Inspiration sans instruction

Is the book instructive? Well, maybe not so much. It states the obvious in a charming way, an approach that can inspire, but cannot instruct

Jugaad 3.0: Hacking the 

Corporation to make it fast, fluid and frugal

Simone Bhan Ahuja,

Penguin Portfolio; Rs 499, 288 pages

Whether you gain from reading this book or not depends on the mindset with which you approach the reading. Is this opening statement obvious and too general? Well, so is this book. It states the obvious in a highly readable manner.

It is unclear why this book has been given the title of Jugaad 3.0,  apart from the fact that the author had co-authored an earlier book bearing that word. I may not be quite up-to-date, but is there a well-accepted 2.0 and 1.0 that has preceded this version? To an Indian,  Jugaad suggests a practical and short-term problem solution, an ingenious quick-fix approach. These 190 pages are not about that, but it bears the name Jugaad. Perhaps the appeal of the title will be to non-Indian readers—there are impressive endorsements from foreigners—who may think that they have stumbled on to a new Indian technique like yoga and meditation.

The book must get high marks for this virtue of being readable. The early chapters dwell on why innovation is so hard, accompanied by stories: for example, the story of how Belanda Atis joined L’Oreal in 1999 and, along with two colleagues, “satisfied a massive customer need that had existed for generations.” Simone Bhan Ahuja’s story reminds me of a 40-year-old event from my own experience when Dr Girish Mathur and Dr M J Mulky of Hindustan Lever Research Centre innovated a world-class brand called Fair and Lovely.  

The subsequent chapters in the book are neatly arranged into eight DIY principles, which deserve to be stated in this review: (i) keep it frugal, (ii) make it permission-less, (iii) let customers lead, (iv) keep it fluid, (v) maximise return on intelligence (vi) create the commons (vii) engage passion and purpose ((viii) add discipline to disruption. There are rich anecdotes and explanations, which are what make the book so enjoyable. Is the book inspirational? Yes, certainly.

Is it instructive? Well, maybe not so much. It states the obvious in a charming way, an approach that can inspire, but cannot instruct. The practical issue that leaders within institutions face is about how to implement all those eight things, given where they are. The author almost suggests that there is a new species called the Jugaad 3.0 disruptor. She has presented a table on the differences between the traditional intrapreneur and the Jugaad 3.0 disruptor, but goes on to claim that “for the first time, intrapreneurs are starting to be developed, recruited, systematically supported and celebrated.” Really? This reviewer cannot understand how the author came to such a profound conclusion.  The eight principles are easy to read and comprehend, but deeply contextual to implement, given where the institution stands at a point of time.  And, for the reader, in that reality lies the “irritating and annoying sand in the boots”. 

To take a fitness metaphor, merely being told to do deep breathing and stretching for an hour each morning leaves you with many issues, for example, how to find those 60 minutes. If an exercise junky were to write about and even demonstrate how to keep trim and fit, what issues would a middle-aged, out-of-shape reader face? There is the self-motivational issue, there is the “how long” issue, the “how will others respond” issue, and, to be honest, there is the self-doubt whether this will really work! It is precisely that kind of mental obstacle that a reader may face upon reading this book. The book describes a journey through platitudes without reference to overcoming the obstacles from where you are standing or where you want to go.

Can a 190-page book tell you that much? Perhaps not. And that might have influenced the author. It is true that there is that much that an author can tell through a book, and no more. Once you accept such a limitation, this book is worth its inspirational read.

Many years ago, when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the prime minister, McKinsey Global Institute presented to him and his cabinet ministers an enthralling power-point presentation on how to realise the admittedly high potential that the Indian economy had. This reviewer does not recall the precise points, but they sounded like “Remove subsidies”, “Discourage caste-based policies” and “Improve farmers’ profitability”. After many supra-intelligent discussions and debates by those present at the meeting, the PM was accorded the last say. In the thoughtful and reflective style that was his hallmark, he said, “Yeh sab baathein to theek hain, magar yeh sab hoga kaise?”