The best way to predict the future is to invent it.
Monthly Archive for September, 2006
Google Reader has got an upgrade and the site is looking extremely slick now. There are a lot of interesting features that have been added to enhance the usability and online experience for the users. No wonder the company is calling it - “Inbox for the Web”.
There is a new look and feel, folder navigation has become easy, unread item count changes as you scroll down the feeds, and one can now mark items as read or unread. Feeds can be read on a per blog basis, or you can see a consolidated view of all the new feeds. Another neat addition is the one-click sharing of posts with friends. The size of the feed window has also expanded to make it easy to read and scan through the feeds.
I happened to reach a turning point in my online life - as Google has put it. As soon as I was done reading the feeds, I hit NEXT and this is what I got:
Innovation is all about profound faith in one’s abilities, an indefatigueable enthusiasm and the euphoric optimism of achieving success. It feels a little anachronous to see so many people let opportunities just pass by; at first it used to be frustrating. But I have come to believe that each and every person is driven by a different set of goals and aspirations. However, I am experimenting with an idea that innovation can be imbibed into the daily routine and people can be made aware of not only this wonderful word, but the whole conceptual ideology behind it. And it is plain simple - “Learning to Do Things the New Way” !! It is so simple yet so difficult to grasp and implement for most of us.
Infosys CEO has some interesting things to say in an article in Businessweek about the state of innovation in countries like India and China. He says that there are three emerging models in the Innovation space:
- One is process innovation: wiring everyone to the same network and leveraging the cost, talent, and volume of an integrated global economy.
- Another is creating pint-sized products and services sold cheaply to masses of poor people.
- A third is innovating through local partnerships and networks to get around external hurdles, whether bad roads in India or bad government policy on IP in China.
All the three models are visible across companies and industries in India - so much so that there are 21 companies from India in Boston Consulting Group’s list of 100 Emerging Global Companies. Nandan says that lack of an effective infrastructure and absence of strong regulatory systems are the major obstacles in speeding up innovation in India. Even though India has graduated from IT outsourcing and BPO models to become one of the major suppliers of knowledge across the globe, there still exist large voids in strengthening its hold over knowledge-based service and moving up the value chain.
The next step in the Indian Knowledge Services evolution process is innovation - innovation in products, processes and services. This is a crucial ‘next’ step in ensuring India’s continual participation and leadership in the global economy. Nandan’s article not only outlines the major obstacles in this space, but also provides a lot of fodder for thought. The last lines of his article epitomise the whole argument:
In the end, innovation capability depends on economic flexibility. The U.S., with its entrepreneurial culture, relaxed labor markets, and free capital flows, continues to be the most innovative economy in the world. India and China need such an environment to bridge the growth and productivity gap between emerging markets and the developed world and to truly transform themselves into innovative, energetic economies.
The Innovation Sandbox article by C K Prahalad is another must read on this topic.
Today I complete my second year at Netscribes. The journey has been very eventful with a lot of pleasant surprises and heartbreaking events. But all in all, I am enjoying it here and looking forward to another great year and another great stint at this great place.
There have been various key learnings over the short span of two years and along with it has come a sense of immense responsibility. I am still learning in the process and there is a long way to go. For now, it is party time as we also complete two years for our project. The party is happening at Tian in Juhu.
Love this anonymous quote that epitomizes rebellion and righteousness:
No force in the world can stop an idea whose time has come !!
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