regulation that is needed, but its fair and
transparent enforcement. In the absence
of such enforcement, players who follow the rules are at a disadvantage and
this often leads to poor quality products and services.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>A Couple of Cribs…<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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For Ronnie, clearly big is beautiful. Though he acknowledges
that scale is an individual choice and that some may choose to start niche
businesses, his own preference for the large and impactful is clear. Ronnie
argues that strategy becomes important only when you pursue scale. I found that
too much of a stretch – in today’s highly competitive world, even a small
company in a narrow niche needs to keep sharpening its competitive advantage if
it wants to survive. Yes, for sure, the strategic challenges become greater
when you are investing thousands of crores in setting up a Reliance Jio, but
even a boutique consulting firm needs a strategy to survive and prosper!<o:p></o:p></div>
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One of the big challenges of starting and running a business
in India is coping with corruption. Prospective entrepreneurs, particularly
those who lack a business background, are often unsure how to deal with this.
Ronnie makes only a passing mention of ethics and integrity. I wish he had
shared his perspective on this issue.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>In conclusion…<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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There is a surge of entrepreneurial energy in the country
today. For the would-be entrepreneur looking for the right motivation and some
tips on how to keep going, Ronnie Screwvala’s book has come out at the right
time.<o:p></o:p></div>
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[The views expressed here are the personal views of the author.]</div>
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Rishikesha Krishnanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07450841047810068098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7866956656308919361.post-47604512923347163892015-06-06T21:17:00.001-07:002015-06-06T21:17:26.670-07:00Are you too old to be an entrepreneur?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Age shouldn't be a barrier to your entrepreneurial dreams. Read more <a href="http://www.foundingfuel.com/article/are-you-too-old-to-be-an-entrepreneur/">here</a>.<br />
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Rishikesha Krishnanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07450841047810068098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7866956656308919361.post-12174533248403059882015-06-06T21:10:00.001-07:002015-06-06T21:10:17.579-07:00What we can Learn from the House of Tata about Innovation<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The Tata Group Innovation Forum and associated activities have been in place for about a decade now. <a href="http://www.foundingfuel.com/article/lessons-from-the-house-of-tata-on-technology-and-innovation/">Here</a> is what we can learn from them....<br />
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Rishikesha Krishnanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07450841047810068098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7866956656308919361.post-59688400664882580382015-05-22T18:06:00.000-07:002015-05-22T18:06:01.093-07:00A Tribute to Vidyanand Jha and Dheeraj Sanghi as they turn 50<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This post is dedicated to two of my friends who just turned
50. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>A Creative Persona</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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He was one of the first friends I made as a doctoral student
at IIM Ahmedabad (IIMA) in 1991. Poet, film buff, supporter of the underdog,
teacher of creativity, voracious reader, questioner of authority, former left
activist, jazz enthusiast Vidyanand Jha celebrated his 50<sup>th</sup> birthday
recently. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIYOtQy0QCHEOsI9Tmm-KhDl4OHVRnMGHJe-LrJ1imcor0uph5lfqpwmsH5AMyuhs3pJuTYZIQsHlA8uqVMORvN-EmMMGn2g4PKYNcY4MJ0AnyYqK2SLHliBay9EHjlWeRa7oxb0Vn-xs/s1600/Vidyanand+Jha.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIYOtQy0QCHEOsI9Tmm-KhDl4OHVRnMGHJe-LrJ1imcor0uph5lfqpwmsH5AMyuhs3pJuTYZIQsHlA8uqVMORvN-EmMMGn2g4PKYNcY4MJ0AnyYqK2SLHliBay9EHjlWeRa7oxb0Vn-xs/s320/Vidyanand+Jha.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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As doctoral students at IIMA, we had to do many of the first
year classes along with the MBA students. So, we were part of one of the
sections of the MBA class, in the spacious amphitheatre-like classrooms for
which IIMA is famous. We were seated towards the back, on the right hand side,
with one MBA student between us. But as
far as I can recall, we were already friendly even before we were
serendipitously seated so close to each other.</div>
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Several things stood out about Jha – his looks, his photo-chromatic
glasses which helped him hide his eyes or even let him sleep while classes were
in progress, the diversity of his experience compared to the typical MBA
student! Many of our classmates had probably never heard of the CPI-ML, let
alone been a member. I recall one occasion on which a professor asked how many
students had a rural address, and Jha was the only one who put up his hand. Jha
used to hang out with the senior, scholarly yet rebellious doctoral students
who held forth on the philosophy of management thought and life.<o:p></o:p></div>
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While at IIMA, Jha and I used to attend every seminar we
could. So, we got exposure to a wide variety of subjects and speakers. But,
neither he nor I became great researchers in the traditional academic sense. I
think we just enjoyed the exposure and the discussions.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipsixuWxgAMWKkcDOGyzFRMAbY0DG6qYBmR07DyEhgKhVa04OEGkYWEN9TStEwPhq7DYxCwYiUTwdAKsMi8RdM5Qv5FudBMlmyvAkeK1IdzEnrSJnZE9jv9uUDXwrpSGXLTLrOGXJ1I54/s1600/Vjha2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipsixuWxgAMWKkcDOGyzFRMAbY0DG6qYBmR07DyEhgKhVa04OEGkYWEN9TStEwPhq7DYxCwYiUTwdAKsMi8RdM5Qv5FudBMlmyvAkeK1IdzEnrSJnZE9jv9uUDXwrpSGXLTLrOGXJ1I54/s320/Vjha2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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As evidenced by his Facebook posts today, Jha is a member of
multiple worlds. One is the world of Maithili literature. Jha is an
accomplished poet himself, and has been published by the Sahitya Akademi. He
has also translated books into Hindi. I tried to persuade him to translate my
book From Jugaad to Systematic Innovation into Hindi but didn’t succeed in
doing so. Maybe he would have done it if it were fiction. I often ask myself
how strong is the dividing line between fiction and non-fiction – after all,
even non-fiction is based on the lens through which you see things. But, may be
Jha doesn’t see it that way.</div>
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Jha has been a member of the faculty at IIM Calcutta since
he finished FPM at IIMA. Kolkata has always been the gateway to the east, and
his location has helped him remain in close contact with his home. He has also
become a fluent speaker of Bengali. Kolkata has a good number of literary and
cultural events, and it’s a clear sign of Jha’s cultural interests that he has
managed to attend these in spite of the fact that IIMC is miles away from the
centre of town. That’s quite unlike many contemporary management academics who
lead a much more sequestered life.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Over the time I have known him, Jha has been a compulsive
giver, particularly of macabre films. But the fun part is that he doesn’t see
them as violent or offensive. Maybe that just comes from being a writer and a
film buff.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Many years ago, in an article in EPW, Ramachandra Guha
bemoaned the loss of the bilingual intellectual. Guha spoke too soon – Jha can
be an intellectual in Maithili, Hindi and Bengali in addition to English! But
if I have one regret, it’s that Jha (like many other Indian scholars) has been
more in the Indian oral tradition than a great writer as far as management is
concerned. From talking to him, and seeing the feedback of his students, I can
see that he has lots of interesting insights into management and organizations,
but few of these have found their way into print. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Reflecting his left leanings, Jha has always been quick to
take the side of the underdog. I can remember one warm afternoon many summers
ago when he and another friend of ours derided the IT industry for creating
cybercoolies. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>A Change-Maker</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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Another friend who turned 50 recently, is an equally weighty
academic. Dheeraj Sanghi was technically one batch junior to me at IIT Kanpur,
but we graduated in the same year as he did a 4-year BTech, and I did a 5-year
integrated MSc programme. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLejSAGku15Wmjxq8Rlq6aVQ2nARloJ4sZQxero5jlrxzBM1ygFUpfM3-w3eSCAyUIrYNCNwsrRU8ftCCPiNVisTcGFLn-UoiUvNLTDlMsAW0Y93svZ72jWOrF8uUew4NZ1ANRK-c_LBI/s1600/DS2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLejSAGku15Wmjxq8Rlq6aVQ2nARloJ4sZQxero5jlrxzBM1ygFUpfM3-w3eSCAyUIrYNCNwsrRU8ftCCPiNVisTcGFLn-UoiUvNLTDlMsAW0Y93svZ72jWOrF8uUew4NZ1ANRK-c_LBI/s320/DS2.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
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I got to know Dheeraj thanks to another friend, Pramath
Sinha. We were building our team for the Cultural Festival and Pramath brought
in Dheeraj to manage our finances. Dheeraj was active in student politics , and
so was I, but I got to know him well only after he became a member of our
Festival team (he did a great job!).</div>
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After a PhD at Maryland, Dheeraj returned to our alma mater
and has been a faculty member there ever since. Like Jha, Dheeraj is also a
straight talker, and not one given to excessive diplomacy and tact. But he has
been fiercely loyal to IITK and has put tremendous effort into sustaining its
best traditions. As Dean of Academic Affairs over the last few years, he was an
enthusiastic innovator, with all his efforts directed towards helping IITK achieve
the best academic standards.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Dheeraj has never been afraid to experiment. He took a
couple of years off to head the LN Mittal Institute of Technology in Jaipur,
and though I couldn’t visit him during that stint, from what he told me it is
clear he managed to try out a lot of new things there as well. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Dheeraj just moved to IIIT Delhi for a couple of years. IIIT
Delhi already has a creative leader at its helm. But Pankaj Jalote should watch
out, Dheeraj will soon be ready to unleash his ideas there as well.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Dheeraj’s commitment to engineering education has been
evident from his blog. He has waded into controversial issues like the
two-stage JEE process with gusto and has always managed to provide very logical
and thought-provoking analyses.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtjSNyfv1_SX93RxAnFDNCtiYPUPv4ST2Jfj2SENgq3jPQcJ_o9NBCG9aUqO0ZDzOA1bW3IsbQZm8qrmICrfXBKkpX220gU2O6ZzHEDyk_Oaq17YzTZZaYIYEGFVWtiIpb7gwBsKxSqFQ/s1600/Dheeraj+Sanghi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtjSNyfv1_SX93RxAnFDNCtiYPUPv4ST2Jfj2SENgq3jPQcJ_o9NBCG9aUqO0ZDzOA1bW3IsbQZm8qrmICrfXBKkpX220gU2O6ZzHEDyk_Oaq17YzTZZaYIYEGFVWtiIpb7gwBsKxSqFQ/s320/Dheeraj+Sanghi.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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One of Dheeraj’s other passions has been the Indian
Railways. He travels long distances (by train, of course) to attend conferences
of other rail buffs like himself. He explores the myriad options available on
the IRCTC ticketing website, sometimes landing up in all sorts of trouble as a
result, and he then has to valiantly try to recover his money using various
clauses of the Railway manual.</div>
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I am surprised that Dheeraj hasn’t figured in the recent
round of IIT director appointments. Maybe he is too outspoken. But, time is on
his side, and I hope the country will take advantage of his energy and vast
reservoir of ideas to build one of our institutions.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>It’s been my privilege to know Jha and Dheeraj. As they
cross 50, here’s wishing them many more years of creative endeavours.</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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Rishikesha Krishnanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07450841047810068098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7866956656308919361.post-86610100531358166012015-05-18T02:13:00.001-07:002015-05-18T02:13:04.746-07:00Lessons from Jagdish Sheth on what it takes to be a management guru<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Jagdish Sheth's autobiography - <i><b>The Accidental Scholar</b></i> - gives useful insights into what it takes to become a management guru. More <a href="http://www.foundingfuel.com/article/what-does-it-take-to-become-a-management-guru/">here</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTIQUAUc-ro6PjrBhLGyyMcXtwXDQAebobXn_2x2sgexN4pO_ZDC-ocMytYxOgVYwbQV2uIdEs9bvDol5XdLSgeyVKFzms2-lHvKFjqrH0CoFMNLvHPsVSEdiH3mzgvEBjONziXEe7-Hg/s1600/accidental_scholar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTIQUAUc-ro6PjrBhLGyyMcXtwXDQAebobXn_2x2sgexN4pO_ZDC-ocMytYxOgVYwbQV2uIdEs9bvDol5XdLSgeyVKFzms2-lHvKFjqrH0CoFMNLvHPsVSEdiH3mzgvEBjONziXEe7-Hg/s320/accidental_scholar.jpg" width="192" /></a></div>
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Rishikesha Krishnanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07450841047810068098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7866956656308919361.post-64637516381102630912015-04-26T05:36:00.003-07:002015-04-26T05:36:48.288-07:00Creating a Distinctive Identity for Indian Management Education<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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How should the Indian B-school and MBA program of 2015 be
distinctive? And what can our business education offer to the rest of the
world? These are two questions that flashed across my mind as I attended MBA
Universe’s Asian Management Conclave (AMC) at Singapore recently.<o:p></o:p></div>
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For my answers to these questions, read <a href="http://www.foundingfuel.com/article/how-to-create-an-indian-mba/">this</a>. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkCYJuakQr-xoAAAkQxp87TRhQ8_yg1iOKDwJ_Lv7DWg4xOcs8bFEKurY1cqyGDCtc_-55INMMQyvxVFbMgiuMw4iWCHbXD9JL-2qGUoVgoGK2RG_l_tCHIsnTq8XzhwmGY-Lph4uqieA/s1600/DSC_7684.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkCYJuakQr-xoAAAkQxp87TRhQ8_yg1iOKDwJ_Lv7DWg4xOcs8bFEKurY1cqyGDCtc_-55INMMQyvxVFbMgiuMw4iWCHbXD9JL-2qGUoVgoGK2RG_l_tCHIsnTq8XzhwmGY-Lph4uqieA/s1600/DSC_7684.JPG" height="141" width="320" /></a></div>
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Rishikesha Krishnanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07450841047810068098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7866956656308919361.post-52074147305019809632015-03-29T18:57:00.003-07:002015-03-29T18:57:46.430-07:00VidyaGyan: Allowing Indian Talent to Flower and Bloom<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The Shiv Nadar Foundation's VidyaGyan schools bring the best school education to bright students who can't afford it.<br />
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My latest post on VidyaGyan is available <a href="http://foundingfuel.com/article/vidyagyan-allowing-indian-talent-to-flower-and-bloom/">here</a><br />
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Rishikesha Krishnanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07450841047810068098noreply@blogger.com0