2016
Business Innovation from India – Jugaad –
Jugaad Innovation is an approach born in India. It is a way of thinking often described as "a quick fix with an unconventional approach", or "creating a new thing with what you already have." It is to find an improvised or makeshift solution with originality and ingenuity, using scarce resources.
Most known examples include whipping up Indian popular yogurt drink, lassi, with a washing machine or creating water-cooling refrigerators requiring no electricity. Water-cooling refrigerator system is very simple – it only requires the user to pour water into the refrigeration box. Then the water circulates in the refrigerator and cools inside the fridge by evaporation when outside temperature goes up. This water-cooling fridge sells for just 50 US dollars. Another interesting example is to use a simple warmer as an infant incubator. While Jugaad approach is sometimes criticized for not planning ahead or a "rush job", it has also been an inspiring example in business school classrooms. We interviewed an Indian marketer to learn his take on such Indian-style innovation.
(Excerpt from the article written by Rieko Shofu, the President and CEO of Sensing Asia. The article was originally contributed to the April 2016 issue of "Marketing Horizon" published by the Japan Marketing Association.)