Innovations from India
We listen to stories about innovation from all over the world, and we also listen to stories about our very own Indian brand of innovation – jugaad. There is, however, a question that always lurks in the minds of new and fresh executives. What was the CEO of a particular company thinking while making a particular decision?
With Innovation Secrets of Indian CEOs, author Rekha Shetty brings a few answers to this question to the readers. After writing about the innovation process, and innovation in different departments, Shetty brings to you fifty innovation secrets that she has learnt from different CEOs of the various companies. The cover of the book says that “A life time in the field of innovation has given her a ring side view of Indian Innovation and the principles that govern it.”
Each secret first begins with a story or an essay, and shows the need and the essence of the innovation, and why the innovation is so important. Even though each story is provided in a size of a digestible two-page or three-page description, the book forms a power house in the form of the lessons there are to learn from it for the reader, brining the methods of the CEOs into limelight.
With each story, the reader understands that to think out of the box, you need a vision and adopt a different perspective. Considering innovation as a managerial perspective, the author says that the when a person comes up with new ideas that break the shackles that pull the company back, a new innovation occurs.
The language is simple and understandable, but in some cases, each the of stories leave the reader with the desire for a little bit more! At such a time, the reader may tend to wish that he or she knew more about a particular innovation and that the author had devoted a few more pages to the same idea regarding implementation, rather that leaving that upon the reader.
Shetty has targetted young CEOs and others to implement these innovation within their businesses, but the book provides enough food for thought for anyone who want to think different and needs a little bit of encouragement and inspiration.
Some of the interesting innovations include: • Have a vision that embraces humanity. Management with a heart is key.
• In a public cause, involve the community. Allow no spectators. Let their fingerprints be all over the project, ensuring sustained commitment and participation.
• Think global, act local. Success lies in getting the details right.
• Be willing to wait patiently through the dark night of the innovator. After the darkest hour of night, comes the dawn.
• Respect tradition, but devote yourself to excellence. Stay young by reinventing yourself for every new generation.
• Courtesy costs you nothing. But it creates the goodwill needed for profits.
• Think about how you can build five-star facilities with three-star investment.
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