'Good is the enemy of great', six words from Jim Collins have proved to be one of the most thought provoking and powerful statements in management. I remember my days as a visiting faculty at IIPM Bangalore trying to share some basic principles on customer relationship management with young students brimming with energy to enter the corporate world.  Once I made them play a car game to help them learn the most important management lesson -'Know your customer'. This game had a few standard car parts drawn on a sheet of paper, a pair of scissors, colours and gum. They had to make a car out of the given resources and sell it to the class. The rules of the game were very simple - use only the resources given and complete the car in 25 mins. What came out from the teams was simply bizarre; almost everyone in their attempt to make a higher sales pitch was over promising or rather lying to customers/the class about things which were not even given as resources!

 

So where does it all begin from in an organization? "Our turnaround at Xerox was the result of staying connected with our customers", says Anne Mulcahy, CEO of Xerox.  Every single day, every single person is a customer for umpteen products and services, yet most of us tend to forget the very fundamental role of being a customer when we become sellers! Strange as it may sound, such is the market of buyers and sellers. Most companies would have elaborate strategic and operational plans but they tend to overlook the linkages of these strategic and operational plans when it comes to the customer! The customer without which we won't even exist. Being a customer-centric organization is no rocket science, because its not a science at all, it's an art, an art which requires discipline in all dimensions right from the very obvious to the not so obvious domains with one sole focus - the customer.

 

Everyday, choices are made in going for one product over the other, one service over the other and the general tendency of any organization is to go to the next customer without ever trying to find out why a customer chose someone else's product or service over theirs. Were the differences too obvious for the customer? Or were the differentiators we claimed not obvious or good enough for the customer? These are the questions we continuously need to ask ourselves as an organization; because good is the enemy of great and few ever  become great, becoming great is a matter of conscious choice and discipline!                                                          

At M&M, we can clearly see the connection between our brand image and that of our country. Just like our country, we as a company have broken the shackles of a stereotypical image and are being taken seriously as a global player. Not to forget that we started off almost in the same time period - when our country attained independence. Both of us have transformed a lot in the past six decades and have shown great potential and fuel to go further.

As a kid I had a great fascination with the globe. Observing it and trying to figure out details about strangely named places, it was all about giving food to my thoughts...to my dreams.

What is it that fascinates a business-conglomerate to go global? Business, growth, money... some will even say fame and brand building. But then there is also another aspect to it - recognition. Recognition for both the company itself and for the country it belongs to. The very fact that a company calls itself a 'German-Multinational' or a 'Japanese-Multinational' reflects this point. You may call it some sort of symbiosis, where the company uses its country as an initial brand-ambassador and then thrives to become a brand-ambassador for the country itself. For example, one of the first thoughts that came to mind on mentioning Japan is its electronics heavyweights. For automobiles pioneers it's Germany and Italy.

MNC Products as a reflection of Culture and Ethos

Mahindra & Mahindra is experiencing the same in the automotive sector with its increasing global presence. Today, when we enter a new global market, we are seen as an Indian company. A company that brings, with its name, the images of Indian culture, colours, tradition, hospitality and even music and spices. M&M today stands as one of the few foremost flag bearers of a changing India. An India that is developing into a major superpower, an India that is ambitious and an India that is now prepared to embrace the world with open arms.

Catching the attention of customers in a new market can be a tricky deal and converting that attention into sales is a step further. The question is, "what is it that a customer searches for in a multinational product?" It's the cultural footprint of a different country, a country that holds a specific image in some part of his brain. He looks for the values that the company brings with it.

Being an Indian company we have the biggest advantage of our country's image as a very hospitable country, a country where one gets welcomed with a lot of warmth and love. We are also seen as a country with much diversity, shaping the expectation of getting something very different from what other companies and countries have to offer.

So what does it really mean to be 'Out of the Box' or 'Disruptive'? These have been buzz words for so long that it's almost outdated now and I guess this is the zillionth time someone's writing about it. But I'll give it a shot anyway because I believe that enough still hasn't been said or done to encourage this in everyday life.

One thing I can say for a fact is that 'Out of the Box' does not mean 'something nobody saw coming or understands and is therefore brilliant and profound!' Although that is how many people and companies have perceived it and fallen flat on their faces as a result. Remember the vacuumizer? The video phone? Or even that show on TV many years ago that allowed you to call in and pick the story ending of your choice. Who needed all of that? We look for things in life that are a lot simpler. Like Google or everyone's best friend today - Wikipedia; I mean for someone to think of a free search portal made of only contributions!! Now that's brilliance and truly disruptive.

Another case in point that I'll talk about here is a pint sized 90 something minute film called Aamir that came out a week ago out of nowhere and completely blew me away.

Almost the entire movie has been shot with one actor on the crowded streets of Dongri and Bhendi Bazaar using hidden cameras. I thought this technique was very effective because it allowed more penetration for the viewer ... as if we are really there.
The soundtrack is also edgy and interesting. Some songs have the exact opposite rhythm and feel to the scene and I thought was more 'in your face' than ever. Despite these and more interesting innovations used, the message of the film is never compromised. Objectivity is still there throughout the movie and the profoundness of the message stares at you with a thousand eyes at the end.

I end here by pointing out that new and disruptive thinking, therefore has its place in the world. If an Aamir works, it is because of its 'out of the box' dimension and 'risk taking' involved.

'Disruptivity' is going to be 'survival' tomorrow and I bet there's definitely more where all this came from. I'll certainly keep you posted on anything interesting on the topic. For starters I intend to finish the book - 'The Black Swan Theory'. And tell all about it. If it doesn't ring a bell yet, why don't you 'wiki' it? 

The British East India Company, established on December 31, 1600 was set up by the Royal Charter to trade with India. The Dutch, French and the Portuguese also had similar companies or government / royal bodies set up to trade with India. The most active of them was obviously the English one. The premise for this was that Europe was going through the Industrial Revolution and needed raw materials to feed the industries and markets which created end products. 

Well, that is history. Someone said, "History repeats itself". It surely does, just in the reverse. 

India is undergoing a neo-industrial revolution, if I may call it one. Indian companies are today increasing the scale of their operations, venturing into diverse fields and conquering the world, in a manner of speaking. Gone are the days when the country produced goods for the Indian market and had the Indian consumer in mind, while creating those products. 

Today Indian companies have the world in their sight. IT companies earn a majority of their money from customers located off site (read outside India). Indian automobile manufacturers like Tata Motors and Mahindra and Mahindra are exporting vehicles and capturing market share in Europe, Africa, and South America. 

Talking about scale, the first thing that comes to mind is the Reliance refinery in Jamnagar, which has become a hub to process Middle-East oil for south East Asian countries. This is one of the largest refineries in the world. Indian railways, the largest employer in the world manages the largest and busiest network in the world. In the forging space, the largest and the third largest forging companies (Bharat Forge and Mahindra Forging respectively), in terms of capacities are both Indian companies. India is already the second largest market for mobile phones in the world and would become the largest market in a short while. 

But there is a long way to go, for Indian companies to be truly global and be able to say "the sun never sets on the British empire". We need to be at par with our Japanese and European counterparts in terms of quality. Indians are ingenious undoubtedly, but the benchmarks set by the Japanese in terms of quality are truly outstanding. There is movement in the right direction. When the Farm Equipment Sector of Mahindra and Mahindra won the Japan Quality Medal, the first tractor company to do so, it announced that Indians have arrived to take the world by storm. 

The question thus arises..."can Indian companies be as successful as the Company Bahadur?" - That is something all the fortune tellers and the stock brokers of the world want to predict. But one thing is for sure...the Indian ability to adapt to changing environments, think and care about fellow beings and society at large will go a long way in determining the future success of Indian companies. 

India has the largest middle class of close to 400 million people in the world...what that means is that there are 400 million people who believe in typical middle class values of honesty, hard work, loyalty, care for fellow beings, commitment to work...the list goes on. The other Indians, though not typecast, follow the same motto in life. These values will drive Indian businesses to be successful in the global arena. 

These companies, unlike the erstwhile East India Company, are not conquering countries. Instead, they are conquering the business arena. Indian companies are acquiring foreign companies in almost every space. Companies in IT, steel, automotive and the automotive components sector have all registered acquisitions outside India. Indian real estate consortium have bagged contracts to build international airports. Today, Indian companies are conquering foreign shores but via market share, not land.

Many of you would have read the article "Save the Girl Child, pleads Manmohan" in Times Of India on April 29th, 2008. I couldn't help but agonize over it. Here we are living in the 20th century, the year is 2008, and to hear such a plea from the Prime Minister of our country to stop the "inhuman and uncivilized practice" of female foeticide depicts the truly remorseful state of girls in our nation. India's child sex ratio (i.e. number of girls per 1000 boys ) is only 927, and states like Punjab and Haryana are among the worst offenders with child sex ratios of only 798 and 819! The norm is usually a higher number of girls compared to boys.
 
While our government is tackling this grievous situation by cracking down on medical practitioners and enforcing the Pre-Conception and Pre-natal Diagnostics Techniques Act which makes it illegal to reveal the sex of the child before it is born, is this the sustainable solution?

How about empowering the girl child by educating her? Discrimination against the girl child may begin before the girl is born in India, but it persists in the event she is allowed to be born. She is normally housebound and as a result of gender stereotyping is confined to doing household chores such as cooking, cleaning, fetching water, looking after younger siblings or elderly and sick relatives. Education is considered to be of secondary importance, and is only given consideration if there are no costs attached to it. While government schools are free, parents balk even at the costs of uniforms, notebooks etc and would rather not send their girls to school than pay for these. It's no wonder then that the drop out rate for girls in India even at primary school level is almost 40%!

 

While many Not for Profits are working on stemming this drop out rate, the Mahindra group, through their Nanhi Kali project, have encouraged corporates and individuals to participate in this change process by sponsoring a girl's education. For a sum as little as Rs 1800 or $65, the Nanhi Kali project provides not only academic support to the girls but also provides them with material support in the form of uniforms, school bags, notebooks and even underclothes. Our implementation partner, Naandi Foundation works within the community and sensitizes them on gender issues.

 

 

 

 

 

On a recent trip to a Nanhi Kali project area in an impoverished tribal area in Udaipur, Anita, a differently abled Nanhi Kali pulled me aside and lead me to her home. The project worker told me that Anita was studying in the 7th Std and is considered the brightest girl in her class. Anita's home consisted of a 2 room muddy hut, of which one room had no walls. The second room was dark, dingy with no windows or ventilation. Apart from a couple of utensils, Anita's house was completely bare. Later I was stunned to hear that the only clothes Anita possessed were the 2 pairs of uniforms given to her from Nanhi Kali!

Anita has the potential to become a software engineer. She has the potential to transform not only her life, but that of her family as well.

 

Through the Nanhi Kali project, we will ensure this happens. We will educate her, teach her life skills, and groom her to become the role model for her community. Once she becomes independent and a bread winner, and takes care of her family, wouldn't the community look at her with a different mindset? Would they still think of killing their girls?

 

Or would this triggmer a sustainable change?

Join the Nanhi Kali movement at www.nanhikali.org  to be a part of this change process.

Former Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, Dr. Shashi Tharoor, addresses students and faculty of the Mahindra United World College of India (MUWCI) in Pune, India. Dr. Tharoor was a special guest at the inauguration of the Van Vihar Biodiversity Park & Reserve which aims to preserve and protect the flora and fauna of the Western Ghats region.

 

 
The medium of television revolutionized the delivery of entertainment, opinions and news. It was the first step towards bringing the world into people's homes, albeit in black and white to begin with. My generation will remember the Sunday evening Hindi movie or the Friday night Chhaya Geet. They may remember Sarita Sethi's crisp delivery of the 9 o'clock Hindi news or the dulcet eyes of Luku Sanyal delivering the 10 o'clock one in English. Sabira Merchant's What's the Good Word was perhaps India's first game show. And no Parsi worth their Dhansak would miss Adi Marzban's rollicking variety entertainment show - Avo Mari Sathe (Come Along With Me.)

Television brought a sense of immediacy to news and created an entirely new dimension for spreading information. While the Internet has changed some paradigms and will continue to do so, the 40 year old television re-invents itself continuously to be the pride of place in most living rooms.

While corporates explore new ways of internal communications, very few corporates (none so far in India) have used the potency of television to their advantage. MMTV is our very own Internal television, which if used effectively can ease the challenges of integrating our rapidly expanding organisation. Smart programming can unite the vast diversity that exists in the Mahindra Group today - both geographical and cultural. Interviews, story boards and features can transfer Mahindra values from companies that have been part of our Group historically to younger ones.

While we explore different technologies to bring TV programming to all the units in our organization and set up an in-house MMTV Studio, we are open to ideas on content. I have been the first reporter on MMTV (I wonder if anyone will remember me as fondly as I remember Luku and Adi.) but we need more reporters to captures news, views and stories "breaking" in the various companies that belong to our organisation. Breaking News, News you can Use; but NO Saas Bahu blues, mind you!

 

At Mahindra Lifespace Developers Ltd. (MLDL), we are striving to be energy efficient and quality conscious with reference to our products and processes.  We have taken the initiative to "Go Green" for all our Residential Building Projects in India. Four of our projects so far are now registered for the prestigious LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification for green buildings, making us the FIRST Residential Building Developer in India for LEED - Precertification of the Projects. We have also signed an MOU with CII-GBC for feasibility studies for all-ongoing projects.

 

But what does all this mean for the families that wish to own spaces we build?

We would like to provide avenues and opportunities for them to truly conserve energy and live in an environment that safeguards the future.

 

In this post we would like to take the opportunity to share with you MLDL's vision for a sustainable future and hope to talk a lot more in our subsequent posts about our green initiatives in more detail.

 

Green Buildings and its benefits to residents

Green Building is a design and construction practice that promotes the economic health and well being of your family, the community and the environment. A green home incorporates smart design, technology, construction and maintenance elements to significantly lessen the negative impact of the home on the environment in five broad areas as mentioned below and improve the health of the people who live inside.

 

• Sustainable sites
• Water efficiency
• Energy efficiency and atmosphere
• Environmental Friendly Materials and resources
• Indoor Environmental quality

One of the main benefits of Green Building is that a high-energy low emissivity glass will be installed in all fenestration, which will have low SHGC (Solar Heat Gain Co-efficient). This kind of glass has high light transmission ratio with low shading coefficient and in turn induces more day light effect than normal glasses. Due to low SHGC, entire fenestration system will reduce the energy requirement for indoor air-conditioning substantially in comparison with normal fenestration. 

 

As a mandatory part of Green Building development more emphasis is also given for optimal Indoor Environmental Quality to ensure healthy living spaces for our customers.

 

To ensure proper indoor environmental quality we are improving the ventilation effectiveness by providing open-able window space to floor ration more than 15% (as against 4% stipulated by ASHRAE (The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers/ ECBC (Energy Conservation Building Code, Government of India). We are using low VOC* (Volatile Organic Compound) paints, adhesives and insulations inside the flats for improved moisture management. It also increases the Occupants productivity.

 

The terrace roof will be covered with the high - albedo - insulating material having SRI (Solar Reflectance Index) value more than 78 to reduce the heat absorption and energy demand for air-conditioning.

 

Outside the building an innovative erosion and sedimentation control management system will be developed with a rain water harvesting system with storm water management to recharge the ground water. An in-house STP (Sewage Treatment Plan) will be installed to reuse the wastewater generated from the building and thus reducing the water demand.

 

All the above initiatives will create a healthy living space for our customers and result in interactive effects of energy efficiency measures.

 

Green materials we propose to use at MLDL:

 

1.       High energy efficient, Low U Glass

2.       Flyash bricks / blocks

3.       Low VOC paints, sealants and adhesives

4.       High Solar Reflectance Index (SRI) insulation material on Roof

5.       CFC Free refrigerants

6.       Recycled steel, Aluminium, tiles etc.

 

*VOCs are chemical compounds that contribute to air pollution inside and outside of buildings. VOCs react with Sunlight and nitrogen in the atmosphere at room temperature to form "Ground Level Ozone", a chemical that has a detrimental effect on Human Health. Ozone damages Lung Tissue, reduces lung function. Application of VOCs also affects outdoor air quality, creating Smog and producing an unhealthy environment. W.H.O. reports that indoor air pollution causes 14 times more deaths than outdoor air pollution.

 Another major energy efficient benefit of Green building is that Flyash based concrete bricks/blocks of low energy density will be used for internal as well as external walls which will be covered with cement mortar plaster having Polypropylene Fibres and Water Proofing Admixtures. This kind of building envelope will protect the building from water leakage and act as better insulation. Thus we are creating a building envelope to reduce energy demand for air-conditioning system installed by our customers.