I recently came across an article published by BCG on this topic. Its fascinating. A few perspectives i enjoyed from the articles are:
The importance of nonsense can hardly be overstated. The more clearly we experience something as "nonsense", the more clearly we are experiencing the boundaries of our own self-imposed cognitive structures. "Nonsense" is that which does not fit into the prearranged patterns which we have superimposed on reality. There is no such thing as "nonsense" apart from a judgmental intellect which calls it that.
Those who establish the established lines of thought, however, are those who do not fear to venture boldly into nonsense, into that which any fool could have told them is clearly not so. This is the mark of the creative mind; in fact, this is the creative process. It is characterized by a steadfast confidence that there exists a point of view from which the "nonsense" is not nonsense at all - in fact, from which it is obvious.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Monday, July 9, 2007
Drinking water from a hosepipe
An one year MBA programme is really like drinking water from a hosepipe. That too doing the programme from a school of the stature of ISB brings with it a lot of challenges..
We get the best of the professors and are exposed to the latest in management thinking. To get the best out of this requires lot of effort, commitment, intellectual curiosity and guts. Some people get overwhelmed by this information overload and stop learning. Some others are so much caught up in the details that they just forget the big picture and miss the woods for the trees.
In my view i think a balanced approach to this would do a lot of good. Everything that is taught need not be in our area of interest. But it is important to know that such things do exist. Even a mere knowledge that something exists will help us become better managers than not knowing at all. Moreover as future leaders of organizations we can always hire specific talent for a functional role, but we may not be in a position to get the best out of others if we are ourselves unaware of the possibilities.
My two cents for all the future MBA aspirants, think a few hundred times why you need to do an MBA? Don't do it unless you get a clear and a compelling reason. Because its this clarity that will help you cruise through this course. It is this clarity which will give you the special power to drink water from a hosepipe and enjoy it too..
We get the best of the professors and are exposed to the latest in management thinking. To get the best out of this requires lot of effort, commitment, intellectual curiosity and guts. Some people get overwhelmed by this information overload and stop learning. Some others are so much caught up in the details that they just forget the big picture and miss the woods for the trees.
In my view i think a balanced approach to this would do a lot of good. Everything that is taught need not be in our area of interest. But it is important to know that such things do exist. Even a mere knowledge that something exists will help us become better managers than not knowing at all. Moreover as future leaders of organizations we can always hire specific talent for a functional role, but we may not be in a position to get the best out of others if we are ourselves unaware of the possibilities.
My two cents for all the future MBA aspirants, think a few hundred times why you need to do an MBA? Don't do it unless you get a clear and a compelling reason. Because its this clarity that will help you cruise through this course. It is this clarity which will give you the special power to drink water from a hosepipe and enjoy it too..
Contact lens for Chickens
Weird... you may think. But its true. We recently learnt about a company which makes contact lens for chicken. But of course this lens is not for bettering the vision, its actually for partially blinding a chicken. Apparently this increases the lifespan of a chicken and gives a host of other benefits.
We learnt a lot of management stuff by doing this case.. but apart from all these, i was amazed by the sheer ingenuity of human thinking. Who could have ever thought of making a contact lens for a chicken and trying to make money out of it too..
It reinforces my belief that there is no dream too large, no innovation unimaginable and no frontiers beyond our reach..
P.S: If you think i was fooling around check out www.opticaldistortion.com
We learnt a lot of management stuff by doing this case.. but apart from all these, i was amazed by the sheer ingenuity of human thinking. Who could have ever thought of making a contact lens for a chicken and trying to make money out of it too..
It reinforces my belief that there is no dream too large, no innovation unimaginable and no frontiers beyond our reach..
P.S: If you think i was fooling around check out www.opticaldistortion.com
Sunday, July 8, 2007
The Damocles sword
In Greek mythology this refers to the sharpened sword which hung directly above the head of Damocles (A courtier in the court of Dionysius), held in its place only by a single strand of horsehair. The expression "Damocles Sword" is a frequently used allusion to this tale, epitomizing the imminent and ever present peril faced by those in power.
We have a modern version of this in ISB too... Most of our assignments have unearthly deadlines such as midnight, 2 AM etc. We are expected to drop a finished copy of our assignments in a wooden box (very much like a post box) which is usually kept somewhere near the atrium (the centre of the school). This box would make its initial presence somewhere 36 - 48 hrs before the deadline and would dematerialize at the appointed hour. Any assignment which does not find its place in this box by the deadline, is not graded.
These boxes have become very much a part of our lives now-a-days and remind me of the Damocles sword. Their very appearance makes us realize the ever present peril and steals away our little joys...
On my way back to the room, I just spotted another sword... :-(
We have a modern version of this in ISB too... Most of our assignments have unearthly deadlines such as midnight, 2 AM etc. We are expected to drop a finished copy of our assignments in a wooden box (very much like a post box) which is usually kept somewhere near the atrium (the centre of the school). This box would make its initial presence somewhere 36 - 48 hrs before the deadline and would dematerialize at the appointed hour. Any assignment which does not find its place in this box by the deadline, is not graded.
These boxes have become very much a part of our lives now-a-days and remind me of the Damocles sword. Their very appearance makes us realize the ever present peril and steals away our little joys...
On my way back to the room, I just spotted another sword... :-(
Saturday, July 7, 2007
I-Min
Last Sunday me and my wife watched Spideman-3 in Hyderabad Imax. It was a good movie. On my way back, i got excited about a new idea... The I-Min.
Why can't i start a new theatre chain on the concept of I-Min? This works exactly opposite to the I-max concept. I-max is all about big things.. I-Min is all about small things. There would be a very small screen in the centre, people need to use special glasses to watch the movie. These special glasses will magnify the images and bring them the theatre effect. Each seat would have headphones, so people could adjust volumes as they desire.
I can have multiple screens in the centre and can hence show different movies at the same time. Since each seat will have a personalized audio, this should not be a problem. All people watching a particular movie will be seated facing that particular scree. I dont even need a closed theatre... and hence can accomodate a much bigger audience.
Thats it... here is a theatre, which screens so many different movies at the same time. People can personalize their audio, more space, more personalization, no queues, better box office collections... Thats the world of I-Min
Dont laugh.... who knows what will happen tomorrow...When telephone was first invented and Western Union was given a chance to buy all rights for the telephone patent for just $ 100,000, its then Chairman asked "What use could this company make of an electrical toy?" :-)
Why can't i start a new theatre chain on the concept of I-Min? This works exactly opposite to the I-max concept. I-max is all about big things.. I-Min is all about small things. There would be a very small screen in the centre, people need to use special glasses to watch the movie. These special glasses will magnify the images and bring them the theatre effect. Each seat would have headphones, so people could adjust volumes as they desire.
I can have multiple screens in the centre and can hence show different movies at the same time. Since each seat will have a personalized audio, this should not be a problem. All people watching a particular movie will be seated facing that particular scree. I dont even need a closed theatre... and hence can accomodate a much bigger audience.
Thats it... here is a theatre, which screens so many different movies at the same time. People can personalize their audio, more space, more personalization, no queues, better box office collections... Thats the world of I-Min
Dont laugh.... who knows what will happen tomorrow...When telephone was first invented and Western Union was given a chance to buy all rights for the telephone patent for just $ 100,000, its then Chairman asked "What use could this company make of an electrical toy?" :-)
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Global Macro Trends
Today Mr. Dipak Jain, Dean of Kellogs delivered a talk on this subject. He is simply amazing. His life is an inspiration. Born in a small town in Assam in an ordinary family, he ends up as the first Indian to ever head a leading business school in US.
Some inetersting stuff i picked up from his speech..
When you think of competition, think beyond boundaries. Eg. For an Airline, a videoconfercing company could be a serious competitor than another airline.
The fastest growing demographic segments in Europe, Japan and US is 65+ yrs. In India it is 35-. China is also at a distinctly disadvantageous position as compared to India, because of its "one child" policy adopted earlier. China could hence get old before it gets rich and India would get rich before it gets old.
To delight the ever incresing segment of demanding customers, it is not enough if you innovate products or processes. You need to innovate business models. Eg. Google. This company realized that its customer is not the person who searches, but the website which is being searched.
He also had his share of one liners... some of which i enjoyed are..
1. Marketing is not a function. Its a mindset
2. If u enjoy what u are doing, you dont have to work
3. You are at your best when you have nothing to lose
4. Don't wait for the elevator of success, take one step at a time. Atleast you will go up
5. The challenge ahead of you is never greater than the force behind you
6. Luck is like the deck of cards you get. What you make of it is efforts
And the best one is....
People who eat square meals, end up round
Some inetersting stuff i picked up from his speech..
When you think of competition, think beyond boundaries. Eg. For an Airline, a videoconfercing company could be a serious competitor than another airline.
The fastest growing demographic segments in Europe, Japan and US is 65+ yrs. In India it is 35-. China is also at a distinctly disadvantageous position as compared to India, because of its "one child" policy adopted earlier. China could hence get old before it gets rich and India would get rich before it gets old.
To delight the ever incresing segment of demanding customers, it is not enough if you innovate products or processes. You need to innovate business models. Eg. Google. This company realized that its customer is not the person who searches, but the website which is being searched.
He also had his share of one liners... some of which i enjoyed are..
1. Marketing is not a function. Its a mindset
2. If u enjoy what u are doing, you dont have to work
3. You are at your best when you have nothing to lose
4. Don't wait for the elevator of success, take one step at a time. Atleast you will go up
5. The challenge ahead of you is never greater than the force behind you
6. Luck is like the deck of cards you get. What you make of it is efforts
And the best one is....
People who eat square meals, end up round
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Think Small
This might sound contrary to popular wisdom... But this is the advice one of our professors gave us. Most often we get caught up in dreaming big and in weaving elaborate plans that we forget to concentrate on the details...
Great ideas and great products fail because of small issues.. The B2 "Stealth Bomber" had cost billions of dollars to develop. But its design is fundamentally flawed because two aerodynamicists made a mistake.. They used mathematical formulas to determine how an aircraft’s volume should be proportioned between wing and fuselage in order to maximize its range. Taking derivative of the range with respect to the volume, they found that this derivative equaled zero when the total volume was almost all in the wing. Hence they concluded that a “flying wing” design would maximize range. What they forgot was “taking the second derivative”. This happened to be positive in this case. Thus the flying wing actually minimized the range. The flying wing was the aerodynamically worst possible choice of configuration.
Small mistake… but a rather costly failure… The devil is in the details.. Think small
Great ideas and great products fail because of small issues.. The B2 "Stealth Bomber" had cost billions of dollars to develop. But its design is fundamentally flawed because two aerodynamicists made a mistake.. They used mathematical formulas to determine how an aircraft’s volume should be proportioned between wing and fuselage in order to maximize its range. Taking derivative of the range with respect to the volume, they found that this derivative equaled zero when the total volume was almost all in the wing. Hence they concluded that a “flying wing” design would maximize range. What they forgot was “taking the second derivative”. This happened to be positive in this case. Thus the flying wing actually minimized the range. The flying wing was the aerodynamically worst possible choice of configuration.
Small mistake… but a rather costly failure… The devil is in the details.. Think small
Intro
I have updated my complete profile in the blog.
Am currently pursuing my PGP in management from ISB... This institute rocks and there are loads of interesting perspectives i pick up everyday..
I hope to share these with u all through this medium..
Am currently pursuing my PGP in management from ISB... This institute rocks and there are loads of interesting perspectives i pick up everyday..
I hope to share these with u all through this medium..
Monday, July 2, 2007
The newborn
I have never prided myself as a writer. I had never kept any dairy records till now. Most often than not, I am also very selective in sharing my views. Why then this sudden love for blogging?
Am really not sure… But one important benefit I get to derive out of this activity is that, I will get to follow my own trail of thoughts. Its thoughts that make a man. By studying my own thoughts I believe that I will be in a better position to steer them.
Whats in it for the readers…. A new perspective, world looked at from another set of glasses, a chance to interact with one of the future leader of the business world (Yes… you read it right…. If I myself don’t believe this, am sure no one else will ever buy it ;-))
Who am i? What do I do? Where am I headed?..... in my next blog.
I have never prided myself as a writer. I had never kept any dairy records till now. Most often than not, I am also very selective in sharing my views. Why then this sudden love for blogging?
Am really not sure… But one important benefit I get to derive out of this activity is that, I will get to follow my own trail of thoughts. Its thoughts that make a man. By studying my own thoughts I believe that I will be in a better position to steer them.
Whats in it for the readers…. A new perspective, world looked at from another set of glasses, a chance to interact with one of the future leader of the business world (Yes… you read it right…. If I myself don’t believe this, am sure no one else will ever buy it ;-))
Who am i? What do I do? Where am I headed?..... in my next blog.
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