Vijay Govindarajan's Blog tag:www.vijaygovindarajan.com,2010://1 2010-07-24T05:16:21Z Strategic Innovation, Industry Transformation, & Global Leadership Movable Type 3.2 HBR Blog: Could an Indian Hospital Help the U.S. Cut Health Care Costs? tag:www.vijaygovindarajan.com,2010://1.59 2010-07-24T05:05:52Z 2010-07-24T05:16:21Z 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... Vijay Govindarajan 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 >>

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]]> HBR Blog: Affordable School Lunches tag:www.vijaygovindarajan.com,2010://1.58 2010-07-13T01:48:04Z 2010-07-13T01:51:33Z 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.... Vijay Govindarajan 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 >>

]]> HBR: Reverse Innovation in Action: Romanian Cars from a French Company on the German Autobahn tag:www.vijaygovindarajan.com,2010://1.57 2010-05-22T08:40:09Z 2010-05-22T08:42:21Z 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... Vijay Govindarajan 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 >>

]]> HBR: Reverse Innovation Success in the Telecom Sector tag:www.vijaygovindarajan.com,2010://1.56 2010-05-13T04:33:03Z 2010-05-13T04:54:17Z 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... Vijay Govindarajan 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 >>

]]> Remembering CK tag:www.vijaygovindarajan.com,2010://1.55 2010-05-07T16:40:14Z 2010-05-07T19:33:02Z 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... Vijay Govindarajan

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.

]]> HBR: "Nitin Nohria: A Signature Appointment" tag:www.vijaygovindarajan.com,2010://1.54 2010-05-07T15:29:20Z 2010-05-07T15:39:36Z 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... Vijay Govindarajan 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 >>

]]> HBR: "What Poor Countries Can Teach Rich Ones About Health Care" tag:www.vijaygovindarajan.com,2010://1.53 2010-04-28T08:31:09Z 2010-04-28T08:37:11Z 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... Vijay Govindarajan 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.

]]> HBR Blog: Modern Strategy and Hinduism tag:www.vijaygovindarajan.com,2010://1.52 2010-04-17T18:12:51Z 2010-04-17T18:23:00Z A connection between strategic thinking and Hinduism. See what you think >>... Vijay Govindarajan A connection between strategic thinking and Hinduism.

See what you think >>

]]> Upcoming Events: 2010 tag:www.vijaygovindarajan.com,2010://1.51 2010-04-14T03:04:44Z 2010-04-14T03:32:55Z 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... Vijay Govindarajan 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

]]> HBR: Why Open Immigration Is Good For America tag:www.vijaygovindarajan.com,2010://1.50 2010-03-26T19:32:29Z 2010-03-26T19:35:29Z 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... Vijay Govindarajan 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 >>

]]> BusinessWeek: What Shaun White Teaches Business tag:www.vijaygovindarajan.com,2010://1.49 2010-03-25T18:03:11Z 2010-03-25T18:04:54Z 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 >>... Vijay Govindarajan 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 >>

]]> Microfinance, Mega Impact tag:www.vijaygovindarajan.com,2010://1.48 2010-03-16T22:05:59Z 2010-03-16T22:09:24Z 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... Vijay Govindarajan 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?

]]> How Haiti is Helping America tag:www.vijaygovindarajan.com,2010://1.47 2010-03-06T04:13:11Z 2010-03-06T05:02:35Z "...Partners in Health has in effect created a laboratory for medical innovations in poor countries that have potential applications in rich countries. PIH has established a community-based model of care that is now being examined as a leading health-care delivery... Vijay Govindarajan "...Partners in Health has in effect created a laboratory for medical innovations in poor countries that have potential applications in rich countries. PIH has established a community-based model of care that is now being examined as a leading health-care delivery model in the developed world."

To see how reverse innovation applies to health services, read How Haiti is Helping America >>

]]> Lessons Learned from Shaun White tag:www.vijaygovindarajan.com,2010://1.46 2010-02-27T01:20:36Z 2010-02-27T01:27:10Z What can business learn from Olympic superhero Shaun White? See: Lessons from the Half-Pipe >>... Vijay Govindarajan What can business learn from Olympic superhero Shaun White?

See: Lessons from the Half-Pipe >>

]]> Have We Lost the Will to Compete? tag:www.vijaygovindarajan.com,2010://1.45 2010-02-18T20:44:06Z 2010-02-18T20:48:18Z I just posted a blog entry on the Harvard Business Review titled "The U.S. Must Grab the Lead on Green". Take a look, and please submit your comments on the site. What must we do to get back in the... Vijay Govindarajan I just posted a blog entry on the Harvard Business Review titled "The U.S. Must Grab the Lead on Green".

Take a look, and please submit your comments on the site. What must we do to get back in the "race"?

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