In 1995, the famous Aravind Eye Hospital in Madurai, India, developed a course that would give lay people basic skills needed for maintenance of ophthalmic instruments. The result? Soon, they were able to care for equipment at a fraction of the cost it would have taken to create a separate, specialized service staff.

Seemingly small process changes can make a huge difference to a resource-strapped organization, and can often be exported to wealthier settings. Learn how management ideas from poor countries can transform management practices in the rich world >>

Posted by Vijay Govindarajan at 12:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Can you imagine living on a budget of $28 for lunch at work for a whole year?

The Akshaya Patra Foundation in India has found a way to feed a child daily for the entire school year on just $28. Add an average government subsidy of 50 percent, and $28 ends up feeding two children for the year. This is a fraction of the cost of similar programs in other parts of the world.

Read the blog post at HBR >>

Posted by Vijay Govindarajan at 08:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Imagine you're German, you need a new family car, and you have a limited budget — say, US$9,400. What can you do? Continue using public transportation? Buy a used car? Or maybe buy a brand-new Dacia Logan!

Read the entire post at Harvard Business Review >>

Posted by Vijay Govindarajan at 03:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The story of how Bharti Airtel Limited, the largest telecom service provider in India, chose to strategically outsource its core functions is nothing short of a fairy tale.

For a typical telecom operator, the pain point during the growth phase is planning for network requirements and preparing budgets for such a capital expenditure. Capacity has to be built ahead of demand, which usually means the telecom operator has to absorb the cost of unused capacity.

But Bharti changed the game >>

Posted by Vijay Govindarajan at 11:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Not a day goes by when I am not reminded in some way of my friend and mentor, C.K. Prahalad.

For those of you who have been asking about CK's passing, I'd like to refer you to a number of tributes written by CK's friends and colleagues. I wrote one for the Times of India: A scholar who lived his theories and another for the Economic Times: CK Prahalad: Celebrating a great life.

See also: CK Prahalad: The Inclusive Visionary and CK Prahalad – The Man in Forbes India.

The folks at HBR have created a special section devoted to him, and Adi Ignatius has penned a tribute here.

We miss you, CK.

Posted by Vijay Govindarajan at 11:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

It was September 3, 1974. I walked into Aldrich Hall, extraordinarily excited to be a student in the MBA program at the Harvard Business School. There were four Indians out of a class of 900. If someone had told me then that an Indian would one day become the dean of HBS, my reaction would have been: "Get serious!"

How things have changed. The top job in our profession is the dean of the Harvard Business School. By appointing Nitin Nohria to be the 10th HBS dean, Harvard President Drew Faust has created a signature moment for America, and for the Harvard Business School.

Read my post in HBR >>

Posted by Vijay Govindarajan at 10:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Currently, Harvard Business Reviewis running an online forum on megatrends in health care. One of the megatrends is medical innovations in emerging economies, such as China and India. HBR asked me to write a blog post on this topic. You might find it of interest:

What Poor Countries Can Teach Rich Ones About Health Care

As always, feel free to add a comment, observation, or suggestion below the entry.

Posted by Vijay Govindarajan at 03:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A connection between strategic thinking and Hinduism.

See what you think >>

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Here's a list of some of my upcoming public engagements. Thanks for asking about them, and I look forward to seeing some of you in person!

1. May 5 FRONT END OF INNOVATION, Seaport Boston Hotel. My topic: Strategy Is Innovation

2. June 18 Distinguished Leadership and Innovation Conference, Trinidad, West Indies, (Organized by Arthur Lok Jack Graduate School of Business, The University of West Indies) My topic: Strategy For Creating The Future

3. August 17 Santiago, Chile and Aug 19 Bogota Columbia: CEO Management Summit. (Organized by Seminarium International) My topic: Strategy As Changing The Rules Of the Global Game

4. Oct 5 World Business Forum Radio City Music Hall. (Organized by HSM) My Topic: Reverse Innovation

5. Nov 9 Expomanagement. Sao Paulo Brazil. (Organized by HSM) My topic: Global Mindset

Posted by Vijay Govindarajan at 10:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Now that President Obama has signed the health care reform bill into law, Congress's attention will be turning to immigration reform. Not a moment too soon, from my point of view. Immigration is central to American innovation, both historically and in the very recent past — and innovation, in turn, is central to maintaining leadership in the world's markets. Now more than ever, the "welcome mat" for immigrants needs to be out.

More at HBR >>

Posted by Vijay Govindarajan at 02:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

What do U.S. President Jack Kennedy, snowboarder Shaun White, and Indian tycoon Ratan Tata have in common? A dream and a desire to push beyond the expected.

Read the column >>

Posted by Vijay Govindarajan at 01:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Microfinance is more than an innovative scheme to provide loans to poor people. At its core, it's about individual empowerment and dignity. Here is a story about one such example >>

Please let me know what you think; do you agree with my point? Or do you have another point of view you'd like to share?

Posted by Vijay Govindarajan at 05:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)