Beyond the 'chameleon' strategy

Drawing on his four decades of experience across sectors, Harit Nagpal's book offers actionable nuggets for anyone who worries about becoming obsolete as things change and they struggle to keep pace

Adapt to Thrive, Not Just Survive 

Author: Harit Nagpal

Publisher: Westland

Pages: 224

Price: Rs 599

The ability to turn a challenge into an opportunity might seem innate but it can be learnt through analysis, introspection, mentoring and practice. If you find this hard to believe, read Adapt to Thrive, Not Just Survive. Written by Harit Nagpal, the chief executive officer of Tata Play, this book champions adaptation as a core element of strategy in order to run a successful business. The author breaks it down, and provides useful case studies to show how this can be done.

It is divided into 10 chapters, which cover topics such as navigating targeted segments, listening to the customer, crafting compelling propositions, aiming for lower failure and faster recovery, reaching customers effectively and efficiently, creating a brand that connects, growing the industry and your share of it, using focused reviews to create and drive agenda, creating a productive work culture, and staying relevant alongside growing margins.

The author draws inspiration from the chameleon’s adaptive skills, so the creature finds a prominent place on the attractive cover designed by Saurabh Garge. Mr Nagpal proposes that, while chameleons adapt only to stay safe from predators and survive in the natural world, human beings have the capacity to adapt in a manner that also allows them to thrive. As the cliché goes, change is the only constant; one has to accept this reality and mould oneself.

Mr Nagpal has worked with Lakme, Marico, Pepsi, Shoppers Stop and Hutch/Vodafone. Drawing on four decades of experience in the industry, he has written a book that will benefit anyone who worries about becoming obsolete as things change and they struggle to keep pace. While it seems to be written for entrepreneurs and managers, it packs in helpful lessons that are easily transferable across contexts because the crux is creative problem-solving.

What makes this book unique is that the author does not present himself as a know-it-all eager to shower his pearls of wisdom after having been there and done that. He packages his material into a format that puts storytelling front and centre. Each case study is delivered as a riveting story with a well-etched plot, setting, characters, conflict, emotion and resolution.

Instead of setting them all in India, Mr Nagpal sets them in various parts of the world, including Bangladesh, Italy, Jamaica, Malaysia, Ghana, Pakistan, New Zealand and Thailand. He uses examples from a range of businesses that are into ready-to-cook foods, fintech, watch-making, bamboo products, publishing, air conditioners, and construction. These variations ensure that the reader has something new to look forward to with every upcoming chapter.

At the end of every chapter, the author invites the reader to reflect on the key takeaways, which are presented not as commandments to follow but as statements they can use to reflect on how they run their own business. This is self-assessment. There is no shaming. Smart business leaders can use these to identify gaps, and get their teams to work on fixing them.

This approach makes the book seem friendly and welcoming. “Most of the stories here are based on what I saw or experienced. I have myself lived three of the 10 stories, nuances and all, and those who know me can figure out which these stories are,” writes Mr Nagpal.

Industry veterans keen to write books sharing their experience and knowledge could learn a thing or two from him. He comes across as self-assured but never talks down to the reader. He treats the reader as an intelligent and empathetic adult well-equipped to connect the dots.

Professors in management colleges could use this book to teach basic concepts in an interesting manner without bombarding students with dense jargon. Using this book, students can learn to appreciate the importance of a formal market segmentation study, the need to have a time-bound “stimulate or abandon” plan for underperforming products, and the rationale behind creating a product team that has “different people responsible for acquiring customers, retaining them and increasing revenue from the retained customers.”

This book could also be used in professional development programmes that are not lecture-based but driven by group work. Since each case study is written up as a story, it can easily be converted into a skit. There can be several groups in case the organisation has a large number of employees. The process of working on skits could be an exciting team-building opportunity where different team members get to showcase their writing and acting skills.

After each skit is performed, members of the audience could be asked to discuss the pros and cons of the adaptation strategies used by the businesses in the stories, and what they can apply in their own workplace. This would be a smart way to dip into the book and learn from it as an organisation, especially because there are many people who do not enjoy reading.

The reviewer is an independent journalist and educator based in Mumbai. He is @chintanwriting on Instagram and X