What's in a name, you may ask?
Plenty, if you're a car!
Mahindra & Mahindra has just
pulled the covers off its latest project - Ingenio - to reveal the brand name
for its much anticipated new car which is all set to hit the roads by year end.
Mahindra XYLO was chosen after
extensive research as it is a perfect fit with the new car's attributes. It's
trendy and contemporary, implies luxury, high fashion and technology and has
connotations of Space, planets and the future. Mahindra XYLO will soon take its
place amongst its older siblings, the iconic Scorpio and Bolero utility
vehicles.
For more information on the
latest offering from the Mahindra stable, watch this space!
The Chinese character for
'crisis' is a combination of the symbols for 'danger' and 'opportunity'. Crisis
is, in fact, like an uninvited guest - it comes calling when you least expect
it. Yet, crisis can also be viewed from a positive angle - as an opportunity to
innovate and do better in future.
On his blog, Think | Innovate |
Execute, Gudjon Mar Gudjonsson, CEO of Industria, states that during an
economic boom, most companies and consumers choose the most obvious option,
without taking cost or long-term viability into consideration. This is usually
because it's easiest to opt for something familiar. Hence, when money isn't the
primary factor to consider, lesser known but highly innovative solutions tend
to fall by the wayside. However, once money is in short supply, both businesses
and consumers become more cost conscious and focus on long-term benefits. This helps fuel innovation, growth of new
ideas and ensures customer needs are fulfilled in as efficient a manner as
possible.
Companies can't avoid being a
part of a larger economic crisis but they can certainly use it to their
advantage by developing more robust and cost-effective processes and investing
in long-term innovation which is the ultimate differentiator when it comes to
business. The Indian Railways is perhaps
one of the best examples of successful innovation in the face of adversity.
The world's largest employer and one of the biggest and busiest rail networks
in the world, the Indian Railways was, until very recently, a loss-making
organization on the road to bankruptcy.
When Minister of Railways, Laloo
Prasad Yadav, took over the reins in 2004, he had a budget of just $200 million
with which to turn the beleaguered institution around. Instead of retrenching
staff and increasing passenger and freight fares as expected, Yadav chose to
retain the railways' large workforce and in fact, reduced fares by up to 45 per
cent with a long-term focus on building volumes. Moreover, mere increase in
capacity of a long-distance train from 800 passengers to 2,000, saw input costs
fall by over 40 per cent.
Plans are also afoot to expand
freight lines, increase their efficiency, and capture the 60 per cent of goods
that are still transported by road. In a striking example of innovation, Prasad
will also plans to use the railways to aid in India's water conservation efforts by
building siphons and canals, and pipes with water for drinking and irrigation on
the wasteland on either side of the 64,000 kilometres of track. He plans to
reduce fuel consumption by building train carriages from aluminium to reduce
their weight and electrify the main routes throughout the country.
A combination of calculated risk-taking, ingenuity, business acumen and
long-term vision has seen the Indian Railways emerge as a success story, an
example to emulate. Another instance of innovation in the face of adversity is
the increasing focus on eco-friendly technology for cars in the backdrop of rising oil prices. This has led to an increase in vehicles running
on alternative fuels such as the Alfa CNG, the Bolero Pik Up CNG and the
Bijlee, India's
first battery operated three-wheeler.
Perhaps the last word belongs to
Prasad's adviser, Sudhir Kumar who says, "We are not in the business of railways;
we are in the business of transportation - one of several modes of
transportation, and the only way to
survive and thrive in the marketplace is to offer superior and compelling value
to your customers."
I have always wondered whether the pursuit of material gain and professional growth should gain precedence over gains for the personality, the spirit, the family and the community. I come from a typical middle class Tambram family where simplicity and frugality marry well with hard work, sincerity and excellence in academic pursuits.
My parents never pushed me hard to study and do well, but study hard I did. And I did fairly well too. I started out at Godrej & Boyce as a Management Trainee at a princely stipend of Rs. 1700 per month in 1983. At that time this was considered a decent enough pay, so much so, that when my father, out of a sense of pride, took my appointment letter to show it to Shri Tarachand Barjatya the proprietor of Rajshri Pictures for whom he worked, the sethji promptly raised my father's own pay! I am quite certain that that was not my father's intention, though I have to thank Godrej for this development in our lives at that time.
Even in those days a Godrej job was not considered to be very hip. After an MBA one typically took up jobs with the likes of Hindustan Lever or Johnson & Johnson or Citibank or HSBC that gave both a career and money. I somehow never hankered after money but also felt at the same time that I had reasonably enough to live the life I wanted to. Looking back I also realize that I wanted was quite a simple life most of the times...sumptuous food, decent clothes, simple house and a job where I felt wanted.
Many of my colleagues sky rocketed in their careers within the first five years. Pradeep Kar became a very successful IT entrepreneur with his Microland. C.P. Tahiliani became the youngest General Manager at J&J. Vijayan Subramani was hand picked by Citicorp to be part of their international cadre of management trainees to be trained in Greece to become a currency dealer and a treasury professional eventually. And the list went on. Batch mates zipped around the world and came back with their stories. I listened to their anecdotes and wished I could get there someday too.
It was around this time that I adopted and understood the phrase that I am about to state.
YOU ARE ALWAYS HAPPY IN THE ABSOLUTE AND MISERABLE IN COMPARISON.
But I have never been able to successfully overcome the debate of "if I don't compare how do I constantly improve and if I do compare how I avoid being miserable". One of the methods was to try and be anchored in something higher to avoid sinking into the depths of the mundane. And that "something" higher made me gravitate towards spirituality at the great risk of being tagged with the line that "folks who can't make it in their careers take up spirituality"
Many of my colleagues egged me on saying I needed to get out of the well that was Godrej and out into the big great world if I was to grow in my career. I never felt the need nor the urge. May be I was risk averse or just plain lazy but I never looked out of Godrej for 10 long years.
When I take a look at my class of '83 now and do a rapid review I find that the position each person holds is no longer what it was when we started out. Big egos have got flattened, life priorities have changed, people who thought success couldn't be theirs are indeed successful and so on and so forth. This brings me to another phrase that I adapted from a book title that I browsed some years back.
TOUGH TIMES NEVER LAST BUT TOUGH PEOPLE DO.
In one's career it's important to build one's capabilities and develop strength of character to be able to handle the downturns and the tough times and still be humbly able to ride the crests. It's a tough ask because when the good times come its difficult to give the credit to others and to higher powers and still remain humble. And when the tough times hit you its difficult to steer clear of the negativity and the waves of pessimism and still not do anything rash. I wonder if there is a case for writing a book with the title "Good times don't last but Good people do".
I saw the Hindi movie "Om Shanti Om" sometime back and what stayed in my mind was the simple yet profound speech that the lead character, played by Shah Rukh Khan gave on receiving the Filmfare award. He says, things always work out in the end and if for some reason it has not worked out for you, believe that it is not yet The End!!
I am still not 100 % certain that one should pursue career growth at all costs. I haven't seen very many successful professionals who were also good human beings. At least not till the last 4-5 years. These days I am more convinced than I ever was that being fundamentally good pays off in the long run. I see lots of evidence around to support this hypothesis to convince me to pursue this line of thought and behavior.
And in case you are still not convinced, go see "Om Shanti Om" and get convinced by the King Khan himself!! :-)
It's 3 am. I have a presentation tomorrow morning and I still have a mammoth job to finish. In the midst of thinking about how much work is left, I have already reached that stage of exhaustion where one can't even sleep. And suddenly out of sheer laziness I start to think of an 'innovative' way to wiggle my way out of the work I haven't done.
My MBA nurtured this streak in me - the quality of being able to save my skin. I call it innovation. I have somehow come to believe that a lot of innovation stems from downright laziness. Research, rationale, pragmatism - basically all that society has conditioned us lesser mortals to inculcate in ourselves- just clogs our minds, limits our perspective and forces us to think within a certain parameter. We are taught to think in a specific way and this is force fed into our system bit by bit.
On the other hand, ideas that stem from utter desperation to just save your posterior, somehow, turn out to be truly ingenious. In college too, uncannily, the best presentations, reports, projects etc. that I made, were the ones that were completed in the nick of time. By divine grace everything came together at the last minute, with me spitting out brilliant, original, out-of-the-box ideas.
I think I just end up spending a lot of time planning each and every activity and I do not plan enough time to actually do it- so then again here I am sitting down one fine day...night...early morning...when my boss has lost all hope of me being able to come up with a below the line marketing campaign and then...a flash of lightning later (more a flicker of a tube light later but I like to be melodramatic!) I have a campaign that I can be proud of.
Moral of the story: Adrenaline rushes...pressures...deadlines...laziness... - true innovation germinates from these.
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 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 FIRSTResidentialBuilding 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.
GreenBuildings 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 GreenBuilding 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 GreenBuilding 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.
“Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.”
These words of Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple, describe the global corporate scenario more aptly today than ever before. In a world where availability of traditional factors required for business, such as technical skill, technological know-how, financial resources and productivity enhancement models, are only a matter of economic allocation, rather than opportunity, what truly defines who will determine the rules of the game is innovative ability.
How does one define “innovation”? There are as many definitions as there are proponents, observers and practitioners. This only seems to suggest that innovation is a multi-faceted phenomenon, which can change forms in different contexts and which can be an all-pervading driver of organisational and individual actions. It may be worthwhile then, to focus attention on what makes an organisation innovative. What makes an innovative culture?
It is universally accepted that an ‘innovative culture’, by default, implies that every individual takes responsibility for innovation. However, the initial push in this direction, and it must be a BIG push, has to come from the top. The leadership’s initiative and continued involvement has to be seen by every level of the hierarchy not only in letter, but also in spirit.
Another key ingredient is the way information is handled in the organisation. For teams and groups focussed on delivering innovative projects, withholding of critical information can be a huge impediment and a dampener on morale. Smooth organisational communication flows and effective knowledge management must be a priority for innovation to thrive.
A business is sustainable only if it answers to a (spoken/ unspoken) need of a customer. Innovation simply for the sake of innovating will not gain currency in the market. It must be tied to customer needs. Thus, a focus on customer centricity is a critical ingredient in an innovative culture.
Finally, efforts towards innovation must be not only effective but also efficient to deliver the greatest value. Thus, an accent on technology-enabled processes and systems is crucial. These investments often enhance the synergistic value of innovation.
More and more Indian corporate houses, including Mahindra & Mahindra, are now beginning to appreciate the critical role that innovation will play in their ability to take the lead in the marketplace. Some others, like the Tatas, have demonstrated such breakthroughs already. It appears that there are exciting and innovating times ahead for India Inc.
Often, people use and think of, "invention" and "innovation" interchangeably. They could not be more mistaken. The distinction between the two is that while invention is the creation or development of a new product, process or concept, innovation is turning it into commercial success. Or as noted innovation consultant John Emmerling says - "Innovation is creativity with a job to do".
In a sense, Innovation = Invention + Commercial Exploitation. Let's call this the Innovation Equation.
Mathematically speaking, to maximize the left hand side of the equation, both the right hand side elements will have to be maximized. In other words, companies need strong invention competenciesand highly developed commercial leverage skills in order to be really BIG on innovation.
Remember the Sony Walkman? Or its modern day equivalent, the Apple I-pod? Each of these is a terrific example of a company that had a brilliantly radical idea and went on to deploy top-notch design, manufacturing, distribution and marketing skills to turn its invention into a mass rage. Superbly managing the transformation of a nerdy/geeky kind of laboratory idea into a sexy, marketplace success.
In the automotive industry, Toyota leads the pack with its innovations (Fortune ranks Toyota #3 in its recently published list of Most Admired Global Companies). The hybrid vehicle Prius, that created benchmarks in clean transportation technology, is a best seller too - it has sold nearly 2 million units since its US launch in 2000! Further validation of the innovation equation.
Honda is another auto company that has invested heavily in pushing the innovation bar higher. It is among the leaders in hybrids, CNG and fuel cells technology today. Its newest invention is FCX Clarity, a sedan powered by a fuel cell that uses no gasoline and emits only water vapour. The fate of the Clarity will be known later this year, when the vehicle debuts in California. Will Honda be able to apply its commercial acumen to the hilt? Can the Clarity, a powerful invention, become a truly successful innovation?
Day - Friday Time - 1555 hrs Place - Mahindra Intertrade Ltd Location - 6th floor, Mahindra Towers
Its a normal day at MIL, people at their workstations, busy. Then, there is a sudden buzz and everyone gets up and starts moving towards the Conference Room located near the entrance. What gives ? nothing to worry about, it's TGIF, which starts at 1600 hrs sharp every friday at MIL. TGIF (thank god its friday) is something MIL has been holding every friday for the last 2 years or so. This is basically a forum where the whole office meets up on friday evening and some event is planned. The event can be diverse - a guest lecture by someone (on any topic), an employee sharing his work related experience, quizzes, screening of a film or event, Lego building contest etc. Whatever the activity, the underlying idea is simple - get everyone together for some time and engage in some bonding. The idea is simple but very effective. It does not call for any major planning or investment. Virtually anything goes, because, as i mentioned earlier, it is not the event which is important, but getting people together.
More importantly, a lot of good ideas get thrown up at these sessions. There have also been times when TGIF has become a sort of Q&A session (unplanned) where people have got clarifications on various issues and even some grievances have been aired. TGIF is also a forum which is open to all and there have been some quiz sessions where non-MIL people have participated. in short, TGIF has been taking care of bonding, grievance redressal, awareness, et al, using a simple and easy format.
Mr. Bharat Doshi (Executive Director, Finance and Corporate Affairs & Member of the Group Mgt. Board, M&M) as Chief Guest at the 50th session of TGIF.
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