 Commentary by Praveen Gupta Subscribe via Email or RSS |  Biography |
January 20, 2008
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Global Innovation - Part II |
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While going to India for participating in the convocation events at IIT, Chicago’s Bangalore campus, I was supposed to travel from Chicago to Newark, and then catch the international flight to Delhi. Due to the size and cost associated with the international flights they are rarely canceled. Same, however, is not true for domestic travel. Canceling domestic flights appears to be an employee’s play at major airlines. Chicago is known for surprising weather conditions; my flight to Newark was delayed beyond catching the international flight to Delhi. Seeing the opportunity to participate in a business event evaporating in the freezing conditions, I asked the customer service supervisor to find a way to get me to Delhi. Being a frequent traveler, I should not have expected anything beyond a standard answer anyway. So, I did get the standard answer, “All flights were oversold. Sorry!” After canceling my reservation at the gate, I rushed to the ticket counter and made a plea to endorse my flight with another airlines from Chicago to Delhi, as that would be the only way I could go and attend my events. I was told that the ticket agent could not override decision made at the gate by a supervisor there. However, if his manager approved, the agent could work with. I quickly asked for the manager, and luckily the manager turned out to be the nice person. He said he had no problem if the agent could find one seat for you at any airlines.
Jugad (Joo gaard) Technology It turned out the agent happened to be from Indian subcontinent. He was glad to help me get to Delhi, and promised he would apply the Jugad. I have heard this word before in Hindi, but never gave any significance to it. Now, it was going to help me, I paid attention. Jugad means really a combinatorial play acted out by street smart people for quickly solving a problem. Sales guys are very good at creating combinations that can sell. If one does not fly, the other one is promptly lands in front of the customer. Comedians call it improvisation. It is to come up with new funny lines by putting two or more unrelated things together. Any unique combination of two or more things is called Jugad, or simply the creativity. When the ticket agent said, let me do the Jugad, he must have meant let me be creative to find a flight for me to Delhi. To my amazement, he found a seat on a overbooked flight at the other airlines, that too non-stop to Delhi from Chicago instead of going to Newark, NJ. I thought, WOW! Jugad works! It really meant creativity on demand works! Customers love it. During my stay in India, I tried to understand better what Jugad meant to people in India. I understood that when resources are limited, an optimum solution has to be found, Jugad (creativity) must be applied. Even TRIZ says that when conflicting situation exists, inventive problem solving methods must be practiced. In India, even with a growing economy, resources are limited for a common citizen to meet their daily needs. When people have to struggle to survive they must think differently, must practice Jugad. Similarly, in business world, when organization has to succeed in order to survive, it must encourage Jugad, i.e., employee creativity at all levels. I have identified Fundamental, Platform, Derivative, and Variation types of innovation in my earlier articles or columns here. Jugad is more like Variation type of innovation, where one must find an innovative solution quickly through combinatorial play. This requires ability to process information fast either mentally or using technology. One of the example that is cited often in India of Jugad technology is a vehicle people have come up to meet their transportation needs. A common entrepreneur puts together an engine of a tractor, frame of a bullock cart, look of a vintage American car, and cover of a rickshaw. It does not mean that same vehicle would work in any other country or circumstances. However, the message is there. Find a way to put together whatever is available to develop a solution that meets your need. I believe we are moving in that direction with increasing oil prices, global 24x7 customers, diffusion of jobs, and depleting resources. Let’s be prepared to be creative on the fly, and innovate on demand for ourselves, and for our customers. Everyone wins with Jugad! To see Jugad live, click here. |
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Comments [13] | Permalink |
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| posted by Ellen Domb [ http://www.trizpqrgroup.com ] | January 20, 2008 at 6:59 pm |
Hello, Praveen: I'm very glad that the "Jugad" creativity of the airline employee was able to get you to your events in India on time. But your story reminds me (sadly) of Dr. Deming's famous saying "Nice people trying hard ain't a system." Will anyone at the airline work at creating a system that does NOT cause passengers to have to beg for the creativity of employees and the approval of managers? So, a reminder to all of the creativity community--let's work toward a day when creativity is used to improve business and improve systems, rather than just using it to fix problems. Happy New Year to all our readers and authors! Ellen Domb |
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| posted by Praveen Gupta [ http://accelper.com ] | January 20, 2008 at 7:36 pm |
Hi Ellen, Thanks for your comments, and Happy New Year to you too! The ticket agent who helped me did not try hard, instead he tried smartly as he cared for the customer. Because it did not take him long to find a seat for me! Also, he was not fixing a problem, he was servicing a customer. I believe rigid systems curb creativity and design out thinking employee. Instead today to offer service to a customer (recepient of the custom service) systems must be flexible and engage thinking workers. The difference between employee and a robot is the 'thinking' component. In my opinion, having employee practice creativity in any system is a good thing! What do you think? Praveen |
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| posted by Navneet Bhushan [ http://innovationcrfating.blogspot.com ] | January 21, 2008 at 0:19 am |
Praveen, I think this is an excellent piece that you have written - and see how fluent it is - it is the real experience. We in India are continuously, regularly living through Jugaad, especially people in Delhi. Jugaad is slang for "Jugat" (in Punjabi) which actually has its root in "Yukti" in sanskrit - it is a word for solving a problem that typical linear logic will not work - it is a really the inherent capability of people to solve problems creatively. I havent found any other word in hindi/sanskrit that is close to english Innovation. Coming to Jugaad, Jugat or Yukti - India has fantastic examples of "Jugaadu" guys (typical north Indians are considered Jugaadu) solving unsolvable problems - I also believe it is the harsh realities that India has faced for last 300 years or so that has created this street smartness in many Indians. This Jugaadu ness is difficult to comprehend for a mind that is trained to follow systems as if future is predictable, controllable and determinstic. I think the realization that it is not about A PROCESS or A SYSTEM or AN ALGORITHM alone - it is really all about utilizing everything iota of thinking that you can utilize, that helps Indian mind to adapt and thrive in times of rapid changes. As long as the world changes at a slower pace - till late 1980's - the system creation, process creation etc works. As soon as the pace of change increased exponentially, eastern minds are able to thrive much more in the age of rapid change! |
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| posted by Praveen Gupta [ http://accelper.com ] | January 21, 2008 at 7:30 am |
Hello Navneet, Thanks for your comments! I have a question for you. If people are continually using a technique, does not it mean that they have mastered a process? Best, Praveen |
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| posted by Navneet Bhushan [ http://innovationcrfating.blogspot.com ] | January 21, 2008 at 11:38 am |
I believe it is not a particular technique - it is an attitude of saying that if I want to achieve something - I will get it done to satisfy the need even if the process/system that has been so painfully perfected and deployed ny the top-down management doesnt help me achieve this. In fact, it is the unique ability to be able to work through the system at critical junture that leads to this flexibility. I would rather say, that so called practice as you articulated is actually the practice and knowledge to know when and in what form I can meet a need without following the established process. |
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| posted by Praveen Gupta [ http://accelper.com ] | January 21, 2008 at 12:20 pm |
So, if we establish a system such that human knowledge and creativity are utilized at critical juncture would become a reusable process for thinking workers. Thanks for your explanation. I am just probing for a process to use knowledge and creativity at personal level. For example, when an innovator like youreself has figured out how to do things innovatively, you must have developed your intuitive process to apply your thinking innovatively over and over, not just once. Best, Praveen |
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| posted by Navneet Bhushan [ http://innovationcrafting.blogspot.com ] | January 21, 2008 at 1:59 pm |
Well, our minds are trained to create patterns and hence systematic processes. But I being typical ENTP - I hate repeated processes especially to create something. I especially try not to follow the same process that has succeeded for me before - that way I will be repeating myself and it becomes boring for me. Unfortunately by education and environment it has been harped in me to create systems, processes to be followed. Hence it is a deliberate attempt not to follow the same proces - yet when it comes to techniques - I use them repeatedly - one such technique happen to be Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) My problem is that I know randomness continuously fools me ( Nabil's book "Fooled by randomness" as well as Black swan) yet because of the training in orderly world of systems my mind tries to create a repeatable process - yet I know, more I know, less likely it will be for me to innovate - a fundamental contadiction - it is not about knowledge - it is about striving to change continuously. The education system needs to change I think! |
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| posted by Navneet Bhushan [ http://innovationcrafting.blogspot.com ] | January 28, 2008 at 5:31 am |
Another article (in fact a book) on Jugaad - The unique way in which India applies creative ways to wriggle through constraints. This time by the Minister Union Minister of commerce and industry |
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| posted by Navneet Bhushan [ http://innovationcrafting.blogspot.com ] | January 28, 2008 at 5:35 am |
The Jugaad way The unique Indian approach to solving problems creatively under conditions of extreme constraints. This time in a article (in fact a book) by India's Union Minister of Commerce and Industry - Mr. Kamal Nath |
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| posted by Praveen Gupta [ http://www.accelper.com ] | January 28, 2008 at 8:28 am |
Rakesh, Our focus is not on illegal implementation of any method, instead of 'jugad' thinking. That was explained in the article, which meant to be creatively developing a solution on demand with given constraints. Wish you luck! Praveen |
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| posted by Anuradha [ http://anuradhagoyal.blogspot.com ] | January 30, 2008 at 9:18 am |
I think Jugaad is all about connecting the right dots to solve the problem at hand. In your example, the guy who managed the ticket for you, had probably as much information as many others, but why was he able to do Jugaad for you: 1. He wanted to help you get a ticket 2. He wanted ti challenge himself with solving a problem that others have given up on 3. 1 &2 motivate him to connect all the info available to him and find a solution. If I am not wrong, he may not have made just one attempt at solving the problem, but would have attacked it from all angles and finally achieved it, with a bit of creativity coupled with a lot of will to solve the problem. We often use the word Jugaad, when we are stuck at any problem, and a hidden connotation in the word is 'problem has to be solved by any means', there is no second option. And yes, lot of times it may involve not so ethical means as well... |
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| posted by Praveen Gupta [ http://www.accelper.com ] | February 5, 2008 at 7:03 am |
Anuradha, Thanks for sharing your insights about Jugad. I believe your three points represent your attention to details of holistic approach to Jugad. The ticket agent was first committed to help, then applied his knowledge of the reservation system including interraction among airlines to think creatively, and looked for a solution. Praveen |
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