From jugaad to systematic innovation

Why is it that India is unable to be the source of major innovations on a sustained basis even though it has highly skilled talent?

Rishikesha Krishnan draws on social, cultural, political, economic and managerial arguments to explain this paradox. The book concludes by proposing an agenda for India to move from a paradigm of Jugaad - or creative improvisation - to a systematic approach to innovation.

India has extraordinarily skilled technical talent but fails to create innovative products and services on a sustained basis. This book seeks to explain this paradox.

Consider the following:

⚫ Indians are individually creative and often come up with ingenious methods of solving the myriad problems they face. The
"grassroots innovations" documented by Sristi and the National Innovation Foundation run into thousands.'

⚫ During the dot-com boom at the dawn of this century, it was common to hear that American venture capitalists would not fund a
start-up unless it had a person of Indian origin as Chief Technology Officer.2

⚫ Indian "techies" have made their presence felt all over the world, not only in the United States.

⚫ Hundreds of the world's leading multinationals have set up software development and R&D centres in India to have access to this talent base.